Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-10
HOOVER VIEW HELD
D|AMPER ON REVOLT.
Presidents Firm Stand and
MorroW's Position Both
Aid FederaIs.
BY DREW PEARSON.

The Mexican revolution which was
timed to start on the day Herbert
Hoover assumed Office, now is pretty
well petering out due chiefly to the
policy of Herbert Hoover.
Behind that fact is an amazing story
of Mexican personal intrigue and DO
litical rivalry and the strong hand of
Dwight w. Morrow, American AM
baSSador.
The story begins with the assassina-
ton of Obregon last Summer. That
doughty warrior had been elected pres
ldent for second time. He had sur
rounded himself with a group of men,
who, upon his Inauguration, would fill
his cabinet and other high Offices.
Tncse men were bitter enemies of the
retiring president, Plutarco Elias Gales,
despite the personal friendship between
Gales and Oregon These men IA
Vored a militant 'agrarian policy and
were more lenient toward the Catholic
Church than were Gales and his min
lister OF industry, Luis Morones, who IA
vored the labor groups and ruthless
policy toward the church.
Suddenly Obregon was no more. Sud-
denly his followers found themselves
without the jobs they had been prom
iSed: Despite their opposition. Presi-
dent Gales put his friend Portes Gil in
the presidency for provisional term
OF two years.
go Scramble for Job Starts.
Immediately there began a scramble
for the presidential nomination for the
election to the succeeding term. Nom
nation by the national revolutionary
party is tantamount to election and
this became the chief goal
The presidential scramble spread even
to the Mexican diplomats. They began
treking home to throw their hats into
the presidential ring. Among tt,Nse
were 0ilberto Valenzuela, Minister to
London, and Ortiz Rubio, former AM
baSsador to Brazil and then Minister to
Germany. Another candidate was
Aaron Saenz. brother-in-law of Gen.
Gales and the foreign minister who
wrote the petroleum notes which SO
disturbed Secretary Kellogg.
1t soon became apparent that Valen-
Zuela was out of the running for the
nomination and that the National
Revolutionary Party would nominate
either Saenz"or Ortiz Rubio. Valen-
zuela withdrew and it became close
and bitter race between the latter two.
Saenz Followers Quit.
The nominating convention was held
at Queretaro. birthplace of the 1917
revolution and the city where Emperor
Macmillan was shot. 1t was held about
one week before the Inauguration of
Herbert Hoover. Two days before the
Inauguration, Ortiz Rubio was victori-
Gus and Aaron Saenz withdrew. to-
gether with his followers and threatened
a rump convention.
This split in the National Revolu-
tionary Party conceded with another
cue which the disgruntled Obregonistas
led by Valenzuela: had been keeping in
mind for month. This was to time
their revolution with the change OF
governments in Washington.
To understand this, 1t is necessary
to appreciate the part which the
President of the United States must
necessarily and indirectly play in any
Mexican revolution. Mexico Is heavily
In debt 1t has a limited number of
arsenals No revolution therefore, can
be carried on without munitions from
the outside and also without loans to
pay for those munitions. The side
which has this wins. It wins primarily
because the problem of successful revo-
luton in Mexico is chiefly a problem Of
getting the greatest number Of troops
to desert to the other side. Troops de-
sert to the side they think will win-to
the side which has the munitions and
the money.
Gambled on Hoover's Quickness.
This factor is the most important In
any Mexican revolution. The friends
of Obregon. who had found themselves
jobleSs after his assassination, gambled.
therefore. on the hope that Herbert
Hoover, coming into new office, con-
fronted with new and important de-
cision, would take enough time in max
of most Of the Federal Army.
Their plans worked beautifully at first.
All during inaugural day when the
decision of Herbert Hoover remained
unknown, they won over garrison after
garrison. But at noon Of the day he
entered the executive Office President
Hoover announced that the Coolidge
policy of supporting the Mexican fed
eral government would continue. From
that moment the troops began to desert
back to the federal government, and
the end of the revolution was In sight.
That is the story. Except that 1t
would not be complete without word
regarding the peculiar and unique posi-
ton of Dwight w. Morrow in Mexico.
He has become the Governments adj
wiser on the most sacred problems of
internal policy-Mexican finance. Mex
lean labor the reform of the Mexican
railroads and the problem of getting
the Indian population settled on the
land. Mr. Morrow does not offer his
advice. 1t is asked for.
The Ambassador has co-operated with
the CalleS-Portes Gil government. He
is convinced that this government de-
serves to remain in Office and he was
instrumental In bringing Herbert Hoover
to the same point of view
Copyright, 1921