The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-26
Troubles Of Venezuela
 VH--HotO Castro Rules His People
By Frederic T. Haskin.

-defed the tyrant and have taken their punishment.
 Men suspected of harboring opinions contrary to those held by the Supreme Chief are expelled from the country at moments notice. One of the hars- host cases of bantshment was that of Mercardo. Porto Rican mining en- gineer. Being a Porto Rican. he ia a man without a country. He had a claim against Venezuela which was urged at the time of the sitting of the Mixed Commissions in Caracas five years ago. It was decided that as he was not in l -to Rico at the time of the transfer of sovereignty from Spain to the United States. he had no claim to the protection of the United States. He lived in Caracas with his family. was prominent in business ans social circles, was a director of the Club ConcordIa. the leading social organi- zation of the city and expected always to make his home in Venezuela. one day. without notice of any kind. he was ordered to leave the country by the next steamer, which was sailing within twenty hours. He had to go, leaving his family without provision for their safety and practiclly with out money. When he left Caracas there were but two of his friends to
  Americans. and their names were taken by the police presumably to be re- ported to the President
 Take the case of the electric light company of Caracas. The city of Caracas. which lies in a Federal dis trict. just as Washington does. was behind in the payment of it's bills for electric lighting. The city govern ment Is dominated by Castro directly. No attention was paid to the repeated requests for a settlement. Finally. the company wrote to the governor of the city that 1t must have It's money or It would be bankrupt, and warning him that if steps were not taken to erect a settlement. the city lighs would be cut of on tn, first of the next month No reply was received to this letter and warning, ~ar.. t<
 On the last day of the month a company of soldiers marched to- the electric light plant, took possession and ordered the owners to vacate. as the city could not afford to. be taking light from company which was con ordered sold at auction and was bid in at a low figure for Castro. The bond holders recovered something hke thirty per cent of their investment, the stockholders got nothing. Immeol. ately after the transfer the city o1 Caracas paid It's bill, including @ll arr rearages, with interest," Then Castro abolished the gas company's franchise shut down the gas plant and forced everybody to buy his electric light
 Imoorted flour formerly sold In car acaa for sI6 a barrel. Castro, decided that this was too much. so ne arrahs ed to admit wheat free Of duty 10 pc ground Into flour in Venezuela' ne built the mill himself and hired
 fn If. lt ls the only factory of modern con struction in the whole country. This was widely advertised as great Rcheme to advance the business inter ests of the country, and the duty or flour was raised so as to cut out all competition. And now the nour from MT. Castro's. mill sells in Caracas Tor sl6.50 bafrela And the people are hungry. while Castro gets the pronts'
 The bubonlc plague appeared In La cuaYra about the first of last May The physician who discovered and re- ported 1t, a man of high professional attainments, was promptly locked up In fail and Castro issued a decree that there was no plague. After a while 1t was no longer possible to ignore the pest, and Caracas was quarantined against It's seaport.
 For three months there was not train run over the railroad from Cara cas- to La Guayra. 1t was killing Car acas to be thus shut off from the out side world and the business men Of l the capital decided to fight the plague. They got up a fund and went to see Castro to ask him to contribute. Cas- fro is the richest man in the country. He told the committee that he was glad to see them taking action. but l that he could not help beyond giving his permission. Neither the govern | ment nor Castro, personally. gave one cent. The merchants organized san- itary commission and cleaned up La l Guayra Formerly the dirtiest port in South America, 1t Is now the eleanest. The rats were exterminated and the plague was stamped out. There has not been a case In La Guayra since the middle of July. But the plague got into Caracas, and there it still Is. | The government will do nothing to
 stamp 1t out, and the merchants have
 exhausted their resources. Besides. it doesn't hurt business so much to have
 the plague in Caracas as long as the | port is open.
 Rohbing his own people as well ae
 restoring" things held by foreign | CTS. Castro holds dominion over his | crinKing underIinKs by yielding the iron rod. He does not brook a differ ence of opinion, much less opposition
 in policy. The people fear him. But l the people are hungry, and there comes a time when hungry man for | gets what fear ia.
 (Copyright, 1908, by Frederic J. Has
 kin.)
 VIII. Castro Before the World.