The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-10-06

immune as dictator, would be subject
to consequences as president
Castro's own soldiers love him not
He took away our thin uniforms,
they say, and dressed us up in cloth
uniforms and caps. like French soldiers.
Besides. he seldom pays us. So he IS
glad when we desert. simply putting
new men in our places" The officers
of Castro's army, however, make no
complaint. For every time the dicta-
tor uses the military as the instrument
for making a golden haul the officers
get the drippings. To illustrate:
Last fall the soldiers reported that
three rich Caracas merchants were
boarding gold within their homes. The
dictator ordered that each Of these men
be taxed $50 600 for the support of the
government" The merchants refused
to pay. Castro turned them over to
certain army officers. who, having
made them prisoners kept them tied
to stakes facing the sun all day. and
facing an electric light all night. Half
blinded and almost Crazed by their suf-
ferings, they at last yielded and paid
the tax"
Another case was not quite so profit
able. to either Castro or his military
staff. A German merchant arrived in
Caracas and proceeded to collect bills
to the amount of 1000 in cash. Cas-
tro not only forbade the German to
take the money out OIL the country,
but demanded that it be paid over for
government support" The man was
arrested and tortured until he under
stood that IL was his money or his life,
and so led the soldiers to the place
where the treasure was hidden. A few
weeks later one Of the kaiser's cruisers
put in at La Guayra, the captain hur-
ried over to Caracas and demanded not
only the $4,000, but the punishment of
the officers who had maltreated Ger
man subject. Castro. Iivid of face,
liquidated on the spot. and the guilty
members of his staff are still in Mara
caibo prison.
Castro has not single friend among
the foreign representatives in Caracas.
All the members of the diplomatic
corps, on behalf of cOuntrymen who
have interests in Venezuela. watch Cas-
tro with suspicious. untrusting eyes,
For the dictator has more than once
openly asserted that N he could he
would annul all concessions of land
granted to foreigners by his predeces-
sors, and sell the same over again to
others. He actually did annul conces-
sions enjoyed by the various Orinoco
river cOmpanies-ali American con-
Germs But he has not get succeeded
in selling these over again.
For the sum OF $4,000. however, he
granted concession of what is al
legged TO be part of an American as
phalt cOmpany's mines in the state of
Bermudez. This. in a nutshell, was the
cause of the asphalt war In the first
days of this industrial fight the then
United States minister. Mr.. Loouis.
in formal conference with Castro, sug-
gested that Venezuela should protect
American interests in their country in
order to encourage the investment of
American capital in the development
Of Venezuelan industries. Mr. Loomis
concluded with the statement that
Castro's attitude toward the asphalt
company was opposed to the policy Just
outlined. and was calculated to antag-
onize Yankee capital. To which Cas-
tro. in his reply, gave this token of in
ternational courtesy:
''WeI. Mr.. Loomis. those American
asphalt people are getting very excited
Take them to a saloon and give them
some ice cream to cool them off"
Even the course of justice is pervert-
ed IS Castro wills The dictator *
Gently informed the attorney general