The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-07-04
| HlYEY >TA4E.5 HAS ABSORBED
OtEN HALf UF NENltU 5 AREA
Car0linians Are Few Who Know the
Extent Oi MeXicO's Possessions
Previous to 1915.

The man on the street is talking
about war with Mexico. 'Anetner II
be Charlotte, Gaslonia, Kings NOUN
tain or the smallest town or village
in the State, the man on the street is
talking about the one topic Of public
interest. Price Of cotton and acreage
doesn't matter half as much now as
the outcome of affairs in Mexico.
Just now it looks too, as If the man
on the street is right. Do you know
what he is saying? He is telling his
neighbor that we must go down into
Mexico and spend our money by the
countless millions, and lose the lives
of thousands of our finest young men,
because the masses of Mexican people
have been misgoverned and oppressed
by politicians, grafters and the
numerically small ruling class.
It's a very good time now to look
up your history on the result of our
war with Mexico seventy years ago.
How many people in the Carolinas
actually know that seventy years ago,
almost to a month, we made war up
on Mexico under circumstances OF
disorder and revolution quite similar
to those that exist today? How many
Carolinians know that it took us two
years to get things in shape in Mexl-
co, after we had crossed the Rio
Grande and after we had captured
Vera Cruz? How many readers OF
The Observer are aware that we TOOK
from Mexico as the indemnity for our
bill of costs, the territory which is
now the States of Utah, New Mexico,
Arizona and California, in addition u
the great State of Texas, into which
you could place all of the New
England States and still have room TO
spare. We had annexed the State OF
Texas, it is true, year before war
was declared, but not without some
bloodshed. The territory we took
from Mexico has an area OF 9lS,0OO
square miles. Just think of it. And
the present area of Mexico is 765,OOO
square miles.
According to these figures then We
took from Mexico by arms and con-
quest more than half her original
territory. Even omitting the State
of Texas from these calculations, in
1S4S we virtually split Mexico in two
and took one-half her territory as
spoils of war. Just look at the con-
dition, as a comparison, Of the half OF
Mexican territory we took then and
the half that remained for Mexican
rule. Look at the advancement in
civilization, education, schools, the
fine arts, home culture and thous-
and other things of primary import
ance in our conquered half OF the
original Mexico great civilized States
in which law and order are and ever
will be supreme. Here is prosperity,
liberty, security, personal happiness
comfort, even luxury and independ-
ence. Everywhere one sees happy
homes and contented people.
Then gaze upon that country we
left to Mexican rule. A blood-soaked
land of famine, poverty, unhappiness
and desolation, where human life is
scorned as valueless and brigands
sweep through towns and villages at
night with torch and gun and lay to
waste the work of many men, for
generations. Under Mexican rule this
land of the cactus and shifting sands
has been given up to the spoilers.
illiteracy, poverty and rict. Industry
lies, prostrate-even those concerns
started by outside capital, labor is
unpaid, there is no demand for any
thing more tangible than rations for
today. The Mexican motto is "let to-
morrow take care of itself"
Mexico has gone back to the dark
ages. 1t no longer bears the slightest
resemblance to nation of the
twentieth century Looking at these
two pictures and comparing them,
who among you can. truthfully say
that conquest and annexation have
not proven blessings far greater than
the price it cost us seventy years ago?
And be not unmindful of the fact that
scores of Carolinians lost their lives
~ h1111pfS