# Mexico's dilemma/Appendix C

APPENDIX C
A statement regarding the mexican railways
The Mexican News Bureau in Washington recently sent to the newspapers of the United States propaganda notes attempting to disprove statements made in articles of mine which appeared in the Saturday Evening Post.
Copies of these "News Notes" follow:
NEWS NOTES FROM MEXICAN NEWS BUREAU, 613 RIGGS BLDG., WASHINGTON, D. C, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1917
Railroad Repairs and Recognition
Those who are acquainted with the condition in Mexico and who have followed the steady march of events in that country during the past six or seven years, have been surprised at some recent statements appearing in the Saturday Evening Post of October 6, by Carl W. Ackerman, regarding that country. One is to the effect that: "For seven years practically no repairs have been made on any of the railway lines—either those owned by the Government or those owned abroad and operated by the authorities." ​As a matter of fact, nothing could be further from the truth than this assertion. Repairs to all the lines in the Republic have been prosecuted diligently and zealously even during the worst periods of the revolution, and it has been unanimously conceded by foreigners who have travelled over the various lines, government as well as private ones, that their condition compares most favourably with lines in the United States—is, indeed, well up to the standard in such matters. Bridges have been rebuilt, tracks relaid and reballasted, and except for the presence of an occasional pile of bent and twisted rails or of iron work from burned cars by the side of the track, one might well believe he were travelling over one of the best roads in the United States. It is true, many stations were burned during the troubles, but as a rule these were of the poorer class. The fine edifices at Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Hermosillo, Saltillo, San Luis Potosi, Querétaro, Guadalajara, Colima, Vera Cruz, Orizaba, Cordoba, Puebla, one (a stone structure) at Monterey, those in Mexico City, as well as many others, in fact all the best ones in the Republic, were not injured in the least. Most of those that were damaged have been repaired and constant work in this direction is being prosecuted. All these facts are well known to travellers in the Republic and should have been known to the Post's correspondent, as they are apparent to all.
So, too, with the rolling stock. The various ​rail-road repair shops in all portions of the Republic have been busy for over two years in repairing engines, freight and passenger cars, and the amount of work thus accomplished has been remarkable considering the conditions. The iron work of hundreds if not thousands of cars has been utilised in the construction of new ones and the process is going steadily forward. Locomotives that had been wrecked or temporarily disabled have been put in commission by the score, and the repair shops at all the railway centres are kept fully occupied with the work, as they have been continuously since the restoration of peace and as rapidly as the lines were again controlled by the Government.
The foregoing are well known facts easily susceptible of demonstration by personal observation, yet the Post correspondent has apparently preferred to repeat the allegations of antagonists of the Government rather than seek proof himself at first hand.
AS TO RECOGNITION
Fully as surprising is the statement that the United States and the Allies have not recognised the present government of Mexico as a de jure one, and "that their ambassadors and ministers are not at this writing (some time in September from all appearances) accredited to the de jure government.
​the United States Government as a de jure government in March last and has since that date been so regarded.
NEWS NOTES FROM MEXICAN NEWS BUREAU, 613 RIGGS BLDG., WASHINGTON, D. C, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1917
A STATEMENT REGARDING THE MEXICAN RAILWAYS
Some Facts About Mexican Railways
Rolling Stock of All Kinds Now Equal to Pre Revolution Days— Official Statements on the Subject.
An interesting light is thrown upon statements recently made in the Saturday Evening Post and also in the Mining and Scientific Press of San Francisco concerning the condition of the railways in Mexico, which are far from the truth as will be shown. Great stress is laid by both publications upon the alleged wholesale destruction of engines and cars during the Revolution and upon what is claimed to be a present shortage of rolling stock.
The last annual report of the National Railways of Mexico, made in 1916, shows the following facts:
In 1913 before there had been any destruction of consequence there were 435 passenger coaches of broad gauge and 118 of narrow gauge. In 1916 there were 414 broad gauge and 101 narrow gauge—or a loss of but 21 and 17 respectively. ​In 1913 there were 16,661 freight cars of broad gauge and 1,831 of narrow gauge. In 1916 there were 13,222 of broad gauge and 1,396 of narrow gauge—a loss of 3,439 of the one and 434 of the other.
In 1913 there were 635 broad gauge locomotives and 94 narrow gauge. In 1916 there were 596 of the broad gauge and 83 of the narrow—a loss of 83 and 11 respectively.
Since the date of this report large additions have been made to the rolling stock of all kinds, by repair, construction and purchase. Further additions are constantly being made.
General Agent De Hoyos, who represents the Constitutionalist railways in New York, is responsible for the statement that within the last six months there have been purchased 600 freight cars, 80 passenger cars and sixty locomotives. Three thousand cars are now under repair in the company's own shops, which when completed will bring the equipment practically to the same point as in 1913—in fact, it is larger so far as regards locomotives and passenger coaches, and but a trifle less in regard to freight cars.
In replying to these charges one must consider the fundamental inaccuracy contained therein, that is, that many of the railway lines which the present government are operating do not belong to the government at all. The Constitutionalist ​government "intervened," or confiscated this property and has been operating it for several years without paying the owners and investors one cent of dividend. This is very much like the situation in Mexico City with regard to the Street Railways. Until this summer they were operated as confiscated property by the government, contrary to all principles of international law. So when the Mexican News Notes speaks about the "wonderful" progress which the government is making it is necessary for the reader to remember that some of these railroad lines belong to private individuals, not to the Mexican Government.
With regard to the statement about work which has been done on the railroads I may say that President Carranza last summer authorised an American railroad expert, a personal friend of his, to travel throughout the country and investigate the railroad situation. In a confidential report this official said that there were 4,000 destroyed freight cars throughout the Republic and that because of a shortage of materials repairs could not be made until the materials were imported from the United States.
In the Monterey railroad yards there are 400 skeletons of freight cars destroyed during the revolution and not one of them has been touched.
During my stay in Mexico I travelled from Laredo, Texas, to Mexico City; from Mexico City to Monterey and from Monterey to Tampico by railroad. During the first day's trip our train was ​held up five hours because of a destroyed bridge which was put together so poorly that four weeks later when I returned this way the engineer had to stop the train to test the bridge before pulling the passenger train across.
Railroad traffic between Vera Cruz and Mexico City is so poor that when I was ready to leave the capital for Vera Cruz a member of Mr. Carranza's cabinet told me to go north to Tampico because the line to Vera Cruz was not "safe."
The railway line between Tampico and Mexico City is not running because the bandits have destroyed some sections and because the Mexican Government cannot protect the trains.
The only repair work which is going on, so I was informed by American officials and other business men in the Republic, is that under the direction of foreign corporations.
In Monterey the Manager of the large Five Million Dollar Steel mills told me that he had to rebuild all locomotives and freight cars which his corporation used because the Mexican Government was not in a position to do so. He showed me about twelve freight cars in his shops which were being repaired and explained that under his contract with the government he had exclusive use of these cars for two years. I saw in his repair shops not less than five locomotives which his workmen were repairing. He stated that he had not only to rebuild the rolling stock but had to supply engineers, firemen and brakemen to operate the trains. ​The American Smelting and Refining Company owns and operates all the trains it uses in Mexico for hauling ores and metals. It had to do this because the Mexican Government was not in a position to furnish it with the necessary rolling stock to take care of its shipping. In Tampico the foreign oil companies are using their own oil cars to ship their product in Mexico, and because of the bad condition of the Mexican railways, because of the delays, etc., the companies are now considering the construction of an automobile road from Tampico to the Texas border, or the laying of a pipe line.
Reports made to the American Consular Office at Monterey show that shipments are being held up not days but weeks and months because of a lack of rolling stock.
If the Mexican railways are "indeed well up to the standard (of the United States) in such matters" it would be interesting to know why the Pullman company will not permit any of its cars to cross the Rio Grande. It would be interesting, too, to know why none of the American railway companies will permit either passenger or freight cars to go into Mexico. When the revolutions began the Pullman company withdrew practically every car from the Mexican service. A few were "caught" in remote sections of the country and these are now being used as private cars by Mexican officials.
If conditions in the United States and Mexico ​with regard to the railways are so similar one might ask the editor of the Mexican News Notes why it is that in Mexico federal troops are sent as escorts on all railway lines to protect the passengers and the property? If conditions are so normal why did the government send a special troop train to escort Ambassador Fletcher to the capital and why did this special train, with a heavy guard, run only during the day? Why, too, are most of the trains running between Mexico City and Laredo detained at night within some railway station?