The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1914-05-08
Will the Mexicans fight?

American to conclude that the march
to the City of Mexico would be a
simple matter, more or less of a pa
rade. But the heads Of the army
and navy here are suffering under no
such delusion. 1t Is generally ana
quite correctly taken for granted that
the United States will win in the end,
but victory will only come on van
gushing the flower of the descendants
of the proud Spanish conquerors, that
small fraction of the Mexican nation
which possesses almost all the prop
erty of the country which is not in
the hands of foreigners and which
holds the peon class almost In serf-
dom.
Huerta's principal reliance is the
cultured upper class. They don't love
Huerta, but they love Mexico. They
will fight.
Huerta's principal weakness is the
vast peon class, sunk In gross ignor-
ance. They will fight and run away
to fight another day.
The poems possess no such national
spirit as even the lowliest American
workman. They must be impressed
into Huertas army. They cannot De
disciplined. But they are cruel and
bloodthirsty. like their ancestors who
offered human sacrifices on stone al
tars In Montezuma's time, and they
will wage guerrilla warfare long after
the principal cities are in the hands
of the United States.
In his desperate efforts to arm him.
self against the Constitutionalists and
the vaster peril which has now ma
terialized, Huerta has sent squads
from the tried troops he kept as his
bodyguard In the capital to impress
men of the nearby Indian villages
which cluster in the valley of Mexico.
Many photographs received here
show these press gangs at their WORK
actually stealing men from the bos-
.oms of their families. The Indians
with their enormous hats. are seen
marching in a hollow square Of SOL
diers through the street to the bar
racks where they are driven into the
recruiting office to "vo. ter
All the Same to the indians.
When General Scott in the first
Mexican war arrived just south OF
Mexico City and fought the battle OF
Moline del Rey, he found barring his
further progress an enormous barrl-
eade. Santa Anna had had this
erected by the Indians of the neigh
;borhood. The Indians did not know
why they had put up the barricade.
They did not know what the quarrel
between Santa Anna and "Yanquas"
was about All they knew was that
there were armies marching around
with banners flying and bands play
ing. So, it is related, General Scott
ordered these same Indians to tear
down the barbados which they had
just serected.
The Indians demolished their work
for General Scott with as much readi-
ness as they had put it up for Santa
Anna. The Indians of today are little
changed from those of 1847.
The tremendous Importance Of this
Indifferent attitude of the Indians Is
seen when one notes the division of
races In Mexico as follows:
Whites, Is per cent.
Mixed (mostly part INDIAN, 81 per
cent.
Indians, 80 per cent.
Blacks, per cent.
Illiteracy runs according to DIFF
3erent accounts from rs to 95 per cent.
1t is on the Is per cent of whites
that Huerta must put his principal
reliance, although he Is himself at
least half Indian. There is small
percentage of capable Indians like
Huerta and the famous patriot, Benito
Juarez. Many Indians Joined the
army of Villa armed with long bows
and arrows, weapons which have been
discarded by the aborigines of the
United States.
But great wave of loyalty to their
beautiful country has been sweeping
the large towns, where the more in.
telligent Mexicans live. At a mass
meeting of Mexican citizens in
Piedras Negras, five hundred volun.
teers were organized and armed to
resist an expected invasion last week.
In the district Immediately surround
ing Mexico warlike preparations long
have, been going on to an extent un-
dreamed Of by most Americans. The
shipment Of 100000 round of am
munition on the German steamer
Ypiranga which was seized by Adj
miral Fletcher at Vera Cruz was I'M
,doubtedly meant for American heads
and it had taken some time to ar
range for the purchase and dispatch
of these cartridges Even without
this shipment, Huertas troops will
not lack ammunition. There Is a
good ammunition factory at Chapulte-
pee, the beautiful hill near Mexico
City, which is the site of the national
military academy, Mexico's West
Point"
Use for Boys and Girls.
Huerta has converted the boys of
-,