Feature Section C, 4r ofti V juattij Feature Section EIGHT PAGES VOL. XXXV. NO. 70 ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1924 FA ILURE . rairlml IkEVOLUTION 4', - .{.P 34.r -r 7T A Mexican Citizen Shows The Effects Of Our Neighbor Republic's Revolutionary Activities Is The Time Ripe For A Republican Form Of Government? What Diaz And Obregon Have Done For Their Country America's Shiftless And Somewhat Dubious Policy q"' - 4 4?'x+ By Victor Manuel Villasenor HE American people have for the lrst thir- teen years glanced sporadically upon ar- ticles and reports sometimes attacking, sometimes lauding, the revolutions that have occurred in Mexico during that period, and it is 'doubtful whether the great majority have been able to form for themselves a clear idea of what the situation of Mexico is. I believe that the Michi- gan students who are interested in the neighboring country will welcome something like a survey of its condition, based upon facts, and such is the pur- pose of this article. It is very difficult to treat such a subject in a dispassionate manner especially after witnessing, as I have witnessed, many of the excesses perpetrated during the revolutions. Mex- ico is my native land and I must necessarily look with aversion upon the men whom I consider re- sponsible for the anarchical condition that has ex- isted there for so many years. Nevertheless I as- pure the reader that I am writing this article as im- partially as is humanly possible. Revolution has been rampant in Mexico since 1911. What have these thirteen years of almost constant revolution accomplished? My opinion is that the Mexican revolution has been a tragic fail- ure. This may be a rather bold statement now that so many praises have been showered upon the Obre- gon administration by the. American newspapers, but this article will be largely devoted to the dem- onstration of its truth. In order to understand the Mexican problem it is necessary to have some knowledge of the racial traits and characteristics of the Mexican people. A conservative estimate of the illiteracy of the coun- try is eighty-five per cent. In other words out of a population of fifteen millions there are almost thir- teen millions that can neither read nor write. Of the population thirty-eight per cent are pure blooded Indians of different tribes scattered over a vast area, fonty-three per cent mixed blooded, and only nineteen per cent white All'the Indins andc a! ! a geper- tentage of the mixed blooded were subject to the most complete slavery during the Spanish domina- tion, and even after the independence of Mexico in 1821 from the Mother Country, the position of the Indians was not changed to any significant extent. They have. continued to lead a miserable life and as they lack all ambition they are contented if they secure merely a roof for shelter and some tortillas to eat. With only this very slight description a cat- egorical question may be asked. Under such condi- tions is it possible for democracy to exist? If the attempt to answer this question in Mexico in the affirmative had not occasioned so much bloodshed it would be answered by any impartial man of some education by a mere smile. Our constitution was largely drawn on the basis of the American charter of liberties, but this cannot make Mexico any more suitable for democracy because the laws of a nation in order to be successful must necessarily be inter- woven with the nature, history, and characteristics of its people. The institutions of the leading de- mocracies of the world were not arbitrarily created overnight, but came into existence through centur- ies of political evolution. And when such institu- tions are transplanted to a country where the na- tIonal traditions consist of centuries of slavery and ignorance the result must necessarily be catastro- phe. Since the day of Mexico's independence in 1823 either rapacious demagogues seeking wealth by means of revolutions and whose ideal of liberty spells libertinage, nr- democratic drewmers who would be very suitable guests of an insane asylum have tried by violent means to impose upon Mexico a form of government that does not agree with the conditions nor the traditions of the country. To the work of these men the constant unrest and turmoil of Mexico must largely be attributed. When General Portfirio Diaz came into power in 1884 he practically disregraded the artificial con- stitution of Mexico, and during his twenty-six years of "presidency" the charter of liberties merely ex- isted as a constitutional fiction behind which was the iron will of the dictator. But as Diaz had at heart the welfare of his country he took good care not to degenerate his dictatorship into a tyranny and during all his regime he employed only the necessary force to keep Mexico in a much needed peace. Whatever the dictator's enemies may say against him they cannot deny that under his rule Mexico acquired splendid foreign credit; twenty thousand kilometers of railroads were built; banditry was relentlessly persecuted and destroyed, and M- .co became a country, just as safe as the United States, where capital could be invested with abso- ute security; mining was conducted in a large scale; buildings comparable with the finest in the world were erected in Mexico City; industries flour- ished;' agriculture increased; nine thousand schools were established and compulsory education was de- creed in 1898. Finally when Diaz was ousted by the revolutionists in 1911 he left 72,000,000 pesos, A TYPICAL group of Central American Rcvolutionary soldiers. ian dreamer: like Franci, co I. 7\Mad,'ro 1 long with a greater number of lesser lights who, lacking all political ideals, were out after powiner and riches. The soldiers were recruited party from the ignor- ant "peons" who did not even know for what they fought, and the major portion was made up of crim- inals and bandits whose motives were plunder, dis- order, rapine, and pillage. This is an easy explana- tion of the degenerate conduct of the revolutionary troops and of the facility with which they have changed sides in all the subsequent revolutions, al- ways following the faction which affords them the greater opportunity to gratify their desires. It is sometimes believed in this country that the wealthier classes are often responsible for the con- tinuous upheavals, Lut the truth is that since the attempt of Victoriano Huerta in 1913 the conserva- tives have not attempted to regain power, and in fact, they have not even been organized as a party. All the struggles that have torn the country have been caused by the revolutionists themselves who in their fight for power have been massacring each other. I .have in hand a list of the seventy-eight most outstanding leaders of the revolutionary party who have been either assassinated or executed since 1911. Of this list which is composed of two presi- dents, secretaries, governors, and the most impor- tant generals, fifty-five were killed by their own fellow revolutionists. Surely these men have not been struggling for a common ideal of peace and democracy, but for their own personal interests. The latest fruit of the revolution has been the much advertised administration of President Alvaro Obregon who, four years ago, obtained the presi- dency as a result of his revolt against his former friend and leader, President Venustiano Carranza, who was murdered while asleep. As president, Gen- eral Obregon missed a wonderful opportunity to do something constructive for his country. The gen- eral direction of his policy was openly against Mex- ican capital and instead of stimulating it to make investments in enterprises necessary for the re- construction of Mexico, especially. in agriculture, he missed no opportunity to attack it. In a spech in Congress he adopted the land policy of Emiliano Zapata, another revolutionist and one of the most uncivilized bandits that Mexico has ever had, and whose ravages resulted in the complete ruin of the state of Morelos which was one of the most flour- ishing states in the republic prior to the revolution. General Plutarco E. Calles, the new president who took office on December 1, in a speech at Cuatla, Morelos on April 10, 1924, said, facing the grave of Zapata: "Make it known to Mexico and foreign re-. actionaries that the revolutionary and agrarian poli- cies of Emiliano Zapata are mine." The policies adopted by Generals Obregon and Calles were sum- marized by Zapata himself in these words: "The land belongs to him who cultivates it". This un- doubtedly is a very high sounding phrase, but in reality and from the viewpoint of practicability in Mexico, it is just as empty as was the skull of Zapata at the time he formulated it. Nevertheless it must be conceded that as a mob inflaming device it certainly produces remarkable results, and prob- NOR, t11e clhor of Viis iricle, has lived most of his life in Mexico Cilu, and is il'cnroi4li ll aCquainted with his native republic, both socialiV and politically. He is at prerent a student in the Law school, having prcviously studied at the Univcrsih) cf Southern California and at Corncll. Red Skins of this country, and that the Aztec Indlians themselves were exercising in Mexico a 'ainst the vanciuished tribes when the Spaniards arived to this continent. If the rights of conquest exis'ing centuries ago are to be now questioned, and the prcperty rights of the aboriginal races are to be asserted at the present day and age the logical w reclusion, especially if you happen to be an evo- ltionist, is that those lands should be returned to the monkeys. The uneducated nature of the Indian is such that if he is given a piece of fertile land he will do either of two things: sell it to the first bidder; or cultivate it just enough to have something to eat with his family. If the former is the case, large estates will Iba f!ormed. If the latter, what will Iecome of a country where agriculture in such a ridiculously small scale is practiced? This is taking for granted that there is enough fertile land in Mexico to divide among the laborers, which is not so. It must be known that due to the poor quality of the larger part of the Mexican soil, and to the scarcity and irregu- larity of rains, capital must be invested in a large scale to obtain any substantial results. Since this is so, and even with irrigation, the water supply is suticnt for only a small part-it has been calculat- ed twat only about five per cent of the total area can actually be cultivated-how is the development of loexico to be procured by giving to the individual lidians land which because of its dryness will not produce even enough food for their individual sub- sistence? Generals Obregon anl Calles may have some magical formula to solve the problem. but while they experiment the country is being ruined. Ieople who could invest capital in their lands re- fuse to do so fearing to have their lands confiscated by the government, or their crops ravaged by the "a gra ristas.'' The workers, thus placed out of em- ployment, have been leaving for the United States by the tens of thousands; and those who remain are continually aroused by radical speeches and propaganda, and have already ravaged much of the cultivated land, incidentally killing and plundering. Article XXVII of the Constitution of 1917 pro- vides that expropriation of land must be made through compensation given to the owners of those lands. The interpretation of this part of the con- stitution gave rise to much controversy. Some con- tended that according to it the payment must be made in cash, and at the time of the expropriation; others that according to it the payment could be the outbreak of the revolution in 1911 and at the present time. Sisal hemp, the principal product of exportation, was exported to the United States to the extent of 195,000 tons in 1913, while in 1923, after the revolution had had its effect, the amount dropped to 75,000 tons. The output of every other agricultural product has decreased in similar pro- portion. The total livestock census prior to the revolution was 15,000,000 head, while in 1923 it had been reduced to 6,000,000 or almost one third. In- dustries have equally been greatly impaired. Another of the benefits caused by the Mexican revolution has been the phenomenal increase of tax- ation. It has been estimated that it is now treble what it was in 1910. Notwithstanding this on Jan- ulry 2, 1924, the government decreed a surcharge of ten percent upon many established taxes and pro- vided in addition for an income tax and a profits tax. Agriculture, industries, and business in gen- eral, however, are not the only things that have suffered under the revolution, but many other es- sential for the prosperity of a nation have 'been greatly affected. Contrary to current reports in this country the progress of education under the Obregon administration was signally neglected. Not only did this government fail to establish a com- mendable educational system as it was often said, but the old schools already established under Diaz are now inferior to those of his day. The teachers form one of the classes which has endured great hardships in Mexico because their meagre salaries are invariably greatly delayed, and sometimes not payed at all, a thing that never happened under the "terrible" aristocratic dictatorship of Diaz. At the time this is being written the teachers of the pub- lic schools of Mexico City have not received any pay for several months. Another of the most disastrous consequences of the revolution is the degenerating effect oL more than thirteen years of strife upon the youth of Mexico. A whole generation has been growing and breathing in an atmosphere of treason, bloodshed, and corruption, and it cannot be claimed i)y the sympathizers of the revolutionary movement that this is helping to lay the foundations of a true democracy. With all due respect to General Obregon, the treaty executed with the United States the 15th of August, 192;, does not speak very highly of the patriotism of his administration. It would be im- possible to discuss here at length this one sidied agrcemuent. Be it enough to say that concurrent with the utmost efforts of the government to se- cure the ratification of the treaty in the Senate the most prominent Senator of the opposition was as- sasinated and two others were kidnapped. Its most outstanding feature is Article IX which provides that American landholdings will be exempted from the application of the agrarian policies which arc enforced as against the Mexican landowners. This cIa use, an outrage to Mexican patriotism, but neces- sary for the recognition of the Obregon government by the White House, created an abominable and discriminating privilege against the citizens of Mexico in favor of the citizens of a foreign country. This short discussion of the Mexican situation have too great an admiration for this country to believe that the shifting policies of its government have been followed with ulterior views, but what- ever may be the case there is no doubt that the United States has contributed in a material extent to the situation of Mexico. President Wilson openly set himself to the task of helping democratize the Mexican people, and as he sincerely believed that the revolution led by Car- ranza, Obregon, and Villa was championing the op- pressed classes he lent to it the powerful support of the United States, actively helping to the de- struction of the conservative government of Gen- eral Victoriano Huerta. In so doing Mr. Wilson showed a lack of understanding of the nature of the Latin American countries; and by helping the revo- lutionists he helped not a movement of liberalism, socialism, or any other political doctrine, but a movement of pure and simple brigandage. Again in the last upheaval President Coolidge decided to in- terfere in the affairs of Mexico and threw his sup- port for President Obregon, supplying him with war materials and preventing Adolfo de la Iluerta from acquiring them. He justified his action on the be- lief that the Mexican people were quite solidly be- hind Obregon.. Although most of the American newspapers approved his policy he met some criti- cism for his step and a few papers asked very perti- nent questions. It is very doubtful if the Mexican people were solidly behind Obregon. He had decided to make General Calles his successor to the presi- dency and was preparing to accomplish his purpose in such an obvious manner that the other candidate Adolfo de la Huerta was actually driven to revolt. De la Iluerta was a more popular candidate than his former friend Calles, who was supported merely by the radical element of the country; and very likely President Obregon would have been unsuccessful in his design had he not received full support from Washington. In pursuing his policy President Colidge took a step which it is hoped will be the last of its kind taken by the American government. It is an unwar- ranted interference in the domestic affairs of Mex- ico. Although President Calles, passing through New York to Europe a few months ago, said that Mexico had seen its last revolution, this is nothing but an expression of his own personal wishes. If General Calles does not proceed with great tact in his administration it is very likely that his prophecy will prove incorrect. If so, and fighting should break out again, will the American government take sides in the internal affairs of Mexico? Only time can answer this question, but the truly patriotic Mexican criterion is that the United States should leave Mexico entirely free to solve her own problems. The Amerian people may judge this or. that to be the best for Mexico, but it must be admitted by most fair minded Americans that they know very little about it because of the complexity of the problems. They will often read things that have been said for the last thirteen years,---that democ- racy has begun in Mexico; that a bright and rosy future smiles on Mexico; that at last the noble ideals and aspirations of the Revolution will be realized; and similar ostentatious utterances. At times they will be veritably swamped under a mass of lies and half-truths; but they must keep 'in mind that the great majority of this "news" is written by persons wholly ignorant of the true condition of Mexico, or for the benefit of interested parties, either Mexican or American. Before closing this article I will try to answer a question that the reader has probably asked to himself. Is there a solution to the Mexican prob- lem? I am a natural optimist and firmly believe that there is a solution to the problems of my country. While there is a large undesirable element in Mex- ico, there are also many intelligent and honest men; lawyers, engineers, physicians and farmers who possess the essential qualities necessary to the making of a great government; but refusing to be dragged into the sea of corruption brought about by the revolution. They have abstained from en- tering the political field. With these men the future of Mexico lies. They are willing to give their efforts to the rebuilding of their country, but first they must be given an opportunity to occupy the gov- ernmental positions that are now in 'the hands of incompetent individuals who are seemingly more interested in their own personal gain than in the future of Mexico. If President Calles is truly patriotic he must forget all the worthless demagogism that has caused so much harm to the country. He must realize that our social and economic problems largely rest on the development of our agriculture; that the Mexican soil is poor and therefore cultivation can- not be conducted in an intensive manner except by the heavy investment of capital. Also instead of fanning the hatred of labor against capital, as he has done so far. he must try nto nonciliateihe tw