The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1916-03-23
EMANCIPATION OF
MEXICAN WOMEN

Correspondence of this newspaper
from the federal district of Mexico
within the past few days has brought
intelligence of a character wholly un-
like that generally appearing under
date lines of the neighboring republic,
says the Christian Science Monitor. 1t
is at once official and departmental
matter, being in fact in the nature of
reports through the secretary of guber-
nation to the first chief, General Car
rama, from a representative of the de
faeto government in Yucatan, but it
has to do with something entirely
apart from subjects usually touched
upon by such communications in these
latter days.
''I have the honor to bring to your
notice." says Sr. Alvarado, writing
from Merida, in the province named,
that at this time there is being cele-
brated here the first congress of wo-
men held in the republic of Mexico,
with 700 delegates"
This is only one of many recent an
nouncements tending to show that
everything" is not "going to
pieces" in Mexico at present, as the
publicity bureau of the clericals and
the aristocrats would evidently have
the world believe. Everything can
hardly be going to pieces in a country
which finds opportunity, as well as oc-
easion, for sending 700 women dele
gates to Merida, clear around the gulf
crescent, to discuss matters looking TO
the betterment of woman's condition,
or under government which regards
it as no less pleasure than a duty to
encourage a gathering of this nature
In his first dispatch, Sr. Alvarado tells
the head of the republic that animated
speeches have been made and are
arousing great interest. This, in the
secretary's opinion, is a new triumph
of the revolution. Within a year, he
thinks, "the liberation of women will
be seen." And he pointedly notes:
s'The aristocracy announced before
hand that the congress would be a
failure, but its realization has been IL
luminating'
People outside of Mexico who are
desirous of knowing the truth about
conditions in that country, under the
present regime, viii do well to remem-
Der that the aristocrats and the cleri-
calls have often been as one in predict
ing failure for steps toward liberation
and democracy. Carranza is bent upon
giving land to the people; he will fail
in this, say they; he is striving to
crush out the granting of special priv
ilege; he will fail in this, they are GER
tain; they have predicted already and
repeatedly, that he is bound to fail IN
his plan to educate teachers for the
schools of his country in the colleges
and universities of the United States.
The elements referred to have pro-
claimed in advance his failure to res
tore the credit of the country, to raise
the value of the peso, to suppress the
banditti. 1t was quite in line with their
general practice to Announce before
hand,' as Sr. Alvarado says, the fail
ure of the women IS congress at Mer.
ida; but the conclusion reached by this
representative, as presented in his sec
ond dispatch, after telling of the in
terest created by the discussions, is
that the congress has helped to pre-
pare the women of Mexico for a great
civic battle. The revolution in Mexico,
of course, cannot be complete until
democracy is thoroughly established in
the republic, and democracy with the
peon on level with the beast of bur-
den, and woman on a level with the
peon, would be a sham.