Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-02-27
More Liqht on Mexico

More Light on MEXICO
If the administration at Washington had as init.
mate and practical knowledge of Mexican conditions
as MI. Albert Won Hoffman, the st. Louis citizen who
has Just come from the scene of trouble and gives
an Illuminating statement on the subject, it Is pos.
sible the present policy of fostering chaos there would
never have been adopted. Mr.. Won Hoffman, from
his long experience as the owner and manager OF .
large plantation, speaks by the book. when he says
that revolutions are merely struggles for power by
factions, and especially by men Of personal ambition.
He says that such a thing as an election in the sense
In which we understand the word is. impossible.
There arc only a few polling places. These are
located in the more populous centers. where the
ad interim president has soldiers, and only a few
votes are cast, chiefly by those representing the man
in power. This is the way Porfrio Diaz was elected
for term after term. 1t was the way Madero was
elected after he drove Diaz out Of the country. 1t
was the way the last election was conducted by
Huerta. 1t is the way a new election would be man.
aged in case of Huerta being overthrow by Villa or
some other revolutionary chief.
With such conditions peace in Mexico depends
upon the reins of power being in the hands of sons
man strong enough to compel it. Such a man was
Dlaz. His successor. Madero, was not strong enough.
ana stronger men wrecked MS aOAulhlSudIIou, duu
IA the wrecking he lost his life in a manner peculi.
arly Mexican and not at all peculiar to Huerta, upon
whom Official responsibility has been placed. BY no
means can we indorse these Mexican methods or
appprove these conditions, but we are compelled TO
take account Of them and govern ourselves accord.
ingly. If we do not, they will assert themselves in
tie end in producing a worse situation than would
result from our. recognition of them. =
IA strong man mist govern Mexico. One strong
man held the reins OF power. We refused to recog.
nize; him, as other governments did. and did all We
could to undermine his power. The result is that
smother strong man, worse than he, has arisen. and
We are threatened with having OUR policy OF, elimina-
ton of one made successful by the substitution OF
another. whose individuality is still less pleasing. or
81 !~resorting TO that which it should have been Our
dfst and strongest effort to prevent, military inter.
veution. All this was known in a general way ny
previous administrations, and governed their police
Of leaving to the Mexicans themselves the approval
or disappr0val OF their rulers and the method OF
their acquisition of power. accepting de facto govern
ments as such and dealing with them as such. That
way lay immunity from the necessity for interven-
ton, save In the event of actual chaos and ANARCHY.
We shall be fortunate il the new way does not pro e
q broad highway leading directly to intervention. 4
n: From east aud west enlistments in the schoGl
gardening plan proposed as a promoter Of thrift come
TO the Chicago headquarters Of the American Society
Tor Thrift. Conditions seem to have been ripe for
adoption of this form of vocational training even
where. because of the expense, other forms have not
had encouragement. In Chicago the school work IN
nature study is being extended where possible to
actual gardening and in Cook county much agricul.
tural. instruction has become part of the school
nnnrao Thu n1an ro1atin1 RI thrift ond LIVING cnStc
IS proposed by Simon w. Straus, a banker, who is
president Of the Society for Thrift, has had general
approval. The School Garden association has vel.
comes the new impetus to gardening on practical,
rather than aesthetic or educational grounds, and
has made %0vertures for cooperation in the task Of
arousing boards OF education to the great ncedstO
make q change in courses Of study in favor Of out
door training IN the value and use of vegetable and
flower gardens. A competition among public, schoo!
pupils for the best examples of thrift based on gar.
dening is under consideration, by the Thrift society.
The profits of a business lavishly advertised free
by the newspapers, organized baseball, were revealed
by Charles W. Murphy at his palatial Chicago home.
after he had been effectually separated from tho
"'cub" team Of the National league. Murphy started
ia baseball on q s%boestring and retires with some
thing like $1,000,O0 If his price for the SO per cent
Of the Chicago team was 100000, he has that and
= half interest in the baseball grounds in Chicago
and Philadelphia. On an earning basis the team is
now valued at 100000. Notwithstanding that Muir.
ply and C. F. Taft in 1906 paid $685. 900 for it and
earned, net. the first year more than the purchase
price. In the season of 1908 it is known that the
club paid $2S0,0oo in dividends. That was the most
successful year, but there were other years when 1t
earned 100000. Figuring another way. Murphy has
shared in the profits for eight seasons and as he had
considerably over half a million before he sold his
interest, the annual earnings must have averaged
close+to 100000. It must be %member that Muir
ply started as a baseball writer and, therefore. his
jubilAtion after he had sold his interest Is worth
considering. Somebody else is going to worry