Tue outbreak of a revolution in Mexico' adds another verse ito the political confusion on the American Continent. In Mexico apparently the only way an election can be held is by an armed insurrection, Who starts the fighting seems to matter little, except that it is continuous. In Europe, Poland had a little revolution recently, and somewhere else, one of the minor republics which fell off from lone of the great pre-war empires, Jquarrelled with itself and suffer-Jed a coup d'état. One cannot clearly diagnose this return to strong armed methods in determining political questions, unless it is that the world is weary of the talk. of democracy and is swinging back to the action of a lustier age. These matters may occasionally be treated with more levity than their authors allow, because if every revolution is to be taken seriously, there should never be an end to political conversation and one should never have a moment for the more important subjects in life, such as, for in dance, the value of play and the joy of sheer living.
The revolutionist enjoys himself thoroughly. In the old days, he wore an enormous shock of hair, handled bombs as though they were buns, never creased his trousers and talked in whispers. Now, unfortunately, he has become less picturesque but frightfully efficient. It is per haps the American influence or maybe some correspondence school has published a book on how to conduct a revolution successfully, with the result that the revolutionists know all about the purchase and shipment of arms, the financing of their enterprises and the sale of concessions, so that the revolt prospers for'a period, as do s0 often the revolutionaries preferring to have their own Governments in power during the tenure of the concession. Sometimes, the masses are stirred up to protest Jagainst the bartering away of national rights, but, on the whole, when it is.all clearly stated, the masses are not, in those countries, very familiar with the terms lof the concessions or the purposes of the revolutions, It is the age of romance turned to oil. One might imagine Sir Galahad fighting an_ oil concessionaire instead of a dragon, except that in those glorious days, one fought for the greater essentials in life, such as the smile of a fair lady.
In Europe the revolutions are generally the doings of the emissaries of the large Red Empire to the east. Naturally, in forming their revolutionary organization the Bolsheviks engendered a huge host of efficient revolutionaries and now that riots are frowned upon in Russia and a strike is a criminal offence, the professional revolutionists have to go elsewhere to ply their trade, "They tried it in Hungary once, but got themselves deliciously put out of business by an admiral who knew how to command land troops. Whereupon, they moved upon the face of Europe looking for work in their line. They tried every place but were everywhere not wanted, like, for instance, a cabby might be who. refused absolutely to become chauffeur after the great change from horse to gasoline power' had set in. Finally, Europe put: an end to all the meanderings these great revolutionaries by turning toward dictatorship as a form of effective Government.
Now, the dictator does not try! to make people believe that! he believes in democracy. He drops that pose altogether. He! hits straight out and says that he is opposed to democracy and that if the war was fought to make the world safe for the! masses to gable politics instead.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.