Evening star., 1925-01-10
VITAL THEMES
Gales the Hope of Mexico
By
WILLIAM ENGLISH WALLINC
Iatel1ectual Liberal and Socialist

Gales Is the first Of all Mexican Presi-
dents who represents the beginnings of
genuine democratic and popular move
nIent Under Gales the Mexican govern
ment and Mexican labor. both Of the
country and of the towns, have begun
to look TO the United States as a friend
and model. Labor organizations like
ours and a nation Of educated small
landowners like ours. this. broadly
speaking. is the Gales ideal and plan
for Introducing law and order, promot-
ing economic development and maxim G.
Mexico into self-owning, self-govern-
ing nation. The fllfilment Of that ideal
is a long way Off, and can be reached
only through many stagos-as even the
somewhat radical asrarian and labor
leaders OF Mexico now fully recognize,
especially since they have come into
power. II now America shows i'm
patience. failing to realize that the
changes most desperately needed In
Mexico will take years, decades and gen.
erations to carry out the present friend
linesS will turn once more to the old
arrogance and contempt on our side and
to tie age-long envy and suspicion that
formerly prevailed in Mexico.
Law and order, the first prerequisite
to agriculture. industry and commerce,
are being slowly and painfully restored.
that laborious process are almost in
evitable Bridges are destroyed and
railroads crippled in many sections. Few
are the railways that can operate with
out military escorts and armored cars.
There are fully armed rebel bands, often
OF hundreds OF members, in most Of the
81 states, and more than one such band
in several states the hundreds of gov
ernmental agrarian committees. armed
Alnl ia tel 80
estates, are a continual source Of dis
order. The 500 generals and 10000 Of
fce-s are By no means all 70 be depend
ed on as events frequently demonstrate. e.
There are two or more claimants to the
governorShip in several states. Practi-
cally- all elections OF every kind are con-
tssted--and usually with some reason.
The economic disorder and destruc-
tion need not be described; they fol-
low inevitably after the political dis
order. Horses and cattle, the first
prey of revolutionary bands, are but
traction OF what they We're In 1910
The crop area, especially sugar, has
been greatly reduced. Many OF the
small beginners OF all important
works tof a primitive but practical
type) have fallen into disrepsir
There IS little home market for the
factories or business for the rail-
roads. There is hardly a chance that
the government can raise enough
taxes in the next few years to bal.
ance It's budget, even If the army lie
reduced from $1,000 to $4,000, as
planned-and that might bring re-
beilion.
But these are only the emergency
problems. Other more vital and fun
damental changes will take decades.
1t will take decades to educate the
utterly primitive and not even semi
civilized Indian population. It will
take decades to teach this recent serf
to administer even the smallest farm
1t will take decades before any con-
siderable part of the elections are
above suspicion or any considerable
proportion of the electors vote a free
Australian ballot after the American
or Western European manner.
But because the Mexican situation
10 desperate that is no reason why