Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1908-11-21
CASTRO'S GREED HAS LED TO
HUNGER AMONG THE PEOPLE

must be kept near the capitol il is
impossible u walk two squares any
where In the city without encounter
ing body VI armed soldiers.
Then. there is the knov,eige that
Castro has the power and WIN to-
send TO prison any man who Is even
suspected of harboring thoughts inim-
ical to his regime. Hundreds have
been taken to the ioathsome San
Carlos. TO be weighted dowR with.
irons and cast into cells infected with
horrible disease. Is II ana wvnaes,
that the timid common people are
afraid? Therefore there will be no.
change until there is a leader. The
leader probably win be a political
revolutionist instead OF a reformer.
And when the hungry people have
risen up. have shed their blood for
him and have sacrificed their lives
for him, then he win rule In Castro's
stead and he will be the dictator and
the tyrant. For time there may be
peace, but soon he will use his power
to enrich himself and again the peo-
pie OF Caracas will be hungry. 1t is
almost hopeless prospect
The national band plays in the Plaza
Boliyer on Thursday and Sunday
nights, just as II has done for years
and years. In the old days there was
always great crowd. now the plaza
is not half filled. But even In the
band concert there is evidence that the
people are downhearted. If the
United States were on the verge Of
war with foreign nation, and IL a
band were playing In public park in
Washington, don't you think II prob
able that the band would play the
| Star Spangled Banner. or Yankee
Doodle, or Dixie? And wouldn't the
people cheer? OF course they would.
| But in Caracas, where war Is immi-
nent the band didn't play the ma
tional air There WAS -neser-a--cAeass
from the crowd. There wasn't spark
of enthusiasm except when a few
musicians applauded the perfect rem
dition of dlrge.
These people are naturally very pa
! triotic. They love my country"
Only two years ago when Castro cana
to Caracas after his temporary re-
| tirement from the presidency, he
was welcomed by a great throng OF
1 cheering people, the whole city was
swathed in bunting and there was
| plenty of enthusiasm. A few weeks
ago, when he returned to the city
from a forty-day tour of the provinces
there was no such welcome. The
troops were lined UP at the station,
the public buildings were decorated
and the national band played the ma
tional air. But the people stayed in
doors. Not more than 900 persons
were at the station to welcome the
hero" Notwithstanding the strenu
GUS efforts of Editor Gumersindo Rivas
of Ell Constitutional to get out big
crowd.
i Of course, there is still some life in
the city. Shrieking small boys be-
siege the pedestrians with lottery
tickets. The lottery is government
affair and the tickets are sold in shops
and everywhere, but mostly by little
boys on the streets. Guzman Blaneo
abolished lotteries, but Castro revived
this one, from which he makes great
profit.
The market place Is crowded with
barefoot peddlers of flowers and birds,
donkey trains from the interior are
arriving and departing, and pawn
shosp and secondhand stores are
busy.
There are afternoon teas and din
ner parties ana sucn tnlnS5, Oh course'
but every one will tell you that there
isn't half so much entertaining as
there was a year ago, not one-tenth
as much as in the old Guzman Blanco
days The pinch Of poverty is felt In
many a handsome home, and there are
proud families of aristocratic lineage
who are living on one meal day.
In the midst of 1t all sits the tyrant
fpdf1atr~v
and business every cent it can pay
that he may pile up more gold In
London and Paris. 1t is the world-old
story-a tyrant cannot learn modera-
ton. His greed is Unsuitable and he
plumbers and Expresses and grinds I'M
til the scepter of power Is wrested
from his hands. As yet, the people
of Caracas are afraid. But they
are hungry, and hungry men eventual
ly forget what fear is.
-O----