The Alaska citizen. (Fairbanks, Alaska) 1910-1917, 1914-01-26

, methods are very nearly alike. DiaZ' s
| idea of settling Industrial or social
controversies was to shoot down the
poor and protect the rich. Like Diaz.
IIuerta has surrounded himself with
syCophants who have brought to their
assistance the Byzantine batteries of
other ages, enriched with material
wealth to bride their way into the
possession of enormously valuable
| lands and mineral concessions. But
even with the sunshine of those flat
terers and panderers and their sustain
center of wide and constantly grow
ing sphere of dfstrust If not, why
has he dissolved congress, dismissed
several of his cabinet officers and i'm
prisoned over 100 of the peoples re-
personalities? Why, if his Dictator
ship is popular. as he would have
the world believe, have senators and
leading citizens disappeared" at his
nod? If, as he insists, the discomfort
in fourteen out of the twenty-seven
states is so unreasonable and unstable.
why does he not stop it? The Whit
of the Byzantine sycophants may be
temporarily pleasant and flattering,
but how far more pleasant it would
be FOR Huerta. the Mexican. to have
the cheers of his people ring in his
ears instead of their curses. as he
is forced to listen to now.
one supreme test of truth or false
hood, of honesty or hypocrisy, in pub
lie life anywhere can be found in
the loyalty of the people. Some there
1
said of democracy that it is nothing
but an "aristocracy of blackguards; :"
ut in the last analysis it is a sure
sign of honesty in the public man if
retains the willing allegiance
of the masses To pretend to be-
lieve that Huerta has such allegiance
in an extensive degrees. outside of the
sycophants and selfishans of the city
of Mexico. is to mark ones self down
either as a fool or trickster merely
playing good card in the game of
greed or hypocrisy. This play of
sordid motives Is ignoble and detest-
able, whether the gambler be a Huerta
lieutenant, a peon on a coffe planta-
ton, or a vulgar and incompetent dem
a%oEue on the street corner of the
at all times the moral elements that
should have greater consideration
tolerance of honest opinion and a
quick and sure response to high ap-
peal in public duty | have searched
for some of this moral feeling in the
activities of Nictoriano Huerta since
he betrayed his way to the presi-
dental office and without success.
You can take this impressively, if
you please, and look into the record
for yourself. Many have tried to find
apology for his maladministration of
the affairs of his country. President
Wilson, with magnificent forbearance,
has sought for a way to help MeXi-
co out of her disastrous difficulties
Other humanitarians, beyond the pale
of politics, have tried; but all any of
them have been able to find is shame
resting in every angle of the pitiful
thing called government down there.
Evidences of tyranny are plentiful.
The trail of blood leads from and to
the presidential palace. Peonage fes-
tiers the land. The sense of right
and wrong has been mercilessly blunt
ed through decades of despotism Hy-
pocriSy CARRIED in eXtortion, stalks
everywhere, with mailed fist demand
ing its toll of official blackmal. Mil
tariSm has superseded the elements
of law, and justice is as scarce as ro-
bins in December. The phenomenon
is that with all of the foul and hid
den work of conspiracy that has been
so rife, with massacres and bankrupt
cies tramping side by side, with ex-
ASPIRATION of hatreds and mutual dis
trust of factions, there is any conf
dence at all left in the patchwork
administration Huerta has gathered
around him
OF popular sovereignty there is none
save that proclaimed through the shall
lowest pretense. Popular opinion.
through the rigid law of the official
censor, has long since been sent to
the shambles. This transformation is
sorry but not surprising, if we jump
the gap between the deposition of
Diaz and the usurpation of Huerta
The issue of the dictatorship is con-
slant. Force is ptted against right.
and truth and justice are strangled
on the altar of a selfish and eyre
siouS folly.
The Italian historian, Guicciardini,
wrote that place discovers q mans
capacity and his character" To no
one can this truth be applied with
greater force than to Huerta. For
assuredly his capacity and character
have been fully tested and have not
realized in strength or responsibility.
He hasn't the character of a Cromwell
no more than he has his capacity.
Contrasting the time and place, per-
haps the chief likeness is in their dis
position to despotism. Cromwell was
the wholesaler; Huerta is the retail
er in their respective programs of OPP
pressions. Cromwelrs place is we'll
mortared in history. Whatever of his
toric recognition will come to Huerta
will be small, and must if truthful
be builded on his cowardice and his
tyrannies. In craftsmanship. he is as
barren as street pavement of or
chdS.