Arizona republican., 1922-04-13

CITY Of MEsAlCO, <aplA1 -.
varo Obregon has been an enigma as
president of Mexico. Today he ex-
plained the puzzle to me in part.
"The people of Mexico have en-
tered upon a transitional stage" said
he. II feel that my duty, so far as
can, is to preserve the equilibrium
between the warning forces.
Before he is hastily classified as a
middle Of the -roader, as we would
say in the United States, let his gene
sis and career be considered. He
began as a small farmer at Navaloa,
which is the smallest sort of sta
tion on the edge Of the Yaqui coun-
try in Sonora. He became mer-
chant in a small way. Circumstance
forced him to take up arms and he
displayed unuuestiofed military
genius. He is the only Mexican gen.
eral who ever gave Francisco villa
a thorough whipping. That alone, IN
a country in which war veers from
operations on more or less grand
scale TO the most annoying guerrilla
fighting. is sufficient to stamp him
as a real leader of men.But his fame
as fighting man does not rest upon
this achievement alone.
Had Control Over His Men
There was every reason to antIcl-
pate that as a president he would
show himself somewhat heayy-hand
ed. The implication is not that he
was unduly harsh as q soldier. On
the contrary. his reputation was that
OF fair and merciful leader But
that he was stern and masterful when
conditions demanded there can be no
denial His control over his men was
absolute. A weak manor a man
who is undecided in policy-cannot
maintain that control over men ac-
fighting. His men. too, were in good
part of Yaqui blood, and the Yaqui
is cousin to the Apache.
"Obregon win make free use OF a
blank wall and firing squad" was
the prediction freely made when he
became the president of Mexico.
He has done nothing of the sort.
1t may be that a country tired of war
has been somewhat disappointed. 1t
is hardly possible for a stranger to
assess the real sentiment of Mexico,
but it has seemed that any meas
ures which would restore peace would
have been welcomed. Mexicans them
selves say that Mexico hoped for an
iron hand, such as that which Don
Porfirio" manifested in his earlier
days as. dictator president. In the
face Of the most constant temptation
to the ruthless use of force. Presi-
dent Obregon has refrained. He has
captured rebels in the field time after
time and given them their lives. It
is true that many rebels have been
shot. But for the most part his acts
have been governed by mercy.
Has Been Classed as Radical
Yet he has been classed as a radi-
cal. He has supported the constitu-
tion OF 1917 and the laws which have
been. enacted under it. and which
would be regarded as radical in any
counsry in the world save Russia,
perhaps. He has been outspoken in
his advocacy of the agrarian laws.
under which it is possible to take the
lands of the great proprietors and
sell them on the easiest terms to the
poor The proprietors in turn are
offered bonds payable at some more
or less indefinite future date He
has been charged in print with being
a sort of a statesmanlike Robin Hood.
whose desire is to take from the rich
TO give unto the poor. He has per-
sistentfy refused to sign treaty with
the United States through which rec
ognition might come. On the whole it
has been difficult to reconcile his
nlildness in act with the overturning
doctrines. which he is charged with
holding.
President Obregon talked freely to
me today on the motives which have
governed him in his administration
OF the affairs of the presidency.
have. called it an explanation bur
that. of course. is not to be accepted
literally. He gave no indication that
he felt that he owed any one an
explanation. His statements came in
the course Of a friendly chat. 1 shall
not attempt to quote him literally,
quotation marks are used. it is to be
understood that of what he said as
it came to me.
In Stage Of Transition
The people of Mexico" he said
are in a stage of transition. The
things of the past are disappearing.
A new future is opening before US.
We are trying to undo the wrongs
OF the past without creating a new
set Of problems which in turn must
be met"
He glanced hastily at the history of
Mexico. There is no need to review
what every school boy knows. nor to
more than refer to the unquestioned
fact that in the time of the Spanish
conquest and later a simple and prim-
tive people were deprived of their
lands and made to labor for those
whose chief lcaim to possession was
that of force. He made it apparent
that he believed that the same pro-
cess of accretion by the rich and pow
erful and loss by the poor has con-
tinued in Mexico to the present.
"The. rich have a psychological ad-
vantage over the poor" said he. Not