Arizona republican., 1915-06-14

l Onlleu states as II was Tn Me\lcO TOT
 over third of a century. A fatal flaw | in such d system of personal govern
 ment is that it cannot perpetuate it
 self The Mexican generals and their
 soldiers lost their military vigor with l the passing years so that the time fin
 ally came when the government | tablished by Diaz tottered like an old
 man in his dotage and was easily de-
 stroyed by the younger revolutionists
 under Madero A pessimistic friend of 1 mine once said to me that the condi- | tions in Mexico under Diaz were ab-
 normal but that the frequency of the | present revolutions made it clear that | the country had returned to normal. | Let us stop to consider what would
 now be the condition of Mexico if only | a small portion of the funds that went | to the enrichment of the favored few, | who enjoyed the. friendship of Porfirio ! DiaZ, had been spent in the construc- i tion and maintenance of Normal
 schools and public school system in ! every state of the republic. There was i ample time during the long peace that DiaZ forced on Mexico to educate an entire generation of MeXicans. If this problem had been attacked with the Vigor that it's merit deserved, does any one doubt that the Mexican race well educated and fit for self government. would have failed to develop a leader ship that could have prevented the oc- | currence of the present condition of anarchy in Mexico? General Grant product of our pub
 lie schools, had no thought of becoming a dictator: and the millions of his men,
 most of whom enlisted in the union
 
 age. had no other desire than to return
 to their homes at the close of the war where they might enjoy the blessings of peace under a democratic govern
 ment IL is true that upon the monu-
 ments to Benito Juarez, the ablest of all her statesmen and the purest of her patriots. sometimes called the Abraham
 Lincoln of Mexico. there is written his
 famous saving, "El respeto al derecho
 ageno es la Respect for the
 rights of others is peace" But such sentiments must be engraved in the hearts of a people by teaching them to the children in the schools if they are to be really effective on the life of a nation. Normal schools were not es- tablished and no great body of teach CTS was provided for system of com mon schools whereby the rising gene ration in Mexico might be taught the love of liberty regulated by law and thus prepared for their duties as citi- zens.
 I do not blame the poor ignorant l revolutiOnisrs in Mexico for attempting ] to better his condition by force of arms l Untaught and oppressed by brute | force. he knows Of no other way to ob- tain his freedom Even though he l strikes blindlv, and often to his own | injury. yet he is doing the best he can l to find a way to liberty. Because as | an educated people we have learned to 1 settle our differences at the ballot box | rather than by the bullet and the bayo- l net, We should not lose sympathy with | those who in their blindness are com | pelied to stumble along a more diff | cult path of progress. Let us be | thankful that we have schools like this. 1 whose graduates possess the ability to | instruct the youth Of our land in the | true meaning of democracy Our pub | lie school system is the saving grace | of the American republic
 In conclusion I would say to the l members of the class of 1915. that | each of you is about to receive q di | ploma which is a certificate that you | have completed to the satisfaction of | Nour teachers. the course of instruction that has been required Of you. Do not | imagine for moment that this or any | other diploma. even though it be issued | by the greatest university. lettered in 1 Latin script and illuminated with gold 1 IS patent of nobility. the mere pos | session of which will raise you one inch | higher in the estimation of your neigh | bors. The world rates man bv wI>t | he demonstrates that he can do and | not by the letters after his name that | tell of some past scholastic accom- | plishment. These advantages have been placed within your reach without l money and without price under our system of free schools, but after all. | the education that you have received | IS not free of cost because it is ex- l pected that you will return to the | state full measure for the expenditures 1! that have been made for your benefit 1 Ihe assistance that has been fseely | given to you by the taxpayers of Ari- |