Semi-weekly herald., 1914-05-11
MEXICO A BABY; MANY
CENTURIES BEHIND TIMES

VERA CRUZ, Mex, May S.-Let
Mexico alone. That's the thought
that impresses itself upon every Am
erican-that is, every American who
doesn't own a mine or a concession
who knows anything about the situa-
tion here.
| Here's simile that shows the feel
ing: A lot of old folks, father, moth
er and grandparents, are watching n
baby try to walk. The baby falls
and bumps its head; again it tum-
bles and almost every stroll the baby
takes winds up in some disaster. But
what nonsense it would be if the par
ents and grandparents finally decided
that the baby must not be permitted
to walk. 1t would be the height of
folly as we'll as of cruelty to the child
to say:
Every time baby tries to learn to
walk it hurts itself. Therefore Wen
| push him around in his carriage and
we won't permit him to try to walk. y
1t would be less cruel to kill the baby
outright than to treat it in this fash
ion.
Mexico is baby among nations.
American Intervention would be
strapping Mexico into go-cart.
Mexico has tremendous distance
to 60 to reach manhood among ma
tions. The distance is so great--cen-
turies long-that it makes you tired
to consider it. But it's journey that
many Of the great nations of the
earth have not yet completed, after
centuries of struggle. All the prob
lens that these elder nations have
solved and are solving for themselves.
Mexico must solve for herself.
If we narrow the comparisons down
to measuring Mexico with the Unit
ed States we discover that Mexico
has not yet even started to solve her
Indian problem. Her wild west days,
her Custer's last fight and charges,
her massacres, her Indian reserva-
tions, all are before her and haven't
even been touched. There are vast
territories in Mexico where Mexican
doesn't dare to venture for fear of
Indians.
OF Mexico's population of 10000
900. almost 100000 are Indians.
When we look back in the United
States at our Indian days and consid-
er that Mexico can't even begin to
take up the Indian problem until it
has solved the problem of how to take
care of its own government in the
semicivilized capital of Mexico City
we begin to see something of the
long road that Mexico faces. In the
northwest of Mexico, just as the
northwest of the United States in
the old days, the sturdiest of the In
dians reside, the Yaquis. In their
own way they are noble race Here's
= picture of one thing that happened
among them:
After Madero's victory, Gen. B. F.
Viljoen, the former Boer general, who
aided Madero, was sent to persuade
the Yaquis to peace. He went to
them in the mountains, with the wise
governor Of the state, and an inter
prefer. They received him in the
campfire circle and passed around the
pipe Of peace, just as the Sioux In
dians used to do. Viljoen made a
long speech, saying that Madero loved
the Indians. Then the governor of
the state made a speech. Then the
two civilized men seated themselves
on the ground and awaited an answer.
For two long hours not word was
spoken. The grizzled old Yaquis chief
sat silent as Sphinx. The Indians
sat like stone images. The civilized
men fdeted around and finally Vii
jeon got up and made another speech.
an hour long. Then the governor
Of the state spake again, with more
kindness than before. The two men
waited another two hours of silence.
The chief did not speak; the Indians
only pulled at their pipes. yiljeon
and the governor tried one more
speech each. Fourteen hours had
passed; the morning sun was high in
the sky; the two civilized men, not
- stoical ~ the Indians, were
wrsnchsd. And finally the old chief
spoke those words: What about our
stolen lands: You haven't said q
word Of them. Go, and come back