Arizona republican., 1911-05-27
The Starting Point of the Dix Down.
 fall.

fall.
 T do not know Of any act immedi- ately imputable to me which could have caused this social phenomenon said General Diaz of the revolution
 in his letter to the Mexican congress resigning the presidency of the re- public. A review of the developments which eliminated in the overthrow of the Diaz regime brings to mind a single incident which in all probabil- ity will have its place in history as the starting point of the Nadero in surrection. Apparently insignificant at the time, this incident clearly marks the beginning of the revolu- tion-just as clearly as a tiny spring in the mountain may be identified as the source of a mighty river Wheth- CT the mistake therein made is imput- able to General Diaz personally is scarcely open to doubt
 We refer of course to the arrest of MaderO and his confinement in the penitentiary at Monterey. just a year ago, because of his alleged sedi- tious remarks concerning President Diaz- Madero had a short time pre- viously announced his candidacy for the presidency at the ensuing cleo tion. His arrest grew out of a brief address made by him to a group of his partisans at the station of San Luis Potosi. The complaining witness was lawyer of Mexico City, Don Juan R. Orci, who made the follow ing explanation to Fl Diario on F,s return to the Mexican capital:
 "On my last trip it was a coinci- dence that I was on the same train with Don Francisco I. Madero, and upon arriving at the station of san Luis Potosi, where several people were awaiting him, I detained myself to hear the discourse that he pro- nounced, and in which there were phrases injurious for the first magis- trate Of the nation and for other high functionaries of the public admins ITation."
 The incident received comment in these columns at the time, and these comments in The Republican fur nished the first information to the American people concerning the ar rest of Madero-the fact had escaped the attention of American correspon- dents in Mexico. The arrest and nu- initiating treatment to which Madero was subjected was undoubtedly the embittering reason which led MaderO, immediately after his release from prison, to take up the standard of armed revolt. For many weeks, dur ing his efforts from San Antonio, Texas, to organize the insurrection, he apparently made little headway But he was wealthy, the iron had en- tered his soul, and finally his persis- tence in trying to enkindle the spirit of revolution in the northern states of Mexico was rewarded with success.
 With Madero it has been a war of personal revenge against Diaz. Per haps it will be remembered that no concession offered by the govern ment to the revolutionists could arrest the attention of Madero unless he could know that the resignation of Diaz would follow. He was deter mined to drive from power the man who had sent him to prison in viola ton of the constitutional guarantees of personal liberty and free speech.
 If Diaz had permitted Madero to make a campaign for the presidency unmolested, Q safety valve for the pressure of unrest would have been afforded; and yet there would have been no danger of Maderos success at the polls. It was inevitable, of course, that Mexico would suffer from revolution sooner or later. But in all probability the evil day would have been postponed beyond the time of Dfaz. if the wealthy and influential Madero had not been treated as a common criminal as a punishment for his temerity in presuming to become a nominal candidate for the presi- dency. SB,tyEx#
 There was, of course, no reason why President Diaz should apprehend the tremendous consequences which flowed from his arrest of Madero. Time and again he had arrested and vigorously punished other would-be leaders who had dared to cross his path When he arrested Madero he had, in fact, just disposed of a man who seemingly was infinitely more