Carroll County democrat. (Huntingdon, Tenn.) 188?-1971, 1913-12-12
SEES MEXICO
State President Rhodes Writes
Interesting Letter

in receipt Of very Interesting
letter from Il. NJ. Rhodes, who
is making an extended trip over
the Western States in the interest
of the farmers union. The letter
is worth giving to the public and
we feel sure the writer will pardon
us for taking the liberty Of pub.
fishing it. The letter was written
at la Grande, Or, and follows:
1t IS $50 O'Clock Sunday morn
ing, just Sunday school time. Nat
urally my mind goes back to
Huntingdon and as you are the
Superintendent land also a life
long friend | cannot think Of
home of Sunday morning with
out also thinking of you. left
Huntingdon at 8 o'clock a. M,
November 10Th came via Memphis,
Texarkana, Fort Worth to Ell
Paso Texas, a border town on the
Rio Grande river. Just across
the River is Mexico and Juarez
Mexican city. Juarez had been
captured by the rebels a day or
two before | arrived ia FL Paso
and they had killed seyenty-five
soldiers and executed several Off
GERS. ! don't reckon | am a COW
ard but as | was told that | would
be searched, and probably some
drunken Mexican would spit in
my face | hesitated a bit. But /
said at last am going and | went
over. There were the old one story
adobe houses made of mud,
and straw. There were 5000 SOL
diers in the town. | went all
over the city, in the Jail, but they
did not keep me, and out to the
battle ground and saw the poor
fellows who had been killed for
days and had not been buried. 1t
was gruesome, CHASTITY sight. I
was sick at heart to see the ignor-
ance and poverty and cruelty.
Two-thirds Of the population Of
Mexico cannot read and write,
and l would not give the life of q
dozen Tennessee boys for the
whole l6, 100000, population. So
you see | am not in favor of the
United States spilhng much blood
over a lot Of heathens like they are
in Mexico.
! left FL Paso for Los Angeles,
California, over the "Coast Line
Limited and travelled six or
eight hours in sight of the Pacific
Ocean. We were in a few yards
Of the beach all the time and it IS
magnificent and majestic. Its
placid waters are beautiful to be-
hold. Then from Los Angeles to
San Jose through the palms, dates,
oranges, apricots and prunes. AT
San Jose / met several hundred
farmers in state convention, adj !.
dressed a large crowd in the city.
then went out to Campbell and
spoke to a large crowd. While
speaking at Campbell | took sud-
denly sick. | finished my speech
by some effort and went back to
the hotel at San Jose where ply
stefan advised me to cancel my
other two dates in California and
rest few days, but a friend help
ed me to the train next day and |
started to Oregon by way Of San
Francisco Bay. 1t is live miles
across. | took a train for Port
lond Oregon and we travelled along
the bay for 100 miles, passed in
sight Of the Golden Gate |
reached Portland the second night
spent the night and them came to
La Grand Oregon where / will
stay for the Oregon State Union.
This is a great country and
these are great people. They
have tried to get me to come out
here to live and work for them.
But of course my heart is now in
Dixie and | must so. In few
years the vast wilderness has melt
ed away the giant cedars and red
wood have been sent back East
for building material. Irrigation
has changed the desert to fertility
and a new continent now swings
between the seas like huge hang
ing garden Of the beautiful. The
covered wagon and stage coach
have been consigned to oblivion
and the palace car that came puff
ing out Of the brain Of American
genius not SO 0ng ago, has glided
~, 1,.sl ,k,y,,,s. 20 t,kaof Fr,,, yoaor ~