The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-11
By N. P. D.

shevik of time. The parallels are so
many ard so striking between conditions
in Mexico and conditions in Russia that
any one will be excused if when well
along il. Mr.. Gibbons book he turns back
to see il he has not picked up book OH
Russia by mistake.
Substitute for Carranza, Lcnine; for
Mexico City, Petrograd; for The large
percentage of illiterate poems, the il
Gterate peasants; for the Constitution Of
1854 holy instrument in the eyes of
all Mexicans, of which CarranZa, despite
definite pledges for its complete restora-
ton, made scrap of paper-the Rus
sian Constitutional Convention that Le-
nine adjourned; for American capital,
against which Carranza chiefly wages his
war, capital generally against which Ie-
nine wages his-the two stories from the
beginning to the end are much the same.
To complete the parallel, Mr.. Gibbon
needed only to recall that Mr.. Stefens
also went on n secret mission TO Mexico
City to see Carranza and come back and
tell US what to do, as the other day ne
went to Petrograd to see Lenine and
report at Paris. In both eases the prop
uganda has been furious. In both eases
IL" agitation for recognition has been
persistent, and successful in Mexico. In
both cases, the policy of Washington has
been patience" and "watchful waiting"
In both cases, the leaders have at some
time been the tools of the Germans. In
both countries, the destruction of pro-
ductive industry has deprived hundreds
of thousands of the chance TO earn living
and brought indescribable miseries upon
the people In both countries only the
wicked leaders apparently flourish and
are strong in the land, while the people,
for whose benefit the wretched business
is supposed TO be carried on, are starving.
The picture Mr.. Gibbon gives of Mex
leo under Carranza rule is as appalling
as the now familiar picture of Russia
under Bolshevik rule For the most part,
Mr.. Gibbon produces ample evidence for
everything he says. There is no question
of forged documents. He quotes from an
article written by SUN investigator in
January of last year to the effect that
Mexico City is full Of starving Indians,
insuficiently clad, and with no shelter to
protect them" He quotes from Red
Cross report (the American Red Cross
which Carranza expelled) that the country
is so dey astated from end to end, and so
impoverished and demoralized, that 1t
would be as difficult task to feed the
people now or alleviate their suffering
as it would be in Russia.
A Red Cross report at Washington
speaks Of 100000 bandits and thieves
let loose in the country, "rotten with
disease and divorced from all ideas of
ever working again" The streets in Mex
leo CITY are said to be unsafe for pedes
trians after s o'clock. Thousands have
died in Mexico during the past few years
from starvation and bad sanitary condi-
tions due to bad government or no gov
eminent at all. A conservative estimate
is that not less than 10000 persons have
starved in Mexico in the last four years.
The deaths of the French Revolution,
from the fall of the Bastile to the be-
heading of Robaspierre, were no more.
A man long familiar with Mexico, and
for whose character and reliability Mr..
Gibbon vouehes, tells Of walk he took
around Mexico City in November OF last
year:
81 am sure that on that walk l saw at
least 5000 miserable persons erouchins
in recessed doorways and other places
that offered some slight protection from
the wind. They were lying as close to-
gether as they could get, often with dog
in the centre of the pile to contribute the
warmth of his body. They were men,
women and children. Most of the latter
were naked, though a few had a ragged,