The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-03-18
THE NEW ARGUMENT IN MEXICO


THE NEW ARGUMENT IN MEXICO
The nresent revolution in Mexico Is higher -grade
affair than revolutions there used TO DE- IL Is eoi
flict between two organized iactons t'c'oe 40 '''
ren,hc across the Rio Grande used to be largely us
s - handtrv flung across the inaccessible places In
vhich that wild country abounds When it failed III the
eenters of population could be maintained by gucr'
forays out OF the mountains Brigand chcls IKE Fancno
villa were Its generalissimos
s,,ch reyolts were hard crush. When the popuous
aces had been rid of rebels and Gained, the rcVoiu-
tons would nger in TIE wild Businesses ana
and the government which out of the flareup was
always a long time in hopping up and bringing the
land to another breathing spell OF quiet and peace
The old conditions Of revolution were due to the old
system of peonagc The ordinary Mcxican' mixture
mostly Of Indian with infiltration OF Spaniard SO
stceped In poverty and ignorance that he did not know
his soul was his own more easily led into revolu-
tion He might not know what 1t all was ABOUT out ne
was so accustomed to implicit obedience to his officers
II In the army or to the authorities in civil lfe that
when he was hidden in orid phrases by his odbraided
and nustachioed commanders to arm and fight ne &C
cepted orders as duty heaved his sobrcro into the air
With a chorus Of "vivas!" and at the beck and
call Of the conspratorS.
Since the day when Oregon pacificd the country
and had himself elected to the presidency conditions
have changed Obrcgon organizer. So was Gales
who succeeded him. Between them they put the Mcxi-
can army on . new basis Instead Of barefoot troops
the men were shod and uniformed and given modern
arms and well fed An Of military discipline banshcd
the old taterdemalion days into which Mexico mill
tariy had lapsed with the abdcation OF Porfirio Daz
and the long period Of revolt and bandtry and assassna-
ton that to clutch the reins of authority which
the old dictator president had dropped.
The army took businesslike aspect Furthermore,
the soldiers learned read In faint way they have
begun to think for themselves. They now can inform
themselves what it all Is about In the old days when
anything to be debated in Mexico there not In
tegence sufficient In the average of the people
to permit of verbal discussion The sole mode of tresh
Ing out issue that within the grasp Of the Mexi
cans was that Of force. Might made right. So they
had resort to instead of words votes settle
their dfferenccthat Is the differences of the outs and
the ns-the ambitious horseback the intriguing
demagogues seeking to exploit the country the conspr
Ing catspaws for foreign investment interests either type
Of which could be relied periodically to light the torch
Of revolt and set the whole conagraon Of comicopera
rebellion in flame again.
Word from Mexico that the government using this
ability Of the soldiers to read of fighting
the uprising Avators fly over the rebel LARS and drop
reading matter In which the revolt is argued The
revolutionary soldiers led the sefshncss of
their leaders An appeal made to such loyalty they
feel for their countrys welfare and the result is to
honeycomb the revolt.
Il the unnfeced is stimulated by the newspapers
and by pamphlets and bulwark built up against the
further spread Of the uprising.
Thus Mexico is coming at last to welding the most
potent weapon against armed unrest which is the
printed word AS its people grow in terae intelligence
It y possible that the ebuent spirit Of periodical revolt
viii Be abandoned and the public affairs of the nation
win come to be fought out in discussion and decided BY
the franchise
Mexico Is going through period of transformation
Ind these frequent revolts plainly have been the result
q the leaven Of evolution. That there have been 50
many uprisnss in recent years is largely due to the
virus Of bolshevsm which introduced in the co,,n
~ from international sources Even before Porfiro
dian was forced to resign the presidency and leave the
country foreign influences at work dividing and
confusing the country with their subterranean ntrees
because there oil and other wealth to be controlled
q the international financial group which could establish
atseH II power through some puppet executive From
that period OF revolutionary manipulation the country
seemed I'll Of sudden to turn to bolshevst tendencies
and y Is the dying writings Of that evil spell that nos
sby may now be manesting themselves in the present
revolt