MEXICO TO-DAY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 279, 28 April 1914, Page 6

MEXICO TO-DAY.

COUNTRY aXJ) THE PEOPLE. ' AMERICA'S TASK. (By Telegraph-Special to "Star.') Auckland, April 23. Some intensely interesting opinions were expressed to an interviewer this morning on ihe .\lexican situation by Mr David B. Russell, of Auckland, who lived in Mexico for 30 years and was :n his own words acquainted with the country and the people very much more closely' than lie is with his own native New Zealand. '•To begin with," said Mr Russell, "even the casual man in the street must realise that America is faced with a tremendous proposition in reducing the Mexican nation to reason. To anyone who knows the difficulties of the situation it is very easy to understand whyUncle Sam has hesitated so long before taking up the business in earnest, but it is just as certain that only one ultimate course lay open to him. The hand of fate has pointed inexorably in the direction for years, and enormous as are the obstacles 'and loss in men and money involved, America 'having put her hand to the plough, cannot possibly withdraw until the northern provinces are under the Stars and Stripes, no matter what is declared to the contrary. In the two years during which Mexico has been torn by rebellion, the country has been simply flooded with ammunition, pistols and rifles, so that at the present time there are probably enough arms to equip 5,000,000 men! You will find boys of ten years of age possessing their- guns, horses and pistols. To-day in Mexico ! they all know how to shoot.

AMERICA'S OBLIGATION.

'•So far as my own opinion is concerned, I think when President Wilson made the assertion that he was fighting Huerta and, not the Mexicans, he was quite wrong, for the simple reason that there is no Mexican from the age of six yeans who has not been taught at the j Catholic .schools to consider the Amer-a icans their bitterest enemies, as the robbers of their lands, and generally as the arch-foes of Mexico. Now, it is not in I reason to think that Mr Wilson is going in there thinking to conquer easily, not , a million, but ten millions of people, ! who are every one. opposed to the death J to American interference with their affairs. They have been taught at school that America stole Texas, California and Arizona. In my opinion, the new j boundary line—for it must come—will be from Tampieo on the east to the Port of Nogales on the west. If this is done it will be the greatest kindness that America could do for Mexico, for tlie reason that Mexico cannot cope with the difficulties she has had to cope with in I the last two years n protecting pro- | perty and suppressing riots in the northern districts, especially aobut Jaurez, Chihuahua, Torreon, Mowbray and Tampieo. These towns arc where the rebels have been located. No material damage ha 3 been done in the two largest States, where are the wealthy and better class of Mexican people. 1 refer to the State of Mexico, with Mexico City as its capital, and the State of Jalisco, with Gua- ; I dalajara as capital.

THE WRITING ON THE WALL. "The moving of the boundary." continued Mr Russell, "would take in the six large smelting concerns of Mexico, I without question the largest in the j world, and including the United States smelting works at Torreon, the Engen- | heim works at Agracsalientes, the Monterey works, and the San Tiras works, besides the majority of the oil wells around Tampieo. Mexico City cannot preserve peace in. this northern part, tor the simps reason that she is live hundred miles from her supplies, and the rebels know that the railway goes through into Mexico By three points, El Paso, Eagle Pass, ami Laredo, which are the three ra lway entrances to Mexico City. 'lhe rebels have free fighting country round the lines 1 have mentioned, and the lirst thing they do is to chop up the railroads, breaking connection between the United States and Mexico.

where England comes in. "Personally." Mr Russell said, "I think the moment America hinds a force in Mexico the two factions wil come together as one, no matter who leads them. Ail that is necessary is to know 'EI Yunquil' is in Mexico. You will iind that every Mexican will become a soldier and that the women and children of the lower element will all take a hand in the guerilla warfare that is sure to follow. The higher order of .Mexicans are line people, but Litre are ten millions of native Mexicans who are virtually of the Aztec blood, although tiiey have Spanish names and speak the pure Spanish tongue. 1 con't think for a moment that the. .Mexicans will attempt to face tlie Americans i:i a pitched battle, but j they are as cunning as rats in guerilla i warfare. In my opinion tlie only hope America has got to settle the question is to take possession ot Tampieo and Vera Cruz. Upon that step being taken, the English will quietly and diplomatically take hold ol Salina Cruz and Manzanilla. I am perfectly satistied that England wiil look after the Western Coast, for the reason that the Salina ('ru<: railroad, running through the city of Tehuantepec, is owned by the Wheatma n Pearson outfit and Lord Cowdray ami his party. They also practically own the Port of Salisa Cruz.where thirty five million dollars have been spent; another twenty-five millions have been spent at Mauzaniila. This firm further owns the railroad from Salina Cruz to Mexico City and own the huge oil wells that have been discovered there.

OIL A FACTOR. ''The oil question is the true reason of the lengthy period which this rebellion iias lasted. It is absolutely clear in my mind that all these northern rebels: have been supported by the oil interests during the last two years. There were no other funds available to them. It is this way: The Wlieatman-Pearson outlit before t left Mexico three years ago had a tremendous oil tight with the .Standard Oil Trust, anil they won, but they did so because they were able to undersell the Standard Oil people by one half, the reason being that the .Standard Oil folk had to export their oil to .Mexico paying their labor two and three dollars per day. while the WhcatmanI'oarson outlit paid thefr labor thirty cents per day on the spot. Tuis natu ally caused friction, and the only left for the Standard people to gel .'to Hie country, which means the. vein.' ■ of the South American republics with a population of over a hundred million people, was obvious. ]( the rebels destroyed th<' oil properties, til're was a chance for this outside oil to get in. The .Mexican is always ready for lighting, no matter what the cause. As longas he has got a leader and is sure of a meal or two a day with plenty of fun and excitement, he will leave ills plough at any time. As I said, I am quite satisfied that oil lias more to do with the continuance ot the Mexican rebellion than one might think when reading the carefully censored reports.

THE OMJA SOLUTION". "I am perfectly certain tliat Amen' ca lias an ininuteiy Digger contract ahead of her than ever Ureal BritqSn had with tlie Boors. The BoeM are not in it with the Mexicans, either as sharpshooters or as lighters. The Mexicans have been fighting for over three hundred years, and tne only period of absolute peace in the whole of that time was during the thirty years that I'orpirio Diaz adminislrcd the country. 1 don't think things will ever be settled in -Mexico while lluorta remains at the head of affairs.' Jle. is a killer but no statesman. The oniy man to take hold cf Mexico is Fcliz Diaz. Ijc has youth and the ability of his uncle i'orpirio. The election of the younger Diaz who is now about forty-live years of age, into power would bring uaclc to Mexico all those prominent families who have left the country in the last two years, having first carefully shipped their wealth to Europe. The acquisition by the United States of the northern provinces, an enormous but essential undertaking, and the election of Feliz Diaz, who with the financial support of America and England, would, soon wipe out f-lucrta, Villa and the rest of the ruffianly band, a:e to my mind the answer to the present Mexican nuzzle."

A RICH COUNTRY. Mexico, a federal republic of North America, after the United States and Brazil, is the richest and most populous country in the New World. Extending from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west, and from the United' States on the north and Guatemala aifl British Honduras on the south, it resembles a curved horn in outline. It is 1950 miles in extreme length, and only 140 miles broad, and at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, expanding as it stretches north till it attains an extreme breadth from the mouth of the Rio Grande to the west coast of California, of 750 miles. Of the entire population of iS,OGS,OOi). the whites are estimated to form 11) pel cent., the Indians 3S per cent., and the i half-castes 43 per cent. j Hearly all the European cereals are ; grown in the uplands, and in addition j to these, Mexico produces an unlimited ; variety of indigenous plants. The staple ! food of the inhabitants is Indian corn. i The lower land produces abundance of rice, sugar, tobacco, cotton, coffee, oranges, lemons, olives, and other tropical fruits. The domestic animals of Europe are successfully reared, and .wild animals are very numerous. The mineral wealth of the country is enormous. .More diver has been taken from its mines than from all the rest of the world, and the supply is practically i iliimitablc. Gold was the f'reat mineral treasure of the Aztecs, the. original inhabitants of the land, who made very little use of silver on account of the difficulty of reducing the ores. Early in the Spanish period gold gave place to silver, as the great staple product of the country. The coinage records, which date from 1537, show the production of the, precious metals, from that veru- to 1884, to have been: Gold £28,3!!(l,05l, and silver, £776,494,758. In 1893 the gold product was valued at £265,313, and the silver product was valued at £11,203,486.

The great mass of the inhabitants are engaged in agriculture, either in the tillage of their own plots or in the cultivation of the great plantations. Brandy and sugar are largely manufactured, besides cotton and wollen yarns, and textiles and tobacco. In 189-1-0.") the total value of exports was £lS.17!),!)!!i), and the imports £8,800,808. The value of fold and silver exported was £10,107,170. The Pacific Coast has many splendid harbors, but on the Gulf side the bays are silted up- by the current of the Gulf. There were 15,8C0 miles of railway open in 1912. besides 40,000 miles of telegraph. The constitution of 1857, which declared Mexico a federal republic and granted to each State the power to manage its own local affairs, was twice overt in own and restored, and was twice

"Tf!;-ntlfd. The revenue is chiefly derived fiom import and export duties. Tlie lirianee for many years wore in the greatest disorder, the. expenditure constantly exceeding the revenue. Every able-bodied man is liable to service in the army from his -20 th to his 50th year. The fleet consists of seven small vessels while the army is at preent disorganised by the revolutionary troubles.

The Toltccs occupied Mexico from I about the 7th century to the 12th century, when they gnve'place to the Aztecs. To the latter the Toltecs bequeathed an elaborate form of Government, a set of singularly humane laws a calendar more exact than that of Greece, Egypt or Rome, many advances processes" in agriculture and mining, and various other arts. Aztecs, a sterner people, though they had an emperor, were actually governed, and that most despotically by their priests. In 1518, the Spaniards, lured by the fabled wealth of the country, descended in force under Cortes, and were successful in asserting Spanish supremacy. For three centuries -Mexico remained the principal colony of Spain. At last the oppression of'the natives by the Spaniards led to an insurrection which resulted in the independence of Mexico, in 1821. A republic was proclaimed in 1522, but ;!;e country was utterly disorganised, and for h years it passed from one dictatorship to another. The two great events in the latter history of Mexico are the "war of reform''" (1857-18(10) and the war of "French intervention" (!8(;l-.'i7). Through both thc-e ISenifo .i.tiircz jealously defended the life of the republic, Juarez remained president until his death, in 1572, and had the good fortune to see public order restored. (ieneral Diaz acceded in ISS-1, and was re-elected in 188S and 18:>2.

Among recent presidents was Madcro. who honestly strove, during his short term of office. to improve t»e' eoudil ion o; his country. As a, reward for his efforts, lie was placed against a wall liv llnerta. who had gained the upper hand with rebel forces, and was riddled with bullets. The United States refused to recognise Hircrtii's status, and it is hot probable that the bloodthirsty President will join forces with the bloodstained Villa against America. The sympathy of the whole of the Uritish people will be with America in the present difficulty.