Johnston Replies
| 1 To Collier Attack
On Hidalgo County
fo The Herald:
•4« In Colliers Magazine of June 22nd
there appeared an interesting and
educational story .entitled -High
Handed and Hell Bent,” written by
—a native-born Texan, as he intro
l due** himself to the manv readers
» * of this most popular periodical, and
It Is deplorable indeed, not to say
a shame, that such literary energy
i should be wasted in efforts so
harmful, not oniv to the citizens
of Hidalgo county, but to the
t country at large, and I cannot
Imagine what could have ever In
duced my learned contemporary to
have engaged In such a disastrous
I { work, unless It were the lure of a
bag of gold coin, or that In his
great enthusiasm, he himself mid
th* sixtv cents toll and crossed that
br dge leading to hell, indulging
» while there in a delightful smoke
of "mlrihuana” (Mexican loco
wood) thus being transnorted to un
known w-orlds and while enwranped
* in the fumes of this blissful drug
j determined to degenerate the char
t, acter of the Baker gang, the Mexi
^j—
can people and the good name of
Hidalgo county. The Black Prince
presented to his view the awful
things which he so ably portrays.
I have always made it a rule of
my life to remain silent when I
could not say a good word for «
fpilowman. and even now would not
say a word, were It not that my
friends, my race and my native
soil are infamously assailed, and
prerented to the outside world In
su^h a wav os to dlsrouraee out
siders from even passing through
onr country, much leas iom foreps
' with us in cur great development.
The disa-trous wa-s of the earth
the disuniting of families.
blighting of many a home sweet
home, are caused bv misunder
standings. or by viewing the bone
! of contention from a different
angle There are so many people
j in this wrrld who make their pil
j grimace through life, contempl?/
' ing onlv the dark sides, never even
attempting to find the bright side
! of anything, perhaps it Is because
I of my established habit of locftms
into the bright side of life, that 11
cannot agree with my learned
friend's statements, although I ad
mire him for his courage and feel
grateful to him for having brought
to the attention of the outside
world, our little '‘Hell” as he Is
pleased to call it. and for giving us j
an opportunity to presnet it In a
different light.
I was. born and reared in Hi
dalgo county, of Scotch Irish de
scent on my father's side, of
Mexican origin on my mothers.
The sum of my existence has now
I passed its meridian, and as yet.
' with few exceptions. I have passed
every day of mv life here. I am In
a position to better appreciate the
magical transformation of this
ereit Valley than any one else who
1 did not know it in its wild, unde
veloped stage. I remember the time
when if anyone was foolish enough
j to exnress the hope that some day 1
a railroad would come into our ;
country, he was laughed at and
rebuked with “what in the hel! is i
there here to ever brine a rail- \
road?” My friend states that "this j
' miraculous transformation did not j
come into existence just because j
somebody waved • wand over the |
' land or rubbed a lamp." that It was j
monev. energy and brains that’ ef
fected the change. Exactly so. mv ;
dear brother, but give the devil his 1
dues. It was this terrible man.
Yancy Baker, that had the vision, j
j th° courage and determination to
induce northern capital to come ;
: here. Perhaps you will say that if
IN PROCESSION FOR CHINA’S HERO
Among those snapped in the great procession in Pekin. China, upon
arrival of the body of the late Dr. Sun-Yat-Sen, China's first presi
dent and Nationalist hero, are, left. Morris Cohen, only foreigner, for
years the president’s bodyguard, and. right. Sun Fo. Dr. Sun-Yat
Sen's son. Cohen, known as “Two-Gun Cohen,” is at present body
• guard to Sun Fo. who is minister of railways in the Nanking govern
ment. When the Nationalists took Pekin, they decided the body of
the first president should be moved to a final resting place in the
historic city.
he had not done it some one else !
would, for it is so easy to stand the
rgg on end after one is shown how.
If A. Y. Baker with a handful of
hateful Mexicans is able to carry
out his points, control the courts
all over the state, wind even the ,
overnor around his little rincer.
pull the wool over intelligent
Americans’ eyes, and is guilty or
everything he is accused of: if. I
:ay, he has such a wonderful execu
tive ability, he ought to be m
Washington, in Hoover’s place, ana
not the sheriff of Hidalgo county.
I could take each and every state
ment made in “High Handed and
Hell Bent” and show’ that there is
a reason for every terrible thing
that has been done here, or that
everything is presented, viewed from
a prejudiced angle. I would cheer
rJly go into it. phrase by phrase,
even accepting every statement
made as true, (though there are
many that are not so>. and by nrc
enting them In a different light
• on will see why “we” ere grateful
lor the great, but inexpensive ad
vertisement given us. However. I
will not do so. for fear of being
verbose and tiring my readers.
Nevertheless. I will In comolirnce
to a sacred duty, as a sincere friend
cf A. Y. Baker, as a loyal repre
sentative of the Mexican peoplh.
and a true son of Hidalgo countv.
endeavor to rti'i’lusion your minds
cf the most grievous impressions
made bv infamous statements.
Mr. A Y is presented to you as
president of a bank and the proud
owner of a red and vellow pala-e
"r. big as a country club. If A. Y
has the ability to do all the things
h° is accused of. he should he. as
,fa*ed before, not president of one
of the greatest, banking institu
tions in the state, but president of
this great, nation. With regard to
bis residence. I do not see anv rra
"•on why he should ho rompelled to
live in a grass thatched roof iaca’.
lust because his political enemies or
nther folks do not want him to Uvp
’ike a white man. If he has hoi
the ability to accumulate wealth,
and this he has done bv hones1
means, why should he not enjoy it
before he Is removed to the great
beyond. If the county auditor lives
in a big house, he must have had
money enough to build it. and no
one contributed to its erection, for
T have not yet been ahle to com?
ecross that philantropic soul, the
free home builder, who would ex
tend mp a he’nire hand to rebulV!
my home destroyed bv fire some
months aeo. so each and even’ on°
must feather his own nest accord
ing to his ability and means. an,d
according to my notion it should
to be everybody's concern. With
reference to the schools of Hida’go
county, a high compliment Is paid
when my learned friend states that
he cannot refrain from expressing
his admiration for the handsome
manner in which the Texas Tarn
may Gang has provided for the re
quirements of public instruction
and while he points them out as
fitting for the school children two
centuries hence, they of them
selves, if nothing else, should be an
inducement to the homeseeker to
cast his lot with us. Admitting
that our taxes are higher tha« m
any other county, is not this the
banner county of the border, if rxt
in the state? We have, as you
have been told, the best schools,
we have the best soil, the best irri
gation systems, the best roads, the
best of everything that makes life
worth living. There is less crime
committed here than in any other
nart of the state. Who has ever
heard of bank holdups or highwa
robberies In Hidalgo county? A
reflection to the honor of the
worthy citizens of it. and to the
credit of its administration. I do
net in the least attempt to present
my friends to you as angels, they
are human beings and of course
imperfect and liable to commit er
rors. If the Tabasco school house,
known as the Nellie Schunion
1 school, in honor of one of the best
■ and most honorable wome that
ever walked the face of the earth,
but who has passed to her reward,
if, I say, this educational building
I is lost in the woods, and my friends
arc responsible for its erection
ahead of time, this mistake is ex
cusable. There Is nothing that will
contribute more to the progress and
development of any community
than a good school, and likely that
part of the country will soon be
thickly settled. Two years ago.
what is known today as the beauti
ful Engleman’s Gardens was noth
ing but a vast track of mesqulte
and cactus, today thousands and
thousands of acres are laid out in
beautifully checked citrus trees and
the splendid buildings. happy ,
homes and great development there
in this short lapse of time. Is only
an example of how *‘we” do things
in the * Rio Grande Valley, hence
the wonderful buildings which so
concern my fri**nd may not sit In
loneliness in that vast area very
long. My friend points out in capi
tal letters that out of the one hun
dred twenty-seven children attend
ing. there was only one of Ameri
can tax-paying parents; the others
were Mexican children and they of
course are of tax paying parents,
and justly entitled to receive as
much benefit from the state appor
tionment as any American child
How’ fortunate this little American
child, to be mingled with Spanish
speaking children: why. he will
soon be talking Spanish like a na
tive!
With reference to the abominable
: Mexicans who can neither read nor
| write their own language, much
j less English, my friend is greatly
mistaken, for It Is surprising what
progress they have made in our
public schools, and there are very
few who are illiterates, these few
of oast generations. The Mexicans
have played a very important part
in the great development of the
Rio Grande Valley, for it was their
labor combined with American cap
tal that transformed the veritable
Jungle into the beautiful gardens
and happy homes, seen today every
where in this earthly paradise. Thev
are peaceful, law-abiding people,
loving and kind, obedient and faith
ful to tne American that treats ,
them half way like human beings, j
Once their love and respect is:
won. they will not hesitate to cross j
that toll bridge and go to hell for ,
you. A. Y. has always been mind- I
ful of their interests, and welfare: j
they trust him and love him. hence
his following.
With regard to the nickle plated
highways, the bonds, warrants,
etc., I wil pass them unmentioned. |
for to dwell upon them would be
ridiculous and insulting to the in
telligence of the American residents
of Hidalgo county, suffice it to say
that I believe my friend was mis
informed, or was still delirious
with the fumes of . that infernal
we-d. when he indulgM in this
part of his article.
The dominions of hell are exten
sive and far-reaching, the sun never
r -
sets upon them, why point out Hi
dalgo county as the seat of the in
fernal regions? There is hell ev
erywhere. and we all catch It and
even live in it sometime or oth»f.
I may catch hell for writing tl?«^|
but I dont care. I set out to 4k 9
fend as best I could my friend }
my race, my native soil. Being one
of those illiterate Mexicans referred
to in my friend’s article, I cannot
even hope to match my limited lit
erary knowledge with him. but it is
a satisfaction to at least have tried
to uplift the truth which has been
crushed to earth.
If. as you say. brother we are
hell bent, we are happy in the
thought that we are embarked in
a slow Arkansas train, and not In
the Sunset Limited that we would
have to travel on. were our politi
cal adversaries in power.
Adlos. brother, let’s meet at Rey
nosa. the end of the toll bridge,
emptv a few bottles of that cold
beverage of which we saintly hypo
crites are so fond, smoke a few
pipes of marihuana, bury the hat
chet and. well—nuf sed.
FRED L. JOHNSTON.
Mercedes. Texas,
June 29. 1929.
STEALS TO LOOK LIKE MAN
BELFAST. — Miss Effie Tyson
robbed a tailor's shop so sne could
dress like a man and masqueraded
for a month.
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