Evening star., 1938-09-15

the market places IL exemplary. An
indication Of the access Of popular
confidence In the army is that the
once fighting taunt son Of . soldier"
has been replaced by son Of 4 police
man."
No military man has ever ques-
toned that the Mexicans. like the
Chinese. can fight, II well fed and
equipped, intelligently led, and in
spired with national pride. Cardenas
has talked loudly OF education and
public works but. though he has ac-
copplished more than any previous
Mexican chief in these fields, he has
quietly made the army his pet. Out
Of hundred million peso budget for
the year 1888 he gave the army S4,-
400, 900 pesos-the largest item In the
budget and the largest amount ever
appropriated for the army in one year.
A soodly portion Of the army ap-
preparation goes to the development
Of aviation. The Mexican army has
procured crack aviators by compelling
Pan-American Airways, which does .
"a ASsAASANSAc SAAohAAV Vi VNCA
Mexico, and small native companies to
carry Mexican co-pilot on each
plane. So skillful have Mexican avia-
tors become that Pan-American saves
money by putting = complete Mexi-
can stan on many flights. failed
to get trustworthy figures on the size
OF the Mexican military air force, but
was told that 1000 Mexicans are ex-
perienced In flying and groundwork.
With the new Mexico City aviation
factory to be built by the Canadian
Car and Foundry Co., Mexico should
be able to create An air force CON-
manding respect even from frst-class
nations.
These are the factors that have put
an abrupt period to the old-style Mex
lean military adventuring. The ha-
cienda type Of revolution u q dead
As Rancho Villa. Cardenas has the
admiration-even goodwill-of more
classes Of his people than any pre-
vious President and commander-in-
chief. But what Is more to the
point. he has disciplined army, road
and trucks that enable him to MAS
forces quickly at . danger spot and
airplanes to blast out insurrectos-
- Cedillo recently found to his sor-
row.
Intervention Costly Step.
Would that army resist interven-
ton? A Canadian In Northern Mexico
assured me that the minute an Amer
ican army crossed the border the
Mexican army would 90 over to It
They know on which side their hread
Is buttered." But he was the same
chap who told me I had better stor
at his tourist camp because Of high
way holdups, which never materialized
The fact is that II the Mexican army
will not fight interventions-as des-
perately As the Chinese are fiehtins
Japan-intervention would not be nee.
essary. Secret agents Of interested
parties are now weaving from officel
to ofhcer to find that out. II there
Is no successful army insurrectior
within = few weeks. Intervention will
remain the only answer for thos.
who insist Cardenas must 20. I,
Will have to be Intervention prepared
and carried out on the scale of 4
conquest. The Mexican army, If il
does not break up before the invade,
sets foot on Mexican soil, will flxh,
oostinately, desperately, as the Boer,
fought the British.
You will also hear the alterna tive
proposal OF starving out Cardenss by
= naval blockade. No need to ex.
anime this separately. We have too
extensive. . land order on Mexico,
The insidious propaganda seepina
through the army Is apparently
financed from abroad. Elusive agents
whisper Of the revenge that the ol
companies are going to take, snd
play on the religious motive. CAPABLE
Col. Teofilo q. Jasso calls them "doe
caras'-the two-faced Januses. Be-
cause, says he, they are ready tc
jump to the winning side IL their ef-
forts fail. They may doublecross
their supporters even should they win.
There Is enough dirty work soing on
in the army to worry Cardenas' faith
ful Minister Of War. Camecho. But
loyal officers are warily Watching for
signs Of trouble and believe they can
crush an insurrection ~ fast a. II
pokes its head into the open.
But should the palace revolution
come and succeed-then what? Amer
1can munitions and money have
brought about such an overturn be-
fore. However, As soon as the new
chief was settled in the palace, he
too revolted against foreign interests
and In his turn had to be pried out.
Finances May Collapse.
There remains for diehard foreign
interests the possibility Of . collapse
OF Cardenas' financial structure. He
has put that structure to the supreme
test BY calling in silver and separat tins
it from his paper peso. He has re-
Gently executed the brilliant stroke
OF gathering up = substantial ship
ment OF gold and placing 1t in New
York to bolster credit. One cor
respondent has described that as "the
hight Of Mexican capital"-which
shows how you can make capital OF
anything Mexican.
Cardenas has capable advisers
They include Americans experienced
IN United States politics. former Wall
Street specialists. engineers intimate
With the inside workings OF the oil
companies, and exiled economic
and monetary experts from Germany
and Spain. His regime Ia not 4
childlike affair Of primitives, n
often represented, but sophisticated
and aware Of forces in the modern
world. HIS men know all the tricks
- the slow-minded British discovered
when they tried to bluff him down