The flame of revolution is licking at the feet of President Calles of Mexico. Chihuahua, Coahuila, San Luis Potosi and bandit-ridden Durango are the latest states to be ignited, and the roar from the Mausers of firing squads is heard in the land. Eighteen members of the legislature of Morelos on Wednesday were taken from the chambers of their courtmartial to look briefly into the muzzles of rifles. General Alfredo Rueda Quijano, cavalry commander who sought to lead his troops in rebellion against Calles, waved farewell to three New York reporters in the courtyard of the San Lazaro Prison as the commander of the firing squad dropped his arm.

It was noted by the trio of correspondents that the brick wall against which General Quijana died was already pockmarked with the bullets of many revolutions. The tale of Mexico, especially during the last twenty years, has been one full of sound and fury. With Calles as its chief narrator the plot is thickened with blood and iron. When he announces: "I will put down the revolution," as he did this week, Calles is fighting not only for the survival of his experiment in government, but also for his life. The end of a Mexican presidential career and of the life of a Mexican president have had a trick of being simultaneous. A Great Interregnum in Mexico is not an impossibility, for when offered nomination for the presidency of the Republic the discreet citizen hands out a typewritten note saying: "I choose to run"--and does so.