April 1, 1914.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



-3M 



Another American Speaks His Mind About Mexico. 



{The following Idler on the Mexican situation ivas written by an American zvho spent ten years in that unhappy Republic, 

 trafcling e.vtensiz'cly and faniiliaricins himself with all phases of Mexican life.) 



EDITOR, The India Rubber World: 

 Dear Sir : The United States is a big country, but any 

 man may go from Maine to California, or from the Great 

 Lakes to Florida, and find the same kind of people, customs and 

 language; Americans may cross into Canada or Canadians into 

 the United States and hardly perceive a dilTcrcnce in surround- 

 ings. Hut when an American crosses the Rio Cirande into 

 Mexico he enters into a new world. The people, their customs 

 and their language are entirely foreign to him ; hence the difli- 

 culty for an American to understand Mexican people and their 

 conditions. The masses of the Mexican people are a very dif- 

 ferent race from Americans or Europeans, and their history is 

 sucli that it would be foolish to judge them by .\merican 

 standards. 



Three years ago Mexico was flourishing, peaceful and progres- 

 sing, the Mexican people were happy and had all the liberty 

 that was consistent with the capacity of the masses of that coun- 

 try to enjoy. The progress, peace and prosperity of the country 

 were due to the strong but wise administration of that peerless 

 "Old Roman," General Don Porfirio Diaz, the greatest Mexican 

 that ever lived, for he did more good for his country than any 

 other man. Hut in all countries, no matter what the form of 

 government, there are the "ins" and the "outs." The "outs" in 

 Mexico had been out a long time, the old president was virile and 

 .'ilcrt and kept them in awe. but they abided their time, mean- 

 while preparing for the coming of the Messiah. He came in the 

 shape of a gilded youth of no achievements, with all the pre- 

 sumption of the self-confident, untried theorist, who mistook 

 his inordinate ambitions for a call to save his country — which 

 country was as much saved at the time as it will ever be. 



The "Old Roman" had aged and the eager "outs" concluded 

 that this was a good time to strike. They received the afore- 

 said gilded youth with fraternal arms, and made a straw man 

 of him and launched him as the savior of his country — Don 

 Francisco I. Madero — at the head of tlie notorious Ejercito 

 l.iberlador (the Army of Liberation). 



Diaz saw with the eye of the statesman that an inevitable 

 crisis had reached his people and that the masses had been be- 

 fuddled. He resigned. They gave up the "Grand Old Man," 

 with all the substantial good that he had brought them, to follow 

 the vain prophet with the alluring promises of land, libferty and 

 plenty. Poor deluded dupes ! But some say : "Madero won 

 out: the people must have l)cen with him." My reply is: ".A 

 mob was with him, and not even all of the mob, but sufficient 

 ti: bring down the catastrophe from which Mexico is still suf- 

 fering." 



But you may add : "Madero was fmally elected constitutinnal 

 president." Seemingly yes, but actually no. Madero, through 

 subterfuge and machinations (aided and abetted by his uncle, 

 holding the chair of Finance Minister, and other relatives hold- 

 ing those of War and Slate) kept his mobs under arms all dur- 

 ing the provisional presidency of De La Barra, and when election 

 day came he was forced in the chair througli the intimidations 

 of his armed mob at the polls. 



Madero was a scourge to his country, because the country had 

 never before been so advanced nor so prosperous and peaceful 

 as at the time he began his revolution. When Generals Felix 

 Diaz and Bernardo Reyes were liberated by the Cadets of Tlal- 

 pam. the Republic of Mexico was in chaos. It had been so all 

 through Madero's administration. (jeneral anarciiy reigned. 

 Mexico City itself, the capital of the Republic, was being assailed. 



Things bad come to a pass where something drastic had to be 

 done. 



Now let us come down to date. General V'ictoriano Huerta 

 is the man of the hour. Strengthen his hands and the Mexican 

 situation is scttied. The "Constitutionalists ' cannot hide the spots 

 of their Maderism. It is the same "rule of ruin" party and you 

 can recognize them by their tactics. 



Listen further to what James Creelman had to say in the 

 "Xorth American Review' of April, 1911: "Nothing can be more 

 certain than that free election and actual majority rule in the 

 present condition of the Mexican masses would mean ruin and 

 political anarchy. It is a hard thing to say, but it is true. The 

 nearest possible approach to popular self-government consistent 

 with peace and material progress, would be a system in which 

 the right to vote was restricted Ijy educational and property 

 ([ualifications. Yet it is doulnful whether the ignorant Indians 

 and part Indians would consent to such a change in the national 

 organic law. The niijin burden of the demand of the insurgents 

 has been that the existing constitution of Mexico shall be 

 honestly and liberally enforced and that at all hazards the gov- 

 ernment shall be turned over to the majority of the people. The 

 answer is — Mexican history." 



General Ilucrta — some say he is a traitor. He would have 

 been a traitor had he not done what he did do. He owed nothing 

 to Madeio — he owed everything to his country. He made the 

 coup d'clat because his country needed a man, and he shouldered 

 the load. 



The death of Madero was a mob accident, purely and simply. 

 It was very deplorable and unfortunate, but still, let us not 

 magnify it over-duly. Look at the hecatomb he caused his 

 country I What is one man's life compared with the ruin of a 

 nation' To those who are familiar with history, the manner 

 of Madero's death should not have caused much surjjrise. He 

 had aroused the very worst element in the country, liberating 

 criminals from all the prisons he could break open, to help him. 

 He made promises that he well knew he could not fulfil. When 

 in pow-er he was vacillating, weak and unfit for the task. 



General Ilucrta did all that could have been asked of him to 

 protect Madero ; he took all the precautions that could reason- 

 ably be expected to protect him. But the thing happened. It 

 was fate ! General Huerta was the last man in all the world 

 who would have had it happen ; anybody who will stop to reflect 

 coolly and without prejudice will understand that. 



Now as to Mr. Henry Lane Wilson. To put any blame on 

 him for not saving Madero is not only most unjust but ex- 

 tremely foolish. All he could do was to politely signify that his 

 government hoped no harm might befall the unfortunate, de- 

 posed president — which no doubt he did. But no matter what 

 they did with Madero, neither the United States representative 

 nor any other nation's representative, had any right to interfere, 

 simply because Mexico is an independent and sovereign nation 

 and is not bound to take dictation in what regards her interior 

 affairs. 



.\urora. Mo. Louis Casto. 



FORWARD PLANTATION BUSINESS FOR 1915. 



London advices report numerous sales of standard plantation 

 crepe first latex for delivery early in 1915 at 2s. i'/zd. (59.80c.) 

 per pound. 



These transactions had recently been the subject of negotiation 

 at a lower price, so that their being carried out represents im- 

 proved market conditions. 



