THE EVOLUTION OF MEXICO

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 151, 27 June 1914, Page 6

THE EVOLUTION OF MEXICO

All countries have ever been changing in a manner to make greybeards shake their heads at the tendencies of the times ; nothing stands still ; it grows or wastes away. In some lands remarkable rearrangements of power in social and political lite may come without blood' Fhed, but Mexico is not in that li&t. There Death, with wide-sweeping scythe) is the escort of Change ; a new MeXMSo is evolving through blood and fire, but the day when the millions of Indians (four-fifths of the population), the halfbreeds, tho Spaniards, and other Europeans will be an organism describable as a new .nation is very remote. However, politicians aud capitalists of two hemispheres are hopeful of patching up a peace, and the signs for a respite are favourable. Villa's victory at Zacatecas has helped the usurper Huerta to develop a reasonable mood. The Federals liad prepared for a big batik at Zaca,* tecas, and they temporarily checked the Constitutionali.sti' advance. But Huorta's forces wero as a weak dam in the fairway, of a turgid torrent. Villa is probably much overrated as a general, but this fierce Indian does appear able 'to put a, fighting spirit into his follow* erg. . His men have now , tho confidence gained from many victories, and the troops ot lite, other side eeem to be cor« respondingly dejected While delegates ' have been arranging a<;<kaft'of tel'ftls'of peace, Villa" has 1 'dtj-. clared his intention o£ pressing W' r to Mexico City. Ho has the army and .equipment for his purpose, and will probably fulfil his threat, whatever Carra^za may say or do. For, the moment Villa and his nominal chief seem to be reconciled. They have ceased to depose each other's nominees for tho Presidency, but next week they may be again quarrelling. Weeks ngo Great Britain suspected that Villa's objective was the dictatorship of Mexico, and there is much evidence to support such a belief. Villa has an army which has been paid with plunder, and he looks for more loot. It is said that he is animated by an intense patriotism (a zeal for a domination of Mexico by men of his own Indian race). Perhaps his hatred of the Spaniards has helped in the formation of the patriotism theory, for it is true that Villa wishes to banish from Mexico the Spaniards whom he does not kill. No doubt Carvanza's Spanish descent is an offence to Villa. Certainly, Carranza, with calm face and, patriarchal beard, looks no more like a Mexican native BUch as Villa than O-eorge Bernard Shaw does, but, like Shaw, Carranza does not hesitate to hit hard to have his own way. The next act of the continuous Mexican drama may be a clash of Villa and Carranza.