LAND OF THE LATEST REVOLUTION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 131, 26 July 1911, Page 8

LAND OF THE LATEST REVOLUTION.

r U IX T Ell ESI'! X (,! s i DEL 1C H TB. (.'. H. lilakemoro, now in Mexico, contributes tlio follow iu<>; iutorcsfiug articles to the “Bulletin” : Mexico lias been looming largo in the world’s cable news oi late, and the bettor you know the country the more yon wonder at it. The importance attached to the Mexican “situation” is probably due to the truth of the old proven b that the w orld takes you at your own valuation. For 30 years this republic has posed as a civilised country, so that tho rest of the world really thinks that it is a civilised country; and Mexico itself now half believes it. There are two classes of Mexicans, the very wealthy and the degraded poor, and both classes are steeped in a superstition as black as that of tho Middle Ages. The peon, or peasant, theoretically a freeman, is in reality a slave to the wealthy hacienda owner. Tile' mining companies have done a great deal to enlighten tho 'peon as to the value of his labour, but even they take caro not to lilt tho veil too high. Most mining companies, if. they are wise, keep a church and a Mexican priest on the premises, and any strikes or labour disputes are rapidly settled by the priest—if his salary has been kept paid up to date. If it hasn’t, well, what can you expect ? • '' ’

The wages of a hacienda peon are about 18 cents Mexican per day (about 4i-d). On this a man lias to marry and rear a family. Of course lie can’t do it; but all the hacienda owners are kind, obliging people, and they advance any little sums required by the priest to marry a man or bury his child, so in the course of a few years a labourer owes probably 50 to 200 pesos to his obliging employer. The peon has as much hope of ever paying the debt as ho has of flying, and while the debt is unpaid, of course, he can’t leave the hacienda. Still, they don’t call that slavery in M oxico, because the peon has a vote, which is always at the disposal of the hacienda owner. The latter gentleman loves not the foreigner, who comes in and is foolish enough to pay a dollar a day to his workmen. And, roally, the peon thinks the foreigner is a hit crazy, too, because he insists on paying hum 100 cents a day instead of 18 cents, wherefore he need only work two days a week. If one wore to raise the peon’s wages to two dollars a day ho would ho much obliged, for then he would have to work but one day a week.

One room, Bft. long, 6ft. or 7ft. wide, and oft. high, is ample for the peon to rear a family in. The only possession he prizes is his hat. If he has any luck ho puts the spare money into a hat that gets heavier, larger, and more gaudy the more it costs . That is the most satisfying thing in a Mexican hat: you do get something for your money. If he has any more money to spare the last thing he would buy with it would be a bath. No thoroughbred peon ever washes.

It. is quite easy' to see the benefits any revolution will give the peons. To them Madero and Diaz are all the same. Madero and his family own huge areas of land, and are reputed to bo worth from -10 to 60 millions of dollars, and I don’t think are of the patriotic type who believe in the land tax. Diaz is 80 years of age, and the old tiger has lost his fangs. So another man and another family see their chance to get the presidency, with all its opportunities to make more dollars. And that is about all there is to this great “revolution.” The insurrection has brought to Mexico all the “wanteds”—the horse thieves and cut-throats—-of the U.S. and adjoining countries, and all the professional revolutionists of the Latin countries; further, it lias given the Yaqv.i Indians an opportunity to got arms and ammunition. Generally speaking, Madero lias raised a hydra that will take some scotching, even if Diaz and he join forces. All the human vultures of the Continent have gathered to prey, and it is more than doubtful if Madero has the power to call them off when Diaz steps down

and out. Hence it is morally certain that, for a few years to come, the job of tire new president will bo to do what Diaz had to do in the early days of his reign, viz., put down the countless bands of banditti which have again risen, and are now trading under the insurrection flag. Diaz proved a wily man by turning his banditti into “Rurales,” who have been his military standby, a lot of ruthless ruffians in uniform, who hate to see anything living left in their trail. What Mexico wants badly is a wash once a week, a little less religion, more wages and more education, and in fifty years its people may take on itr really the semblance of a nation. J was in luraz two or three days Mlci its capture by Mader?. •< f rces, d saw as ijicture.uju'* lo Aiuj? a lot of bandits, who made up the insurrccto force, as one could wish for. Their methods of warfare are strictly Mexican. After capturing one lot of Federal troops, 25 or 26 in number, who surrendered, they turned a Maxim on the unarmed men and shot them down like rabbits. if they could have got hold of the Federal Commander, Navaiio, they would have held an inquest, with him as the principal actor; hut Madero got him across the border into 101 Faso. Navarro, at the storming of Casa Graudes, a few weeks cailicr, amused himself by per-

c'i'iiiliy killing a lot of the women and children belonging to the iusuriodors; so there may i>o some excuse for tire h:surroctcr;>. At the same time no 'matter how horrible a butcher old Navarro is, it is a matter of fact that no prisoners have encumbered many of the Federal or insurrecto victories, whoever may have been (heir leader; though, to be just to IViadoro, he has

been a restraining influence with the ioicc directly under ids eye. (bide Sam’s job seems tc me to be to sit tight on tho border .stop bis own people from helping cither side, and let the two Mexican parties play at Kilkenny cats; then, when they have mostly exterminated each other, he should step in and support some reasonable man who is sure to come to tho front during the struggle.