Bisbee daily review., 1917-11-04
COL. RANDOLPH
 TELLSO DANCER
 FOR DEMOCRACY
Head of Southern Pacific de Mexico and Arizona East ern Gives Wall Street Jour- nal Highly Instructive h. terview.

On private car passing through Washington last week, with Mrs. Ran dolph, making his first visit to the east in 9 years, was Colonel Espes Randolph. president of the Southern
 Pacific R. R. company of Mexico, and i civil engineer. ineidentally-but pri-
 marily one of the half-dozen greatest
 developers and railroad men the coun-
 try has produced, says the Wall Street Journal.
 It was some 9 years ago that liar riman stepped out of obscurity and
 began masterly organization of the
 railroads of the country. Colonel
 Randolph's position in the railroad
 world and other fields was already
 recognized to the degree that he was
 asked to take charge of the whole
 Southern Pacific system. Whereupon
 Nature made one of those queer
 moves across the board by affecting
 his health and shifting him to the
 dry southwest.
 It was this lodging of a block of it's executive ability in Tucson. Ariz,
 which began Southern Pacific's devel- opment in that region, and it's exten- sion into the wondrous land of prom ise and problem. Mexico, Southern Pacific has spent over $40.000.00O on Mexican lines construction, has 1,242- miles of railroad across the border in operation when conditions permit, with some 500 miles more to be con structed as soon as order is restored.
 Except for a few miles Of costly construction still incompleted at the extreme southern end, Southern Pa cific trains could now steam out of the Tucson station in southern Ari- zona. cross the border and spin down the Mexican Pacific coast country hundreds of miles clear to Guadala- jara, connecting there with the Ma tional Railways of Mexico. And to date Mexico owes Southern Pacific some $7.1500.000 for transportation, or rail- road property purchased. confiscated or destroyed.
 Southern Pacific has issued no bonds against this Mexican property It holds in its treasury the l75,OOO.- 900 stock of the company But why an outlay of $4O,0O0 ,OO0 to earn a ST. 0O0,0 claim against such a party as Mexico?
 Because" said NIT. Randolph. "that stretch of Mexico along the Pacific coast is the richest, most wonderful ly productive land in North America or South America and so far as I know. the richest land on earth. It yields it's five crops a year - such crops as 65 tons of sugar cane to the acre and 75 bushels of corn. Devei- opment of that country will make 1t one of the wonders of the world. When?
 ''I knew Diaz for 36 years. He was not the man pictured on our peoples mind. The Mexican peon is not a vicious character. He is a good na- tured. easily satisfied type. but not of caste moulded to fit democracy withi its frequent change of administra- tors. Diaz ruled so long and so ably because he was a father to the Mexi- can people; that first. but almost sim because he made them obey.
 The peons are different from the labor type in cooler northern climcs. yes. But the idea that Mexico is an ignorant land is a mistake. The up per classes are better educated than are those in the United States. speak four or five languages and have broader view of world affairs. Diaz was a big man. His mind was a pow CT. throwing him into striking con trast with many of our own chief ex- ecutives. He was the able autocrat Mexico needed. Mexico is poor. but it is going to take something mora than capital. something other than courts to enable our southern neigh bor to encourage credits and con tracts. to resume her development, of a land whose wealth in resources has not yet been imag- ined. Nor its wealth in pride. Poor in pesos. but rich is bride. Mexicans have been rating United States gold at a discount. They rated Diaz at a premium.
 Meanwhile. the lesson comes north across the border. Power. concentra- ton, centralizstion. Democracy in