Great Falls daily tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1895-1921, 1920-08-30
BY ROWLAND THOMAS
,pyright 1870, BY The Press PubIlsh
Co. The New York WORLDLY

a friend | had in mind quite rashly to
set down under the title Mexico Today
my impressions of the city, the country
and the people, he counseiied greater
/ terseness.
Leave out the today" he told me.
Just Mexico is plenty. Mexico never
changes and never will change. Eighty
years ago one saw here the same bunch
of generals each going it on his own,
the same bunch Of public officials graft
ing busily in office, the same apathetlc
cynicism toward the general welfare III
the classes, the same apathehc misery
among the masses that | saw between
the downfall of Porfirio Diaz and the
downfall Of Eenustiano Carranza-
1t Never Changes.
And If your grandson comes down
here eighty years from now, which will
be the year 1900. he will find the same
old business being carried on at the
same old stand. It's in the blood, and
only run it one way. That pity, too,
he added. because for its size this is
the richest country in the world. 1t has
the finest climate, or, rather, assortment
! of climates. It has the richest soil ana
the greatest variety of natural products
of the soil It's mineral and fuel wealth
are enormous, and barely tapped yet,
The only thing against it Is itself.
With just little ordinary, everyday,
horse-sense good government, Mexico
might be the Garden of Eden come true.
There need be no poverty here. IheFe
need be no occasions for disorder There
need be- mighty little really hard work
for any body But Mexico never has had
Il government, and never can have. She
isn't built that way
II OnpOSes IT, S. Intervention.
Then" ! asked. the only remedy
you see, for the good Of the Mexlcans
and the good Of everybody else, is
f., Purposely ! left him to finish the
next word, and he supplied il promptly
I intervention.
N For Heavens sake. no." said he.
Intervention down here by the United
States is the last thing in the world
I'd want TO see
That one little interview might we'll
be taken as a type of many | have had
with Americans who have been in Nexl-
co ten years or more and have Their
stakes in life here. Unanimously they
express themselves as opposed TO III
tervenrion aud / believe they mean 1t.
With equal unauimity they express their
disbelief i'm the possibility OF govern
ment of the people down here, by the
people down here, for the people down
1 lltlt " ilAI Lds bFttIf VIII ~ AA''A% AAtNN'
! become their creed.
NOT Governed Ruled.
Mexico never has been governed, Mex
( leo has been ruled by series Of better
! and worse dictators from the day of
4 Cortez down to the days Of t8rranza
Aud Mexico will he governed BY con
tinuing series Of dictators. Her only
7 hope is that on the whole they may be
l better instead Of worse.
But against that pet assertion Of 50
many Of my American colony friends
I that Mexico is place where nothing
/ ever changes. ] wish to enter a modest
protest TO me Mexico seems place
where everything is always changing
| For instance, the day / began to
write this happened to be the day when
/ the surrender Of Paucho Villa was fin
ally confirmed The government was
naturally highly pleased, aud among
many other officials the director general
/ of railroads gave out an interview to
! one Of the morning papers.
/ Quiet at Last.
\ In It he pointed out that as n result
/ of the surrender railway traffic was
normalized az last. For the first time
/ in eight years trains were running dl-
rectly through from Mexico G!.ty, to
/ Ciudad Iuare2, as well as TO PIedTas
| Negras ana Laredo, and between Sal
/ tiIlo and Monterey. Furthermore, he
| added. the telegraphic adviceS informed
t him that the day before not single
| shot Had been fired anywhere on the
soil If the republic and there had been
! no sign Of any activity Of rebel bands
| In part Of the territories crossed by
! the lines Of the National railways
This proof that reyoiutiont torn Mcxi-
| 90 at last had settled down to the ways
| of internal peace and order was SO con-
| crete and impressive that It seemed
worth a cable | had just fished out
telegraph blanks and carbon when the
telephone rang Some one TO tell me
the government had just settled on the
force-3, 900 men and three gunboats
which are its west coast navy-to go to
lower California aud put down the re-
ballion Of Governor Colonel tantu. No
sooner off with one rebellion than on
with another, in some different part of
the country.
Start of Rebel Band.
Back ID 1918, when the Victoriano
Huerta government decided to "MeNi-
canizp" The railroads Of the country,
most Of the skilled operating employees
we're Americans As a preliminary step
these men were ordered TO take an ex-
animation ID Spanish. Being good rail
readers but lame linguists they knew be
fOfehand what the result N'uld W. httu
with one accord threw up their Jobs
and walked out Overnight the systems
were stripped Of the men who really
ran them.
On one division the only American
left was the superintendent. Still a
youngstcr in years, he had long held the
position, and being a whole-hearted
ycungster knew and liked every cmploye
on his stretch IF line. Among these was
an old Mexican gang boss. Pedro. who
at TINT time was working with his bunch
On small piece of branch line con
strucuon.
No Work, No Food.
Faced with the practical suspension
az all traffic and its equivalent rev |
enucs for an indefinite time, the division
superintendent felt himself compelled to
stop that construction and let Pedro go.
IT was not an easy step to take. dis
charging the faithful, supplemented old
gang boss.
mo work, boss?" stammered old
Pedro. CONSERVATION in his eyes. Why, |
in two days ! and my men and our
women and children will have no food