Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-14

considerably less than that of i'm.
proved roads. the leader remains free
to roam the country about the size
of Pennsylvania pretty much as he
pleases Any sort of information, to
say nothing Of orders or discipline. is
sure to have the utmost trouble locat-
ing him the Lord knows where in the
businesses of cold mountain or steam
ing jungle.
Living ION" Country.
Under such circumstances no gen
cral" dreams of finding his commits
Sary supplies except upon the cattle
farm or the coffee or sugar plantation
of his fellow citizens or. at the worst.
because more risky, on the banana
plantations or mahogany camps OF
foreigners mostly American.
Nor is this To be considered uerc
maraudinE II he pillagcs effectively
the native land holders belonging To
the opposite political party, he can
hardly fail t0 deplete the enemY's war
chest, besides keeping meanwhile his
own fighters Contentcd and ready TO
do their bit when they encounter IN
the juncle--oftcn by mere chance
the equally uniformed and unin'
strutted troops Of his opponents.
Besides this astonishing lack Of
and program. further
decentralization comes from the human
material out of which such a general
must construct his facile though hard
ly efficient tighting machine.
Recruited as his soldiers are from
the Indian blooded laborer class. which
comprises 50 per cent OF the Country's
zoo. 600 people. hardly one of them. of
course. can so much rs read or write
Equipped with nothing hut his every
day denim pants or oVerallS, his de-
Cidcdly open-faCed shirt. large straw
hat. old-faShioncd gun and razor-cdGed
maChcte, this fighter, especially in the
absence of all contact with general
headquarters, observes SO little mill
tary or other discipline that he comes
easily to resemble less a soldier than
an outlaw.
Indeed. the common testimony is
that especially If these fellows had
latelv found the ordinary piCkings of
the countryside decidedly lean, any
general who attempted to forbid their
footing of an estate or small settlement
will take his very life in his hands.
Renegade or Patriot
gentleman and blame his followers for
my friend Gen. Iapata could fairly
easily think of himself as a patriotic
gentleman and bam mis- followers for
his evil reputation. Similarly, if, like
SANDING. he were outside prison walls,
he could with equal ease and likeH-
hood refuSe--or perhaps be forced by
his men to refuSc--the orders of his
communicative to bring peace 10
the country by laying down his arms
instead of intrenChing himself on some
isolated plantation or gold mine.
And yet it is hardly fair to throw
all the blame upon either such a geog-
raphy of isolation or such a rag-tag
and bobtail crowd of soldiers.
For these are by no means born
rufiians and cutthroats. Like their
leaders, they are the victims of their
country's untoward estate. Many of
them undoubtedly had no slightest
thought of becoming a soldier until
suddenly, on street or farm, n revolver
was stuck into back or belly, with a
curt demand to March, You're now
a soldier Likely enough they then
reported for active duty bound hand
to hand by chain or rope.
Others doubtless volunteered - but
simply because the depredations of
this company or others made the sol
dier's job the sole one in the whole
district which could be genuinely
counted on for three meals daily-not
to mention an occasional chance per-
haps at the jewels of the districts
Womenfolk'
No wonder the soldiers thus recruit
ed aim their guns with the eyes not
of patriotism but of hunger. Nor
that they find it simple, when the bat
tie goes against them, to change the
red ribbon on their straw hats to blue,
or blue to red, and keep on lighting
on the winning side.