Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-06-12

| admiral +. L. Chadwick, In the New
York SUM
To the student of things Mexican
certain things are or should be clear
1. That Mexico has been governed
| by an upper class mainly of Spanish
blood which owns the land and wealth
of that country.
2. That below this class is an igno
rant, immoral, Incorporate mass or IL
times perhaps as numerous as the
other, owning nothing and practically
serfs to the million, say, of the first
class Mexico is the Russia of two
generations since. with the added
great difficulty that these serfs are OF
several very diverse races of Indians
with mixtures of all degrees. Mexico
is thus fundamentally Indian in blood
and temperament; not Spanish.
8. The unrest of this great mass OF
Indians and people of Indian mixture,
ground since the Spanish conquest
under the milestone of slavery, is the
main cause of the revolution They do
not know what they want; they only
know that they do not want what they
have, which is nothing. Their revolt
has almost as little of actual mental
ity, when one goes below the leaders,
as has the movement of an earthquake,
to which in a way it may be COM
pared And they are going to continue
to revolt until they have some of the
benefits of life; land to cultivate and
the right to live their lives for them
selves instead of for their (practicaD
owners. Thus any dictator set up by
the higher class can only exist for long
by armed suppression of this lower
class, as did Diaz, model despot.
Such, as l see them, are the real
conditions. In illustration Of the fore
going is the following extract from an
article in Ell Mundo of Havana which
was reprinted in Ell Dictamen (Opin-
ion) OF Mexico city, with the latter's
strongly expressed approval. FL Mundo
says IN part:
What is taking place in Mexico-is
it a process of dissolution or trans
formation? Let us consider.
In a country of 100000 or 10000
900 inhabitants, we are not sure of the
exact number, OF whom 1t is calcu-
lated that 100000 or 100000 are
native Indians, who remain submerged
in profound misery and the deepest
ignorance, it has been attempted to in
stall a democratic government-"a
government of the people, for the peo
pie, and by the people, and it's destruc-
ton, which could have been predicted,
and which was bound to happen, has
been complete and irreparable. In
Mexico it is impossible for this great
mass of the population, deprived of
of life and of the most
elemental education, to take part in
political affairs. These millions OF
people are simply inhabitants, they
are not citizens. 1t never was pos
sible, nor is it possible now. that this
enormous multitude, sunk in the deep
est misery and gross ignorance, could
by itself establish a government
worthy of the name. The conditions |
necessary to establish a true govern
men cannot come from this poor and |
Intensely ignorant mass. The rulers |
n Mexico have never occupied them |,
selves with the huge national task, the |
great patriotic obligation, of trans !
orming this human conglomeration, at |
present purely tribal, into a body of
citizens. He who dies of hunger in |
us own country cannot have much !
owe for it, He who is in want, or is
acking in even the rudiments OF edu-
alton, cannot be a citizen conscious
# his rights and civil duties.
Such is the economic and mental
condition of the mass of the Mexican
'eople.
In oder for the republic to have es-
ablished itself on a firm foundation it
vas necessary to raise this mass to a
igher level of life, both economic and
rental, by means of good agrarian
ystem. and a good school system.
In Mexico, whose territory is several
ines larger in extent than that of
rance or Germany, the common peo-
le are in want of land to cultivate.
These lands of vast extent are in the
ands of a comparatively few owners.
here are ranches" or "haciendas"
5 we say in Cuba, as large as the
rovince of Havana $4,000 square
Iiles).
All of the land is monopolized by a
w. In the midst of this vast surplus
le whole Indian population is perish
g from misery and starvation.
Mere existence is impossible to a
eople who are in fact in a condition
actual slavery. The true owners
Mexico are those who lawfully, or
herwise, are in possession of the
nd.
Imagine the province of Havana in
q hands of one or two owners.
On their part, immense wealth; for
e remainder of the population, fright
poverty.
This is the condition of affairs in
exico; for few land holders, great
,hes; for the great mass of the popu-
ion, the deepest misery.
Economically, nothing good, moth
9 beneficial has resulted in this i
untry through its republican form of
vernment. Nor has the intellectual 1
1dition of the people been bettered. 1
hen extreme want exists in any class
people, ignorance exists also.
r'ultura ran only axirf with rraat,ro ! Z