Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-07-01

idioms have been Identified and CLASH
fed In the dialects spoken In Mexico
today. There are fifty-three distinct
languages in use. The persistence OF
these different dialects in single re-
public Is probably due to the poor
state Of the means Of communication.
Their presence shows at any rate the
diversity Of. the Indian stock. This
diversity runs through all the charac-
teristics of the tribes, whose members
show all the, range of mental ability
from Benitor Juarez, the national
hero who was a pure blooded Indian,
down to the stupid and savage
Apaches of Sonora. BY far the great.
er part of the Indian peoples. however.
are of a, type not distinguished for
ability or intelligence.
These are the three great divisions
of the Mexican people. Another strik-
ing fact that stands out Is the con-
spicuous absence of any considerable
foreign element. q For the last five
years., Of course. Mexico has .onered
few attractions to immigrants, but
even before the revolutionary period
there were only fifty or sixty thousand,
foreigners in the whole country
number utterly Insignificant compared
to It's great ysize and large population.
Herein consists perhaps the real weak
ness of Mexico; for all the progressive
and successful republics Of the Ameri-
can continent have drawn continually
on Europe for new blood.
| The lack of immigration was due to
, two cause.-the land situation and the
state of industry The land question.
of course, is the one over which all
the revolutions ostensibly at least.
are being fought Nowhere else on
earth did so few men hold so much
land as in Mexico The whole country
was in the hands of few hundred
owners. One man owned an estate OF
twenty million acres-half the size OF
England. And on this account there
was no possibility Of demonstrating, no
chance for the immigrant to acquire
a farm. It has been proved again and
again that the cream of emigration
goes where there Is a chance to get
land. There Ia another type of emil
grant. not quite so desirable perhaps
the man who is looking for work. He,
too. had no chance in Mexico for there
are no manufactures to speak Of, and
the agricultural work was done by
peon labor in condition of semi-serf-
dom. az -. = s>As,' r. -e5 : =
| So Mexico today faces the world
with one OF the most homogeneous
populations on record. SO far as for
eign elements are concerned The
great bulk Of that population consists
Of the lower class mestizo and the pure
Indian, who really mingle to form one
class. as opposed to the Spanish arts.
tocracy. That class Is in overwhelm-
ing preponderance in point Of" num-
bers,H It forms the real Mexican peo-
pie F' ~ g..
This great mass of humanity has
certain well defined characteristics
common to it Throughout the country.
in consequence of It's homogeneous
character. Education Is at very low
average level. in many places non
existent Poverty is the rule and this
has been Immensely aggravated by
the state of anarchy obtaining. The
typical lower class Mexican is lazy
and improvident. but capable; Of long
and severe physical labor II forced to
1T. He is patient under authority
even when that authority Is greatly
abused. but often brutal and savage
when he breaks loose from its bonds.
He has little or no capacity for real
reasoning. and accepts conclusions
without analysis or consistency. He
has in word the characteristics of a
comparatively primitive person, and
must be dealt with accordingly. i /
One of his most significant qualities
in the present state of affairs is the
extent to which he can be swayed by
feeling. Mexico Is a paradise for the
! demagogue. There Is positive Ape
tite for eloquence,; for the skiing of
bombastic periods, for the procession
Of high sounding phrases among the
common folk The people are infam-
mable enthusiastic and emotional.
enough to be completely at the mercy
of any orator who understands them
And there is no doubt but what most
Of the hatred Of Americans in Mexico
today had it's, birth In just such ora
tory and is being famed and fed by
more of the same. -. ~ y,