BarbarousMexico JOHN KENNETH TURNER

THE MEXICAN PEOPLE 339
\Iexico is a wonderful country. The capacity of its
people is beyond question. Once its republican constitution
is restored, it will be capable of solving all its
problems. Perhaps it will be said that in opposing the
system of Diaz I am opposing the interests of the United
States. If the interests of Wall Street are the interests
of the United States, then I plead guilty. And if it is
to the interests of the United Stat' s that a nation should
be crucified as Mexico is being crucified, then I am
opposed to the interests of the United States.
But I do not believe that this is so. For the sake of
the ultimate interests of this country, for the sake of
humanit y, for the sake of the millions of Mexicans who
are actually starving at this moment, I believe that the
Diaz system should be abolished and abolished quickly.
Hundreds of letters have come to me from all over the
world begging to know what can be done to put a stop
to the slavery of Mexico. Armed intervention of foreign
powers has been suggested again and again. This is unnecessary
as well as impractical. But there is one thing
that is practical and necessary, especially for Americans,
and that is to insist that there shall be no foreign intervention
for the purpose of maintaining the slavery.
In Mexico today exists a nation-wide movement to
abolish the Diaz system of slavery and autocracy. This
movement is quite capable of solving the problems of
Mexico without foreign interference. So far it has not
succeeded, partly because of the assistance our government
has given in the persecution of some of its leaders,
and partly because of Diaz's threat—constantly held before
the Mexican people—of calling all army
to his aid in case of a serious revolution against him.
Under the present barbarous government there is no
hope for reform in Mexico except through armed revo-