A SLAVE STATE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1024, 13 January 1911, Page 3

A SLAVE STATE.

*— A THIRD OF MEXICO IN BONDAGE, THE TEONAGE SYSTEM. That the revolutionary movement now in progress in Mexico lias bren attended 'with a great measure of success is beyond doubt-, but in view of the stringent censorship and the tainted character of the news that is allowed to filter through, a clear understanding of the origin, puipose, and extent of the revolution is extremely difficult. A "Daily News" representative had the good iortuno in .November to meet a prominent Mexican revolutionary who had just arrived in London from Paris. Senor Manuel Sarabia, though apparently a young man, has already gone through more than one revolu'tiona'ry .outbreak, served a period of imprisonment, and with his fellows of the revolutionary Junta lias planned and organised the present formidable rising. Who are the revolutionaries? In the first place, practically the -whole educated class. Of course, that class is very small. Only 16 per cent, of t-ho nation, according to official statistics, are able to read and write. Nevertheless, as in every other country, dio "intellectuals" are the makers of i-mblic opinion. . But who are actually fighting? I was going to add that thero is now a considerable industrial working-class population in the towns which is partly literate. It is passionately opposed to the existing regime, which has made them the slaves of the foreign concessionaires. In t-ho State of Vera Cruz,, for example, there are large cot-tcn-mills owned almost entirely by French capitalists. The mill-hands.are paid a starvation wage, and are tied down by an abominable truck-system. Only, two years'ago a cotton strike at Vera Cruz itself was barbarously crushed by military force, after .t-ho workpeople had been denied rations and oven water from the stores. But outside the towns? Fcv/ people in Europe realise the condition of tho masses of ■ the people outsido the towns. History has nothing to show that is comnarable to it. You have, perhaps, heard of t-ho peonago system. It is a system of practically forced labour. Under it five millions of mcii, women, and children, more than a third of tho population of Mexico, have to endure, the most cruel and terrible system of slavery that ever existed. In all, the • immenso haciendas, the tobacco plantations 'in the • Vallo Nacional in tho Southern State of paxaca. the plantations, of pulque, from winch the national drink is made, tho peons are born, labour, and die in bondage. They are paid no wages, and when they attempt to escape tho authorities' return'them to their owners, who flog them unmercifully as an example to tho rest. Two hundred lashes is a.common punishment. These poor creatures are always ready for rebellion. Were-they to join the revolution the Government cause would be lost. What are the prospects of success on this occasion?

Senior Sarabia hesitated. "Wc arehopeful," he said at length. • "The ,States of Chihuahua and Coahbuila are' with us, and to a lesser degree Nuevo Leon. That is to say, we have the Email towns. The officialdom of tho capital cities is highly paid and is loval to Diaz. In tho South tho State "of Yucatan, Oaxaca, and Chiapas, which contain moro slaves than all the rest .of the country put together, aro wholly .'revolutionary. Finally, the industrial province of Vera Cruz, on tho Gulf uscajioarcl, is/.in arms. As for the Pacific |.ooast,"iia news'is available. There remains the centre of tho country, and the capital,, Mexico City, with it's huge garrison,!... To. capture the centra, would take at least two months. It is our chief difficulty. •

■ What was the occasion of this outbreak 1

Curiously 'enough, tho President has brought it on himself. Just before, the receiit elections, General Diaz, to the general surprise, announced that he would wclcomo an opposition party. hut no sooner had the /movement gathered impetus than he took fright and suppressed it. Senor Madero/his rival for. tho Presidency, was thrown into prison. On his releaso Senor' Madero, who is a philanthropic millionaire of great influence, sought refuge in Texas, and at onco joined tho revolutionary party. His adhesion is, in fact, our. greatest asset. He is a living proof, if one wero wanted, that constitutional methods, are impossible. How docs tho Army stand? It is chiefly recruited from, tho gaols and from the criminal and degenerate classes. It will bo loyal just so long as the Dictator has a certain clianco of winning. At any moment this rabble, iko rats from a sinking ship, will desert mm.

Does tho Church play any part? 'Not directly. But, curiously enough, tho only Press that dares to criticise the Government is tho Catholic. All other newspapers are suppressed. The Governmental organs, on tho other hand, aro heavily subsidised. Tho only power in Mexico which Diaz respects is that of tho Church. His wife, besides, is known to be a fanatic, and the Dictator,who fears nobody, is apparently amenable to domestic pressure. B ut . the Church has its own. interests,'which are not necessarily those of the people