Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-06-23
CONSIDERING TIE MEXICAN PFOPI F
BN FREDERIC j. nasI<IS

3 BN tttE.biR I
/ WASlilNGTON. juno 22-Thc roal,.
! uncertain element in our dealings Win
i Mexico lies in the Mexican people and
/ th"ir attitude towards the United
! states. 1t is possible 10 csti!uai. ,Hitn
! some accuracy the course OF tho ban
| az. IN" soldier. the politician or the
/ landowner. as is shown by the FAC, that
| our writer's ana experts on Mexican
! matters arc pretty well agreed ~,
/ But when We consider that vague ana
! Important body known as Tho McNf-
! can people the greatest diversity Of
| opinion seems 10 prevail
The most contraGictory assertions
! are made 10 how this Mexican ueo-
| PIE regard the simplest issues Ac-
| cordinE TO one authority, .uv American
I interference with The International af-
fairs Of Mexico Will hc impos sihIe
until the last Mexican has hccr Killed
/ or disarincd. According 10 another.
anti-Americanism Is partly Il nEmeut
! OF the pro -!nterventioniSts. and partly
fame famed by bandits and pnltti-
cal leaders for their own ends that
would die out. given a fai~. chance
since this - the most important poiut
IN tho whole Mexican muddlc - is
pity that there IS not NOR, lnaupnir..
OF "pinion as to the true state ui af-
fairs
y consideration Of fcw facts nhou,
the common peop" or Mexico helps TO
clear matters NJ. There is no doubt
Of IN" presence ~ q violent anti
Amcricanism below the border JUST
now; unfortunately there have been
There s some doubt. however, ae 10
how deeply rooted this sentiment IS
win the people at large.
If the MHXicon people have united
In hot ana holy hatred of the United
states, il Is the .'rS, time that fhcy
~ j.c.
! with any degree ~ warmth T. is a
fact apparently prone 10 be forgotten.
on the American side 90 tho linz. that
IN dealing with Mexico We arc deal
ing with great primitive people IN
the hands ~ a few energetic and domi-
mating men and that primitive peoples
rarely cherish and fight FOR abstrac,
principles.
Divided Into Three CInsscS
The exact constitution Of the Mcxi-
can population has never been ascer-
tanned definitely. Between the official
next wide and incompatible differences
have appeared Different observers
and students have arrived at widely
differing conclusions. The main facts,
however. are obvious The peonic are
divided into three classes. II is with
regard 10 the relative numbers OF
these classes that there is dispute
These three classes arc The pur"
white, the mixed blood or mcs;izo. and
the Indian Probably only 10 OF 10
per cent Of the total population is of
pure white blood. Some of tho official
estimates put the proportion as high
as 10 per cent. but this ia probably an
ovcrcStimate. arising, Of course. from
pride in the possession of an unmixed
ancestry, and q tendency to deny any
admixture OF Indian stock.
The second class is that OF the
mestizos or mixed h!oods. These peo-
pie shade off into the Indian on the
one hand and rise on the other to
type closely approXimating that of the
pure white. according 10 the propor-
tons of the different stocks IN their
ancestry. Most Of the mestizos. how
ever, have the Indian characteristics
strongly prediminatiuE over the
Spanish. 1t is this fact that has led
some among even the most careful
observers, to state that the Indians
make up * to So per cent of the
Mexican population. As matter OF
fact about 80 per cent of the popula-
tion is of mixed blood. and this class
is continually increasing. In fact.
the ultimate Mexican type. which VIII
be evolved after the various elements
have finally adjusted their relations 10
each other according TO the ethnolo-
rists. must he an individual OF mixed
blood with Indian stock predominant
Ing.
Lnrge Percentage nr indinns.
The remaining division of the people
includes the pure Indians. Placed by
some authorities as high in numbers
as l2000.000 out Of a total Of 10000
0oo, they constitute al least from 40
per cent 10 a half Of The people
Among themselves they include n great
diversity of types and tribes. One
hundred and eiGhty-two idioms have
been identified and CLASSIFIED in the
dialects spoken in Mexico to-day
There are ffty-thrcc distinct Lam
suagcs in use. The pcrsisJcuc" Of
these different dialects III single re-
public is proba bly, due to the poor state
OF the means of communication. Their
presence shows, at any rate. the di-
versity OF the Indian stock. This di-
versity runs through all the charac-
tcristcs of the tribes. whose members
show all the range o: mental ability
from n Hcnito JuarcZ. the national hero
who was u pure -bloodcd Indian. down
to the stupid and savage Apachca OF
Sonora. BY far the greater part OF
the Indian peoples. however. are Of -
type not distinguished for ability ar
intelligence.
These are the three great divisions
Of the Mexican people Another str:k-
ing fact thar stands on! lis the con-
spicuous absence of any considerable
foreign clement For the last five
~