The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-03-18

Grande - Revolt Widespread. he
Declares, and Business ParaIyzed.
Charleston, March 13.-"Mexico is
poisoned from end to end. The spir-
1T Of revolt and unrest, most evident
In Chihuhua, is rife in all the twelve
States Of the Republic. Very few
people in the United States have any
idea Of the terrible conditions now
existing in the sister nation"
In these words Mr.. Frederick w
Olds, who is secretary of the Rale
Chamber of Commerce, and WI W
Mexico just nine days ago, ed
up the situation in the unfor ,unate
country the President of which has
just announced a war of extermna-
ton against the revolutionists. Mr..
Olds was a visitor in Charleston yes
terday and the day before, leaving
this city yesterday afternoon for his
home in North Carolina. He spent
something like two weeks in Mexico
and talked most Interestingly to A
reporter of The News and Courier
about the things that he had seen
during his stay in that war-racked
Republic.
Il do not think" he said. that
the army which the United States is
assembling along the Mexican border
| Will become an army of occupation.
There is grave doubt whether the
acquisition Of Mexico would be a de-
sirable thing. We would acquire
thereby vast number Of what Col.
Roosevelt calls undesirable citizens
utterly unfit to govern themselves and
too ignorant to discharge the duties
Of citizenship, and the trouble that
they would give us would more than
offset anything that we would gain
| by the annexation of the Republic.
Moreover, if war should come, it
might prove more serious propo-
sition than most people imagine.
vided against itself, American inter-
vention might lead to a prompt pat
ching up Of all internecine feuds
and very determined resistance on
the part of the invaded country. IT
all depends on the priests. They
WELD a tremendous influence over
| a n1a nd
against the Americans it would mean
a sorc Of holy war. The MeXicans
distrust and dislike the Americans
already and I do not think they
would submit to conquest. An army
of one hundred thousand men could
march to Mexico City and capture
most of the large towns, but the
country would be in a state of an
archy for years to come.
LAS for Diaz. it looks as if his day
is over. He is recognized as a great
man, but the general opinion in Mex
| leo is that he has grown too old and
that, due largely to bad advisers, he
|
the papers, see, have printed reports
that he is dead. 1 saw him in jan
uary and he looked we'll enough then.
| He came out and stood on the bal
cony of the palace overlooking the
great Plaza in Mexico City, while the
bands played and the soldiers stood
| In Hyn ha1.N
and soldierly-a fine figure l was
| impressed with the fact, however,
that no popular enthusiasm greeted
| his appearance.
What the end of it all will be no
man can say. Mexico is in a terrible
condition from one end to the 9TH
er. 1t is like Europe a thousand
years ago The poulation is divided
roughly into two classes-the great
! landowners, who are virtually feudal
barOns, and the poems, who are vir-
tually serfs. Some of the former
own as much as four million acres
of land. The latter are utterly ig-
norant, utterly illiteratc, and absolute
paupers. The insurrcctos consist
largely Of these poems who are de-
tcrmihed to throw off the yoke Of
their overlords, though there are also
many wealthy men among them.
I'm fact. in MrNjoo nobody knows
who is an msurrcc,a and who is 10y