WAR AGAINST THE CHURCH

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 21 August 1926, Page 11

WAR AGAINST THE CHURCH

QBE EGON was the more popular man but Calles was the stronger, says a writer in a contemporary. He unites in himself the blood of many races, hi is father was an Armenian (his enemies call him a Turk), and his mother was .Mestizo, so that he is a mixture oi Spanish, American Indian, am) Oriental. He owes to his Oriental forbears those qualities which have kept him steadily rising from a humble beginning. He is still a man in the prime of life, vigorous, good-tempered, and a bonny fighter. During the ievolutionary years, when warfare was general in the country, he distinguished himself as a leader, and as an organiser of victory, but he did not assort himself politically, and so he survived to support -Ob re go n in the provisional Government which brought disorder to a close. Before he took up arms he was a teacher. He spent seventeen years in Sonora, teaching in the public .schools, and this has given hint a firm grip of Mexico’s principal problem. Under the Mexican'constitution a president may not servie a. second term of four years This restriction was introduced with the idea of preventing- a second Diaz from establishing himself as a. dictator, hut most people anticipate that Calles, if he thinks it necessary, will brush the constitution to one side, and take a second term of four years, especially if he requires more time for the development of the country’s education system. He is a powerful man with a definite purpose, and. unless the assassin’s knife or bullet puts an end to his activities, he will be a dominant figure in Mexican affairs for some years to come.

When, he took office he had to spend some little time in cleaning up after the Huerta, revolt, but at once he declared that his principal aim would he to give Mexico an education system worthy of the country. Unjoying the sunoort of the masses, and inclined to push radicalism too far, lie proceeded at once to his lieavp task The fact that most of the schools were controlled by the Roman Catholic Church made a- clash inevitable, and Callles, using clauses in the constitution that had been almost forgotten, resolved to

STRUGGLE IN MEXICO

CALLES AND HIS PEOPLE.

■ attack the church directly. When the fight on education was joined, the church began to use its power to protect its scholastic institutions, and Calles used every weapon lie could to reveal the church’s activities in the political field. Many of the priests come from overseas, and, after one or two vigorous quarrels with high dignitaries of the church, lie suddenly announced that the law forbidding foreign priests to act in the country would .be enforced. A little while' ago a Spanish bishop entered the country as a “teacher.” and once in became involve:] in the contest between the church and the Government. The ■’’resident moved quickly, and the expulsion of the priests was ordered, to'uOther with the disestablishment of the church. The masses in Mexico are deeply religious, and the majority of them are Catholics, so that Calles was taking up a big task in enforcing this Jaw. His idea, of course, is to prepare the ground for a system of State education ; but his challenge to the church is a hold move which will tax his strength to the utmost. The religious forces have asked for a trace so that a national plebiscite may he taken on the main point at issue—the disestablishment of the church —and the fact suggests they are fairly confident of the outcome. Strikes among the police in the capita! and in the civil service .■bow that Calles cannot depend on the forces of the administration, but so far it is believed he has an army at liis hack, and his threat to proceed with the rigorous enforcement of the law means that he is prepared to stake everything on the employment of arms if necessary.

All reforms in Mexico, all economic progress, depend on tihe expansion of the education system. Mexico has' a large part of her population wholly ignorant, and she has to import skilled labour wherever it is needed. To build up an; education system from the bottom is a tremendous task- hut it. cannot he commenced properly until the State is given full power ill' this matter. The fight with the church, therefore, is the first Inove.