New-York tribune., 1920-09-05

mas her bolshevism. The fact that
there are probably not more than one
hundred persons in the entire republic
who know or care what Bolshevism is
has nothing to do with the case.
Mexico has no intention of being out
OF date. and Bolshevism being the in
ternational fad Of the moment, Mex
leo intends to be represented. The
most elementary principles Of the
movement are as Numerically opposed
TO the traditions Of Mexico, modern,
medieval and ancient, as they are to
true Americanism. but this is beside
the case. All that is needed are a few
foreign agitators who can babble plati-
tudes about the MARKHAM system and the
dignity Of the proletariat, who are old
enough to grow beard and who can
collect enough money for small hand
press, and the trick is turned.
unfortunately for the United States
large part of the small group which
makes up Bolshevism in Mexico is
composed of renegade Americans who
took refuge in Mexico during the war
TO escape military service. To this is
added few forgers, refugees under
the Mann act and other petty offenders
whose communistic principles induced
them to dispose of other mems money
and other mems wives with apparent
justification to themselves. This group
appears variously as the Mexican
Soldiers and Workmen's Council. the
executive committee of the Mexican
Communist party or the representa-
tlves Of the Industrial Workers of the
World in Mexico.
Movement Gains Headway
In Mexico as in the United States
even so small and disreputable group
mas been able to do some damage. The
Mexican does not stop to analyze the
1undamental principles of a movement
whlch he cannot understand, and the
TACT that the agitation offers him a
chance to figure in the limelight and
that the world is making such a fuss
about it is sufficient to draw few
recruits. When he is put to the test
he is, of course, absent.
The principles of communism are
not new to the Mexican aborigine. The
Indian is and has been since time i'm
memorial communist. For this rea-
,, son the movement goes like hot cakes
up to certain point and then it comes
to dead stop. You cannot talk inter
nationalism to the Mexican. He
does not understand it and he has
keen sense that there is something
wrong with it. The Yaqui Indian can
| understand perfectly a soviet system
within his own tribe. He has been
used to it from the time the tribe came
from the great North and settled in the
valley of the Yaqui River in Sonora
So likewise can the Maya of Yucatan
aud the Mike of Oaxaca.
Any man who tries to preach inter
! nationalism to the Indian is booked
for immediate complications of a dis
that the men of his own tribe may be
as good as he is and that they have
equal rights, but do not try to talk
to him about the equality Of the Tar
rascan or the Juchitec, or you will
have trouble on your hands.
Rebuff Astounds Agitators
The Yaqui will not hesitate to tell
you just exactly how many kinds of
liar you are and just how many
kinds of coward and other things
unprintable the Tarrascan or the Juchi-
tee is as an individual and as a race
and has been back to the tenth genera
ton
This is something which the foreign
agitator has not been able to under
stand. He has found such a fertile
field during the early stages of his
propaganda that when he came to down
the real purposes of the movement
he has been astounded at the posi-
/ tive rebuff which he received. Some
of them, since they were making a
4 comfortable living preaching elemen-
tary principles, have been clever
enough to let matters rest there, and
have left the question of universal
! equality out CT the discussion.
hoe L.
moral standards of Mexico were low.
AS matter of fact, particularly among
! the Indians, the standard is high. Even
in cases where this standard does not
conform to the Anglo-Saxon yardstick,
the sense of individual proprietorshp
is highly developed. This alone may
prove the saving grace in the campaign
Of propaganda which is now being car
ried on. The Mexican may not know
| much about marriage laws and vital
statistics, but he knows that his wom-
an is his, and any one who tries to tell
him the contrary should be either a
good runner or good shot.
Religious instinct a Safeguard
Another safeguard against Bolshe-
vism in Mexico is the religious in
stinct which is inherent in the Indian
and which is highly developed, par
ticularly among the women. in the
mez,izo and the creole. 1t has been
popular in Mexico for many years to
attack religion, religion meaning to
the average Mexican the Roman Catho-
nsoSa lie ChSreh S'r so In spite Of this, however,
tion Of Mexico is Roman Catholic on
at least three occasons-when Mexi-
cans are baptized, when they are mar
ried and when they die. Any we'll or
ganized attempt to implant Bolshevism
in Mexico should start by carefully
wedding out any reference to religion.
The regime which has grown out OF
the Obregon revolution has laid out a
program which is completely at vari-
ance with the principles Of Bolshevism,
| red and black socialism and any other
| movement which aims at the implanta-
! tion of the dictatorship Of class by
bloodshed or at the destruction OF in
dividual property rights. On the con-
trary, the present regime aims at the
| immediate upbuilding Of q large class
OF small property holders and at the