The Republican journal., 1916-05-25
The Mexican Problem.

To THE EDITOR OF The JOURNAL:
The real Mexican problem is not being
discussed by the press. Killing Villas
settles nothing. The real difficulties are
not difficult to understand.
First: The land thieves, mostly Ameri-
cans, have stolen practically all their
grazing, mineral and agricultural lands.
Second: American hunters have killed
all their big game.
Third: Mexicans treat their wives and
daughters in so humiliating a manner
that they generally prefer to be mis-
tress to an American rather than Next
can wife. This last fact generates the
deepest jealousy and hatred Of Mexican
men for Americans generally, not even
waiting for one to be guilty if one is in
sight and his women have seen him.
This last fact will not be remedied I'M
til Mexican men learn to treat their
women as their equals, and this must be
plant of slow growth.
The game upon which those people
once more than half lived is probably
gone to stay gone.
Most of those people have no learning
of books or trades and can cultivate
the soil only where natural springs or
streams make it possible to irrigate.
Artificial wells have to be drilled through
solid rock from 100 to 1000 feet to get
water, and the majority of these people
are as poor as beggars.
Rain falls there in showers up in the
mountains in July and runs off in great
quick floods that only costly dams could
hold for irrigation. Clouds form prac-
tically every day around the mountain
peaks and start to fly out over the plains,
but the plains are SO dry and hot that
the clouds quickly evaporate. Only a
green foliage could keep down the heat
and let the clouds pour down their show
ers.
They know how to herd horses, cattle
and goats, and how to gather wild fruits.
berries and nuts, and when they had
game to hunt they knew that well, and
that is about their limit. They have
few opportunities for amusement except
dancing, smoking and gossip.
When a Villa comes along and asks
them if they want to have a gun and fight
the Gringoes they know that means some
excitement in place Of their hungry, rag
i -I.,It L. IL Al
will rob the first ranch, rape the women,
steal what ponies they need, steal what
liquor they can find, see the country, and
feel that they are getting into condition
to shoot some Gringoes, and this makes
life endurable, if little dangerous.
Shoot Villa and they will follow the next
man that will lead them.
Where is the end in a war policy?
Those people need land and water and to
learn how to work, and how to get some
pleasure out of life, and this can not be
shot into them. Carranza has no power
to restore to them their land and herds
or to get for them the needed water.
The problem is one for the United States.
The territory is without a head: it is
powerless anarchy, and we must take
jurisdiction over it and establish civiliza-
ton, and to do this we must school it and
finance it and double its population by a
thrifty immigration. The climate is OF
the best and will grow crops the year
around. 1t is capable of being the love-
Hest part of our country. If we put
those people on their feet, and with as
little bloodshed as possible, they will
never ask or want their independence
from the United States.
What is needed is kind of military
organization of their industries, govern
ment control and government finar cling
of their farming, herding and manufac.
turing, and on a business basis that will
pay it all back into our treasury in the
course of years. This, and not war, is
what the Mexican situation calls for.
C. S. GRIFFIN,
Klngman, Me-, May 18th.