Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-04-24

the hacienda store Credit is easy. In
time the employers have an account
against them which they can never
hope to pay. Or else they borrow in
order to be married. Church fees are
heavy, but the Mexican peasant feels
more married" if the knot is tied by a
priest, and the women are good Catho-
lies Or it may be that funds are want
ed for funeral and wake. Somehow
or other the thoughtless peon gives his
employer a hold over him. His mort
gagged land is taken, and so long as he
owes money he cannot go away. Worse
still, the debt descendS to his children.
The peasants wants are few. He
seldom tastes meat. Coffee is his usual
drink. A cigarette is often preferred
to food when he is hungry. All that he
needs is few acres with horse, mule
or donkey; perhaps pig, or a few
goats. 1t was by promising these to
all that Madero won his popularity. 1t
was for failing to redeem his rash
promise that he lost it.
Land reform is therefore, neces-
sity in Mexico. But it is not advocated
by the constitutionalists only. Men of
good will and foresight on the other
side are equally convinced that it must
come. Even Senor Limantour, one Of
the ministers who brought about the
downfall of Porfiro Diaz, admitted that
the huge estates had to be broken up
and also that judicial and municipal
abuse must be swept away.
One of the hardships which the poor
are beginning to resent is forced labor
on public works. In a certain town
new building was required for the To-
cal archives Money was voted for its
erection, but the money was not all de-
voted to that purpose. Peon laborers
were arrested upon some trifing or
trumped up charge and compelled to
dig the foundations. Bricklayers and
masons were obliged to build it. Car
penters were pressed into service for
the work inside. This system, similar
to the corvee in Egypt before British
rule, was possible only so long as the
poems knew nothing about other coun-
tries. When they heard that in the
United States Mexican with trade
could earn Qnstead of SO cents) 81 or
$3.50 a day, while even laborers were
paid s1.25 or $3.50 they grew discon-
tented.
In Vera Cruz as we'll as in the capital
the press gang had been busy, seizins
men off the streets to be soldiers, so
that the army might be brought to
something like it's normal strength. IL
is because he is obliged to resort to
such a method of recruiting that Gen.
Huerta has failed to make his position
good. He showed his unfitness to gov
ern by not realizing that he could do
nothing without real army. 1t would
have paid him to let the revolutionists
alone for six months while he trained
certain number of troops with the
help of American or European instruc-
tors and sergeants. Then he could have
wiped out rebel forces in one or two
engagements and the rest would have
melted away. Let me give two exam
piles of what happens now
On Sunday at the beginning of No
vember-to be accurate, the second OF
the month"; was watching Gen. We
lascos brigade entrain at Saltillo for
Torreon. l asked the general If he
meant to start that day. No, not thai
day. Very shortly. Perhaps tomorrow.
1t made no difference that the troops
were in their cars and vans. They are
wives are taken along, too, to act as
army service corps They would never
be in hurry to start. They enjoy th'
lazy side of soldering, but they dislike
fighting as much as they dislike work.
Torreon, the prosperous centre OF
the cotton growing district, was taken
by the revolutionaries in September.
After denying for a week that it had
fallen, the war office admitted the
truth, but said that it would be re-
taken in few days. For month or
so nothing happened. Then it was an
nounced that "a blow would be struck
Gen. VelascO would start at once and
the rebels would be driven out of Tor
reon. The government had been urged
to act vigorously, because in the cotton
district a record crop was in need OF
being picked. They responded by put
ting a new tax upon cotton Ito meet
. ho ,,f ,-1i
by doing-nothing!
For six weeks after l saw Gen. We
laSco's brigade in it's five trains. Tor
reon remained in the hands of the reb-
els. The forces which were to retake
it advanced and retreated, chased and
set to partners, marched this way and
| marched that. Gen. Velasco was fire.
| quently reported to be, not with his
command, but in Saltillo. Not until the
| 10th of December was TorreOn retaken,
and then only because the rebels had
drawn off and left the garrison very
| weak.
After the evacuation of Torreon by
the federals, Gen. Munguia was tried by
| a SOull VI iN iiiNSiNAOii "s%N
to shoot him. This was his defense:
How could meet the rebels in the
open?" he asked, they fight in loose
formation. | was obliged to keep my
troops together. If did not they
would melt away. Desertion is the idea
uppermost in almost every soldier
mind Again how could l order my
| officers to lead their men to the at
tack? 1 knew their men would shoot
them down as soon as they got the
chance"
The best generals would find it hard
to do anything with such an army as
this until they had disciplined it and
discovered a certain number of men
whom they could trust Mexican gen
erals have unfortunately very little tai
ent for war, and they make. as a rule,
no attempt TO lick their men into
shape" Officers in command are to our
minds incredibly slack. At small bat
tie in the state of MOrelOs the federals
by use of machine guns forced the reb-