The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-06-20
A. A. Robinson Says Mexican
Situation Badly Handled.
Former Mexican Railway Pres.
ident Discusses the Crisis.
FOREIGNERS ARE AGITATORS
Few Thousand People in IL Mil
lions Caused Trouble.
He Believes the Country Needs
a Protecting Hand.

That war between the United States
and Mexico is unavoidable now; that
the ultimate solution of Mexico's in
ternal strife is a sort of protectorate
such as was held by the United States
over Cuba, and that the American at
titude towards Americans and Ameri-
can interests in Mexico has been pusil-
luminous. are opinions expressed to-
day by A. A. Robinson, formerly chief
engineer and general manager of the
Santa Fe and for fourteen years presi-
dent of the Mexican Central railway.
Second to no American citizen in
! Topeka Mr.. Robinson knows the Mexi-
can people His duties as head of the
greatest Mexican railway brought him
! In close touch with all classes in that
country and it is a nation of classes,
II Is ms opinion that the great bulk
or the Mexican population-the native
INDIANS and most of the peons-haye
nothing to do with the present strife.
Two hundred thousand would, in
my opinion, cover all the people re-
sponsibie for the present trouble in
Mexico, said Mr.. Robinson. That
country has a population of approx
mateiy seventeen millions, perhaps
nalt OF which is made up of native
| !nolans The Indians have no part
III TINS trouble. They are not inter-
eSted IN the Mexican government
Ihey have their own government. al
though OF course they are subjects of
the Mexican government. But they
care nothing about the rise and fail
OF the dlfrerent Mexican factions
Trouble Due to Agitation.
Then there are the poems, a much
misrepresented class They are the
| working class. They are a decent
and usually relia BILE people There
would be no trouble with the poems
were 1t not for a few agitators But
lney are easily influenced and many
OF them have been pulled into the
present trouble. Let alone, there is
nothing to fear from the peon
me rest of the Mexican population
Is made up of Spaniards, English, Ger
mans, French, Americans and people
OF other nationalities, mixed with
Mexican 1t is in this class that trouble
develops They are the agitators. In
TINS class are found the men who are
keeping strife stirred up in Mexico
now L do not believe that there are
more than 100000 of a population of
I',OOO,0 600 concerned in the present
trouble
Mr. Robinson is satisfied that if
properly handled in the beginning the
situation in internal Mexico might
nave been cleared up long ago and
that there would have been no Next
can question as applied to the United
States government.
War the Only Solution.
But that time is past" he con-
tinued. This government has fol
lowed its pusillanimous course in Mex
leo so long that see only one solution
TO the present trouble and that is war.
For years the United States govern
ment has permitted the killing and
robblng of American citizens in Mex
1co-more than that, it has seemed to
place a premium on it, 1t has said to
ITS citizens, If you don't like condi-
tlons IN Mexico, get out The result
mas been that American protection
has meant nothing to an American in
Mexico. MeMcans do not recognize
H. properties owned by American
capital ana operated by Americans
nave been confiscated by the various
mexican governments and the Ameri-
can operators driven out or killed. II
IS not surprising that the Mexica ms
nave come to hate and desDise an
american. 1t is because of this situa
ion winch could have been prevented
tnat say the only solution to the
| present trouble between the ITnitad
states and Mexico is war;
Are the Mexicans capable of self
government in the highest sense of the
5 Worid?' was asked
NOT capable of Self Governmcnt.
That is hard to answer said Mr.
telligent men engaged in Mexico's ma.
l tlonal affairs. The bulk of the people
are not in my opinion. capable of self.
, government as we understand it but
mere are men who might govern
MEXICO successfully. Diaz did it And
l believe if Huerta had been recog.
nzed by this government he wouIc
nave brought order out of the chao.
IN that country He had the SUPPORT
of the people in Mexico who co,,If
fn
the kind of man needed by the Mexica r
l. people at the head of their govern.
: men But he was not recognized: he
was run out of the country because h,
refused to salute the American flag
something l fail to see why he SHOULD
= have DONE
No, l don't believe self-governmen
Will do. Mexico will get along, in m,
opinion. only with some protecting
hand over it. Mexico would reach
state where it could successfully gov
a ern itself after a generation ar tw.
= under such an arrangement as ths
country had with Cuba
While discussing the Mexican PEG
= pie, Mr.. Robinson spoke of the grea
It natural resources in that country, re
:, sources that have been scarcel
O. touched
B. Its Natural Resources.
l. Mr. Robinson was a warm admire
l. of Diaz and regrets there is not nov
a Diaz to take hold of affairs in Mex
leo. He pointed out that when Dia
n became president there were eve
more bandits carrying on individual
10 warfare than at present, and he ex
= planned Diaz'S method of handIin
that class of people.
How Diaz Handled Bandits
3 He sent out a call for the head
t. of the different bandit factions" h
e said, land when they came in h
dressed them up in flash uniform
and placed them a the head of til
y newly created rurales- In time h
had nearly all of them employed
They became law-abiding and LAWYER
IS forcing citizens
L know Of no similar area of cour
try containing such a varied assor
N nent of natural resources he sal,