The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-05-01

too, let me tell you-and they'd al
ways answer that had done just
right. Those were good old days. the
IDiaz days. The foreigners had plen-
| ty OF rights then.
4 "One time had q quarrying con-
tract on the west coast" another rich
American told me recently" had
about 6.0OO very religious Mexican In.
dams. AZ soon as | got my camp es-
tablished an archbishop sent out
priest He rugged up church and
every time he rang the bell all my
Indians stopped work for few min
utes for devotions. saw pretty soon
that ! was losing time by 1t SO hunt
ed up the rchbishop and said to him:
Look here. l want to come to
some terms with you about that pell
ringing. II you'll agree to make
schedule which provides for that bell
being rung only two or three tines
week I'll build you little church ont
there in my camp and Ill cut the
wages OF any Indian who doesn't
have his money ready when the
church collector comes around.
THE bargain lasted two years I'M
til the old priest was called away and
a new one came. He was dead honest;
couldn't do thing with him. He
started ringing the bell on the old
schedule. told him about the ar
rangement had with the bishop.
81 don't care what arrangements
you've made with the bishop he told
me. It's my duty to ring that bell
every day at the proper times and I'm |
going to do it,
THAT night | ordered my boss TO
burn the church. It was done. The
old bishop sent another priest and my
foreman ran him off," Since the revo-
luton began in Mexico and the IL
dams discovered their power, en-
masse, this man has received hum
dreds OF letters from former work
men threatening his life.
A miner in Guanajuato. who has
just returned from Washington where
he endeavored to persuade Presi-
dent Wilson that intervention In
Mexico was necessary, said to me:
1--WE had to kill Indian wcrkmen
who wouldn't obey me. There's no
possible way to get along with Mexi-
can and treat him kindly You have
to beat them like dogs. Any time on.
of my workmen is suspected Of steal
ing ore, he Is brought to me and
start right at him with my lists. l
knock him as near senseless az can
and then make him confess"
Another American boasted to me:
Il had a strike in my mines one time.
In the Diaz days and asked the gov.
ernor OF the state, who was on my
to send me some soldiers. In
stead of that he sent me lot OF uni
forms and rifles and ammunition and
a commission as major In the Mexi-
can army. He told me to organize an
army OF my own, and give it all the
orders pleased. l told some Of the
strikers they'd have to join the army.
! put them in uniform. gave them
rifles and bullets and took them to the
mine and told them to shoot against
the strikers and they did. They killed
fifty Of their brothers and that ended
the strike"
Perhaps, il an Uncle Toms Cabin"
had been written years ago OF Mexi-
can slavery by Americans. the present
revolution might have been avoided.
The death rate Of Americans in the
present revolution is undoubtedly
due. in large measure to grudges of
years standing and to bitter recollec-
tons OF cruelty and injustice in the
minds of the Mexican workmen. The
more one looks into the matter the
more one is convinced that the Bel
CLANS in the Congo were not more {
cruel than many Americans have been {
n Mexico.