Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 220, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 September 1913 — DESCRIBES TROUBLES IN OLD MEXICO [ARTICLE]

DESCRIBES TROUBLES IN OLD MEXICO

Perry Gwin Tells es Revolution and the Devastation It Has Wrought In Three Years. Perry who returned here last week from Parral, Mexico, has written the following Interesting article for The Republican: Mexico has been in a state of continual revolution for over three years and this was brought about by Francisco L Madero, who was educated at California—University and returned to Mexico with modern ideas and started a revolution to overthrow Proflrio Diaz, who had been a despotic ruler for a half century. Madero was successful and succeeded in overthrowing Diaz. He then held an election and was named the new president by the popular vote of the people, but soon after he took his office Pascual Orozsco started a counter revolution and succeeded in paralyzing the business of the country by destroying the railroads. Then this last spring Felix Diaz with General Huerta overthrew Madero and assassinated Madero in Mexico, thereby making a martyr of him. Huerta became the self-appointed president and he was considered at that time as the only man in Mexico who could control the situation, but in this he has so far failed. The government was too weak and the federal army .was not loyal. Now there is a greater uprising than has ever been before, with fighting going on in all of the twenty-six states in Mexico. The rebels or Maderistas or constitutionallstas as they call themselves, control at least threefourths to restore a eonstitulorial form of government. However, in reality, they are fighting for the' plunder that they can get, as in the recent capturing of the city of Durango by the rebel general Thomas Urbina with a following of 11,000 men he secured in plunder and money $7,400,000, which a portion was divided up among his followers. In the north therefore about 40,000 rebels and 20,000 federals who are better equipped with many cannon. ———— There is more foreign capital invested in Mexico by foreigners than by the Mexicans themselves. Of the American capital in Mexico there is $1,057,000,000: English, $321,000,000; French $243,000,000, and German, $356,000,000, while the Mexicans themselves have but $792,000,000. There Is nearly four hundred million dollars of American capital in Mexico than the Mexicans have themselves. Up io the present time there has been $500,000,000 worth of American property destroyed by the Mexicans In Mexico during the revolution. The other foreign nations have lost proportionally the same

as the United States. * This thing cannot keep up forever, as the foreign nations will force the United States to go in there to protect their subjects and property of renounce the Monroe Doctrine and let them go in. The position of the United States is now one of a dog in a manger who will not do anything nor permit any one else to stop this wantonly destroying of property and lives. Considering the traits of the Latin American race, who are treacherous and rebellious and have to be ruled with an iron hand, and that fully ninety per cent of the 16,000,-» 000 inhabitants of Mexico cannot read or write, they have been tyrannized by the wealthy class and in many cases held in actual slavery by the large land owners bf Mexico. Now a great many of these flower class people carry rifles and are following some bandit leader and are living higher and easier than they have ever lived before. They will not be satisfied to go back to work again. The country will be a very long time in revolution. The business conditions of Mexico are now completely paralyzed, as in Parral where I have been located we have not had a train since March 10th, a period of seven months. All the mines and other enterprises have been compelled to close down and go overland to the United States for the lack of food and supplies. What few provistions there was left rose to>an exhorbitant price. For instance; sugar was worth $1.50 per pound, matches one cent per match, and everything else accordingly high. Americans have been robbed, Insulted and many killed. In many Instances they have lost all they possessed. I knew one American who had a big wholesale and retail general store, which was plundered and burned, his loss being $700,000, and he had to borrow money to get out of El Paso. For myself, I was held up twice, but I did not have much to lose. However, I did not enjoy a 600 mile trip overland through the rebel infested country to get out and I heard by U. 8. Consular Agent James I. Long that they were looking sot me three days after I left for a $5,000 forced donation from the company which I represented, which was the Waters Pleree Oil Co.