El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-08-31
IN
MEXICO ARE
UNPOPULAR
Lack of Courtesy by Many
Americans Resented by
Polite Nations.
INTERVENTION SCARE
IS ALWAYS ON HAND

Washington. D. c.. Aug. 31.-As Amer
leans have well-defined and not over
complimentary views concerning Mexl-
cans. so they have certain views about
us that do not show US as through our
own eyes. In the first place the Next
cans look upon us as a nation OF land
grabbers. They recall that practically
One-third of the territory of the United
States was secured from Mexico. that
we own about a million square miles of
land that once was theirs. In other
words. they feel that we have taken
million square miles OF their territory
and have left them only 767 900 miles.
They feel. too. that much of the best
land in their original domain has come
to us with the million square miles OF
territory. and that acre for acre the land
We got from them is worth more than
the land they have been permitted to
retain. They think that the independ-
ence of Texas was brought about by
Americans who wanted to make it a part
Of the United States, and that, however
it may be viewed We have proved to be
land-hungry people who have taken
advantage of them whenever we could.
Nor do they find much hope that our
land-gTabbing prOpensities have been en-
tirelv outlived To their minds our an
neXatiOn of Hawaii. our retention of
the Philippines and Porto Rico, and our
quarrel with Colombia all demonstrate
that the occasion Is the only thing need
ed and we viii make another grab. The
Spaniard and his descendant is by nature
suspicious; he never fails to assess at
full value the usefulness of the past in
projecting a forecast of the future. His
suspicious more often than not lead him
to over appraise rather than to under
estimate any evil-minded designs that
seem to lie IN the hearts OF nations and
individuals.
Haunted by Intervention Specter.
Therefore, today all Mexico looks upon
the United States as a nation of good
impulses which goes wrong the minute
there Is chance to grab bit of terri
tory. And that Is why the specter OF in
PREVENTION haunts them. 1t is why the
reports are not to be believed which have
it that OrOzcO wants to force interven-
ton. It is why intervention would be a
signal for federals and revOlutionists to
forget their own differences and unite
against the common enemy from the
north.
If the average Mexican has fear of
the United States as a nation he has no
love for its people as individuals. There
are two things which contribute to this
state of feeling. One Is the American who
goes to Mexico. The traveller sees thou
sands of these American pilgrims in the
land of the MOnteZumas. Some of them
win friends for themselves and for the
American people in general But the vast
majority make enemies for themselves
and for their country. The Mexican Is a
polite individual. whether he be Castil-
liam, halfg breed, OF Indian. He may feel
like stabbing you IN the back. but he
hides it with a sUavity and Difference
that needs only to be appreciated TO
transform his concealed enmity into sin
cere respect.
But the average American starts in
with contempt for the Mexican. He is
nothing but a blankety- blank greaser,
says this American. and he passes
through Mexico with the superciliOus air
that that expression indicates. He
abuses his landlord because his hotel is
not up to the standard of the famous
hostelries of New York. He quaTrels
with the waiter because the course din
ner he serves has three kinds of meat,
one vegetable. and no fruit. He finds
fault with the poor coaehman because
he cannot talk English OF understand
where he seeks to be driven. through
the signs that are as mystifying to the
American spectator as they are to the
Spanishsp speaking Jehu.
American Lack of Tolerance.
And so he goes all through Mexico,
with never a minutes federation for
ways and languages that are different
from his own. He becomes less gentle
manly than the cabby in the street or
the mozo who looks after his room at
the hotel. He is the rule with the Mexi-
can. The man who comes with an ap-
probation of the fact that other peoples
have as good a right to their customs
and ways as we have is the exception. |
There are so few of them that the Next
can reaches his conclusions about Amer
leans as individuals from what he sees |
of the other kind. And as he is the great !
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