The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1919-05-01
MEXICO.

Affairs in Mexico seem to be going
from had to worse. Gradually but in
evitablv the internal affairs of that
country are resolving themselves into a
chaos not unlike that in which Russia
finds herself. The public funds have been
souandered and the Carranza government
seems to be powerless to put stop to the
raidinq career of Villa, and numerous
other factions, which are killing, pillag-
ing and confscating These leaders and
their followers are all Bolshevlstic, al
though they are not named as such.
There is little doubt but that their activl-
ties have been abetted by German IN
fluences, but the communistic shlbboleth
that the land and even all capital, belongs
tn the people, was the ground work which
made it possible for the German propa-
Fanda to do its work successfully. This
shibboleth is most effective in countries
like Mexico. where illiterGcy is the rule
and patriotism and education the excep-
ton. It is a false crv, because most OF
those who utter it have done little or
nothing to earn right to either land or
lucre. 1t is unfortunate that Mexico,
rich in gold, silver and other mines, hav-
ing oil in abundance, and great agricul-
tural resources, by reason of bad govern
ment or no government whatever, should
become the plague spot of the Western
Hemisphere. Yet such it is, and there
seems to be little hope that there will be
much Improvement in the next hundred
years, if Mexico is permitted to have her
own way. This may seem to be an I'M
warranted statement, but we must re-
member that from early in the 18th CEN
fury when the Spaniards swarmed nto
Mexico for riundeT, down to the present
day, hi-ta-y loes not show that Mexico
had q 9.}5'u nent worthy that name till
1877 when Poriirio Daz was elected
President of the Republic. President
D!az was solder, and besides he under
MexicaR needs. He had but Just begun
to govern when, i'll 1880, Manuel Gonzales
was elected 6 mis- successor, and proceed
ed Immediately to empty the treasury,
and when, in 1884, Diaz was again elect
ed, he found himself at the head of
bankrupt nation, that three-fourths of
the future public revenues had been mort
gagged, and that instructions were rife.
We have said that Diaz was a soldier
He was more than that. He was a man
having business acumen and was a mas
terful and an eminently diplomatic ruler
He was in the main Just man, but he
knew how to punish vigorously and with
out mercy He brought abo' t period of
law and order, which Mexico had never
before known, and which she has not
known since he lost control, and at the
close of his official life it is said there
were 100000 0C0 in the Mexican treas
ury. 1t may well be doubted if even
DiaZ could now enforce law and order in
Mexico. The population of the country
is about 5000, 600 There are 1000, 900
Indians, 100000 Mestizos and 5000, 600
whites The Indians are beth ignorant
and lazy but will fight when paid for
fighting. The Mestizos are people of
mixed Indian and Spanish blood and
grade all the way between Indians and
whites in character and inclination.
To add to the former difficulty of gov
erning the mass Of ignorant people, they
are now inflamed by the shibboleth to
which we have above referred, and the
fact that the political ruling classes are
both corrupt and oppressive only adds
fuel to the fires of active rebellion There
fore we must admit that if Mexico is to
be IegeneTated within the next hundred
years, the regenerating power must come
from somewhere outside herself. We are
next door neighbors to Mexico. The
boundary between that country and ours
is more than 1900 miles long. This fact
ano the Monroe Doctrine which says
Glands OFF, to other nations, makes it
our task, if anything is to be done, to
show Mexico the error of her ways and
TO lay foundation on which she mgy
build respectable and respected govern
ment; government which shall be stable
and progressive. Precept and exhorta-
ton, and even three is, will have no eff
feet. These have been tried again and
again The President of Mexico, his
Cabinet and his Congress, know our