The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-23
WILSON, INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN, IS HOPE
 OF THE MEXICAN NATION
Moral Support of President Looked to For Saving Coun
 try From Anarchy and Chaos-Lauded and Cheered By Officers of Carranzas Army When General Al varado Refers to Him As "One of Greatest Men Who Ever Lived"

Tar distant when they will be stamp ed out altogether. Then, assure you,
 the Mexican people will be really
 happy and will realize that they did
 not fight the revolution for nothing.
 Not many ago we had tdesperados in the West who committed outrages quite on par with those that have occurred in Mexico. In the course of a conversation I had with MT. Car ranza on this subject he said:
 When Jesse James and his gang
 were shooting and robbing people in
 certain sections of your country no
 one presumed to assert that it was typical of conditions all over the United States or that the United States was an uncivilized or lawless nation. If in some of the raids of those western outlaws / English or other foreigners were killed or rob- bed their governments did not dream Of suggesting armed intervention to stop it.. An almost parallel state of affairs exists in Mexico.
 "It took the American authorities some time to get rid of their out laws and ensure safety. They were able to do it and knew they could do it. I am confident that we can suppress the bandits in Mexico and ensure safety to life and property all over the republic. It is an arduous and slow task and cannot be accom- plished in a day, for it takes time for a nation to recover from a severe illness, as well as for an individual"
 We all know that Mexico is the sick man of the Americas The coun- try has gone through an operation that would have killed one with less inherent strength or powers of re- cuperation. That there is stable government there, instead of chaos, is proof of the patriotism and ability of the leaders as well as of the faith which the majority of the people place in them.
 That President Wilson's policy has been great help to them in their ef- forts at regeneration cannot be doubt ed by anyone who visits the country with an open mind. That the Mex jeans themselves know this and ap- preciate it I had abundant proof. Even in the Mexican army this be- lief obtains. A conspicuous and ex- traordinary example of this feeling occurred in Merida only a few weeks ago.
 Gen. Salvador Alvarado, who is he Governor of Yucatan and >the com- mander of all the forces in the South east, gave banquet to his officers. There were about 300 of them pres- ent. was also the Governors guest at the dinner and the only one there who was not an officer in the Mexi- can army. It goes without saying that there were no other Americans. wish there had been, especially some of my fellow-countrymen who are demanding intervention so nois- fly. It might have given them a new viewpoint on the real sentiment of the Mexican people.
 After the dinner the Governor made a long address to his officers. He spoke of the recent strained relations between the United States and Mex ico and congratulated them that the war clouds seemed ito have drifted over. Only a few weeks before he had the harbor of Progresso mined, entrenchments thrown up all along the shore and barbed wire entangle- ments placed everywhere to. prevent if possible. an American invasion. He had also begun raising a volunteer army to repel us. He is a loyal Mex ican and would fight invasion to the last drop of his blood-which makes what he said all the more forceful and remarkable.
 After sketching the history of the United States and explaining how the country rose to great power and wealth and a first place among the nations, he told them that Mexico must now wake up and take model from us; that now was her golden opportunity to come out of this re- construction period as fitting neigh Dor to the great republic at the North.
 'The Americans have been through all this," said he, 'they have been tried by fire, and came out of it glori- ously. Let us do the same. Let us take model from them. We can do nothing better.
 And gentlemen" he concluded, "citizens of Mexico and officers of my army, I want to state to you that in my opinion President is one of the greatest men that ever lived. Not only has he shown the utmost tact and wisdom in keeping the United States out of the European war, which would have been a terrible calamity for that country, but he has proved himself staunch and sincere friend of Mexico, by giving good advice and patience, and while he has fully maintained the dignity of his he has not sought to bully or browbeat us. He will live in his- tory as an international human itarian."
 Those serious-looking. brown-faced officers in their white uniforms listen ed with rapt attention to every word that Gen. Alvarado said. He was not interrupted by applause or comment during the whole of his long speech. It was impossible to tell from the expression of their faces how they. liked what he said Naturally I fear = ed that they might resent it a little. perhaps good deal, and that there might be an anti-Gringo outbreak and perhaps some disorder, for, re- member, only short time before they had been mobilized for the express purpose of fighting us, and they were all ready to do so if war had to come.
 Imagine my surprise then when. the General sat down and there was a burst of applause that was spon- taneous and tumuItuous. The whole lot of them clapped- their hands. stamped their feet, cheered and shouted "Viva Wilsohi" over and over again. The room was in tumult for several minutes. There was no ques- dent or their honest belief in what their General lad said.
 With one exception, none of these nl L. h..