The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1913-08-19
The SITUATION
in MEXICO
!. M. WiTHERoW OF MooRHEAD
GIVES FACTS AND FIGURES AS
He FOUND THEM BY PERSON.
Al VISIT TO THE REPUBLIC TO
THE SOUTH.

James NJ. Witherow of Moorhead, in
| very interesting interview today,
! gave The Forum some facts regarding
the Mexican situation as. he learned
them first hand by visit to the re-
public to the south recently.
| 1T is not so much a questionof Wheth-
er Huerta or Governor Caranza should
be president as whether one of two
| classes of people should control the
government and dominate the other
| class" said Mr.. WitheroW.
AS is generally known, the lands
IN Mexico are very largely in the hands
or few individuals who have inn
| mense estates and conduct them much
| on the same style as the feudal 8barons
| managed their affairs in the middle
ages.
| Against them are the poems, who
| are inpecunious to an almost unheard
| OF degree, and are largely dependent
| upon the rancheros for employment
| and existence, sometimes for life it.
self. This latter class have feeling of
discontent against the present condi-
| tlon OF affairs and are anxious to se-
cure laws which will give them an op-
portunity to acquire real estate and
an equal degree of civil rights with
the wealthy, people, and those are; the
| classes which are to a large degree
| represented by the so-called constitu-
| tionaGsts. While on the other hand
the privileged class is to large de-
! gree represented by the Huerta forces.
In other words, one class is striving
to obtain that which it does not pos
sess, and the other is striving to retain
| that which 1t now has. And neither
one of these are at all scrupulous as
| to the morals of their methods, just so
long as they can be successful Com
sequently in my Judgment, it does not
make much difference which one of the
factions is in control of the govern
ment. The fight will go on until one
or the other shall completely subdue
their opponents and entirely dominate
| the situation.
"The reasons why the Madero ad-
ministration was not more successful
than it was, are two. First, President
Madero was a man of high ideals and
he refused to recognize the principle
of TO the victors belong the spoils,'
and allow his supporters to loot and
| pillage their unsuccessful opponents.
| This gave the Diaz forces an oppor-
tunity to foment discomfort and
treachery within the ranks of the Ma
dero supporters, and very soon sue
ceeded in convincing many Of the un-
scrupulous of Madero's followers that
and won them over by promises Of
| concessions and political preferment.
In this way they were not long in
alternating a large number of his mili~
tary officers and others. The other
reason is that the country was inn
poverished when Madero took control
and he had a large number of camp
followers and others who claimed large
sums to be due them for military serv-
ice and it completely exhausted, the
credit and treasury of the country in
making settlement with those persons
and in an effort at reconstruction: Of
some essential Improvements in the
military and civil lists Of the govern
ment. Then, too Madero was anxious
| to deal fairly with the owners Of the
Handed estates and pay them a fair rate
OF, compensation for such as were TAX
en- for distribution among the poems,
which, with an exhausted treasury,
was entirely out Of the question. Then
he lacked the qualities Of leadership
in being able to maintain working
majority in his legislative body and
force through the things which, in his