Evening star., 1923-12-26
In TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS

l. Ithas beeh4 the attitude Of Americans
TO look hack upon the rule Of Presi-
, dent Porfirio Diaz as the one strong,
enlightened and peaceful administration
) Of Mexico. and to measure by his
standard every president SINCE his
overthrow In 1910.
I There have been many revolution
| since his downfall: now there is an
. other, seeking to overthrow the ad-
| ministration OF President Obregon. who
T, for three years has maintained order
and peace and given Justice to the
| freed poems. Furthermore. he has sup
| prssed brigandage. as It never was un-
der Diaz. A well known journalist OF
America. who holds property in Mexi
| CO. recently visited his holding, and,
after travelling without a guard. ev-
cept an old guide, testified to the safety
OF travel there and the efficiency Of the
| police.
This. It is true. before the present up
rising of the de la Huertas. but after
Obregon had had two or three years
to accomplish more pacification than
Diaz had done In as many decades.
| II * X
While President Diaz was at the
height of his prestige and power, the
| present writer visited Mexico and
witnessed conditions in sharp contrast
to those now reported under Obregon.
! Abort thirty miles from Cuernavaca
city which has fallen into the hands
| OF the rebels within the last week there
| exist the prehistoric ruins of Zochicalco
Acc mpa MED by an Indian who spoke
no English and very little Spanish. the
traveller rode horseback to see the ruins
and. as the official was out Of the city
| at the time, without stopping to get
| written permit.
! Passing through an Indian viii
lass & OF 100 population, we stop.
or Yurales (soldiers).
Then we proceeded to the ruins.
Few miles beyond--a pyramidal tenn
pie standing upon the peak Of a small
iimitless expanse. While we were
| interested in the heiroglyphic in
scriptions covering the stone walls
: a. dozen armed men approached.
climbing footpath, and as soon as
they arrived the men were ordered
In position surrounding us captives.
| while the captain angrily uphraided
| the guide. who was evidently using
the utmost diplomacy to placate his
accuser. Finally the captain bade US
beeone.
Our erstwhile captors meandered
down the footpath, while our horses
zigzagged their way slowly down an
other route I fancied that the in
ctdent was closed until we discovered
ahead, at the foot of the mountain.
the sane men In conference evident
| iy waiting for our aDproach How
ever before our arrival they changed
| their purpose and d'sappeared
We reached the village where
| made some photographs. ignoring the
surltness or one OF the inhabitants
wHo later. proved to he officially the
"ehief man" Of the village Present.
ly, / was arrested by two soldiers
and hailed before the court of this
| chief man" upon the charge of pass
Ing through the village without pay
Ing my respects 10 its "nhief man I"
The arrest seemed a burlesaue, and
when / offered my credentials TO the
magistrate. he waved them aside to
the schoolmaster. for the chief man"
could not read. and the schooImaster
was now clerk Of court
Tho court repeatedly pointed to my
camera. and uttered the word graft
asking whether the photographs were
for commercial purposes I eliblv
assured him they were only for my
own qualification He understood not
| word OF what I said. but then DIS
covered that II was not my gratif-
cacione which interested him, but his
own.
"Quanto, senor" I inquired. for I
could speak just that much Spanish
/, and no more. Chow much. ssir?)
"CinQuento centavos." was the an
swer. (Fifty Mexican cents, the
amount Of my fne.)