Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-21

Zone can do anything with bayonets
except sit on them" said Pierre Bona
parte, and 1t has remained ever since
bon mot among the French.
The Austrian usurper, Macmillan.
discovered the application of 1t when
he seized the throne Of Mexico, with
the aid Of French bayonets, and then
found the aforesaid bayonets vanishing
in the face of the approaching Yankee
Army supporting orderly government in
the Mexican republic, and threatening
invasion Of that torn country to CO.
operate with Juarez' army of defense.
Macmillan and two of his leading gen.
erals were shot as traitors when the
bayonets on which they relied failed
them.
A government which has no resting
place except at the sharp points OF
bayonets Is in q sorry predicament. That
appears to be the status Of the rebel
government, 80 called, now agitating
our neighbor south Of the Rio Grande.
Again the United States stands Is the
next friend" of the republic. for we
have consistently sold arms and am.
munition to the legal Mexican federal
government and refused to sell NUM-
tons to the insurgents.
Even II the rebels were 70 win o
military victory. the policy Of the
United States, and OF all other coun-
tries Of pan-America, II true to the
agreement of the Pan-American Con-
ference In Cuba. would refuse to rec
ognize q power which had won It's VIC
tory by force Of arms against the con-
stitutional government. In defiance OF
the lawful means Of popular voting.
u
According to the latest news from
the seat Of war, the rebels are In
retreat and heading toward the United
States boundary, with the evident ex-
pectation Of claiming asylum In our
border States. Is political refugees, y
not extraditable into the hands OF
Mexican justice, sure TO be admins
tered by firing squads.
What viii be the outcome when thou
sands Of fieeting rebels swarm across
our boundary?
We have o treaty with Mexico which
provides for the extradition Of criminals
- murders, robbers. embezxlers, etc. -
but expressly excepting political ref
ugees." The Mexican government holds
that the rebels now In retreat before
Gen. Gales and his army Of $4,000 are
not political refugees" In the sense
COSCEEO Nv tkiC GC9bys Wv &AS 0eAkn
robbers and murderers. seeking per-
sonal profit by footing. hence are sub
ject to extradition, to be dealt with
according to Mexican laws. Unques-
tionably, every leader sent back into
the power Of Gales win be executed,
that q reign Of terror may discourage
other conspiracies.
- 4
II the United States receives these
refugees (even though they abandon
their arms south OF the boundary and
refuses to extradite them, the Mexican
government would construe that IS an
unfriendly act toward friendly ma
ton.
II. as forecast, We hold them for
q while and then exile them to some
other country. what country viii dare
accept them In the light Of our own
would be construed as unfriendly 10
Mexico7
would Cuba take them? At what
cost in the enmity thereafter OF her
neighbor nation? Could We send the
rebels to Soviet Russia, in view OF the
similarity Of socialistic ideals Of the
Mexican rebels and the Russian Com
munists? OficiaIly, We refuse to have
any dealings with the unrecognized
revolutionists Of Soviet Russia, 50 We
cannot make any agreement looking to
such dumping.
X
We are interested in o peaceful. or
derby neighbor. American investors
have built and now own two-thirds Of
the railroad mileage. OF Mexico and
have holdings in haciendas, mines and
other enterprises amounting to more
than $3.50, 900 900. We can no more
rest indifferent to Mexican turmoil than
we could to the prolonged revolution Of
Cuba against Spanish tyranny.
Nearly all the accusations against the
regime Of President Diag were charges
of his alleged favoring Of American in
vestors, and as. Diaz's policies were
largely based on development Of natural
resources Of the country-which required
capital and business enterprise to &C
Guilty In making up . prtma facie case.
So the revolution won and Diaz was
forced to Zee, but the significant point
Is that 1t was really an expression Of
jealousy and hatred of Americans. We
recall Huerta's antagonism to President
Wilson.
It Is mystifying to an outsider to at
tempt to comprehend the Mexican sit
uation until he remembers that Mexico
Is peopled, not by o population having
the same psychology, ideals and history
as have the Americans: nor are they
like the Spaniards. There are said to be
only q million white people In Mexico
pure-blooded Spaniards-the other IA
OO0, 900 are either Indians or mixed
breeds. The Indians are divided into
tribes speaking 100 dialects, which are
unintelllgible TO each other OF separate
tribes. ....... .,., 49,.
y 4 y y
The mixed-breedS are the poems,
practically the slaves Of the haciendados.
One man, Gen. Luis Terraces, owned
haciendaes having total area larger
than all Of Holland and Belgium COM
bined. Other haciendaes covered NIL
lions Of acres each. The land could not
be bought from these landed proprie-
tors, and they ruled with an absolute
and unrestrained tyranny the millions
Of poems, who were feudal slaves
bound by law to the land.
The great estates were confiscated BY
the Carranxa government with prom
ises to issue bonds to pay their value
only partly fulfilledD and the land was
apportioned among the poems. It was
o grand socialistic undertaking for the
freeing Of the poems and setting them
I'D In business ~ independent farmers
It has not resulted as dreamed, for
the poems are ignoIapk, are without