The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-05-28
Pay War Debt and Disband the Army Are the
 First Steps
REVOLUTION COST
 TWENTY MILLIONS
President De La Barra Busy Solving Problems Now Facing New Gov ernment-Madero Takes
 Oath of Office

Mexico City, May 27.-Measures for the ultimate disposition of the insurrecto army and for payment of the costs of the war were the first matters to which President De La Barra devoted his offi- cal attention today Notwithstanding a formal call by the diplomatic corps for the purpose of presenting felicitations. the administering of the oath of office to the new secretary of the treasury. Ernesto Madero, and interruption by scores of officials and friends who came to congratulate him, President De La
 Barra found time today to formulate plans for adjustment of the most imme- diately pressing problems confronting the nation. He proposed to dissolve at once the revolutionary forces. using a portion of them to augment the ranks of the rurales, that picturesque body of troops organized by General Diaz many years ago out of the country's bandits. The l remainder will be given every assistance i to secure employment or to return to | their homes in the various states, and all will be paid off as though having been | mustered out of the regular army. This | Is in line with the suggestion by Fran cisco l. Madero and his address to his l troops at Juarez.
 | By utilizing the best of the insurrectos in the corps of rurales, the government believes that it will be availing itself of force well able to rid the country of | bandits within short time | President De La Barra Is now consid- ering measure which he will propose to the chamber of deputies providing for immediate protection of all claims made and proved against the government It Is proposed that a committee of five be named to pass upon all claims when they are presented by those properly qualified.
 A clause in the measure which will be . presented to the chamber will authorize
 the immediate payment of such claims as
 are approved by this committee.
 War Coss Twenty Millions Diplomats estimate that the war in
 Mexico has coat not less than saoo0o.-
 900 gold, and that perhaps one-tenth of
 this Is due to damages sustained. by foreigners
 In the various legations of the capi- tai foreigners already have begun plac- ing claims to be made against the, Mex ican government. The claims of thxft Chinese nation, while perhaps not repar | resenting a large amount in ti.e aggre- gate will be remarkable for the num- Der of individuals demanding indemni- 1 ty. Almost all of these will come from the states of Sonora and Coahuila. | where the Chinese were victims of mobs 1 In numerous instances. Reports re- ceived today from Torreon by the Chinese legation, state that the num- Der of dead as the result of the mas sacre in that town May 16 was 238. The more wealthy Chinese residents of | Torreon were not in the city on that day but their properties. the most inn portant of which was the Chinese q bank, suffered. The cashier of the bank in question was one of the men killed. The reports agree that after the Chinese showed a determination to re-
 sist, the rebels displayed no mercy. shooting and stabbing the Orientals wherever encountered and in one house the bodies of 15 dead Chinese we're II found after the battle. Most of the victims were compare | lively poor and those surviving have found difficulty in supplying them selves with food. They have been as- sisted materially by Germans and Americans in Torreon, according to tho
 report received by the legation, but an
 appeal has been made to the Chinese , of this city for monetary aid. Today , members of the Chinese Reform asso- , | citation in the capital opened subscrip tion list to secure funds for the aid of
 their countrymen. The claims of Japan
 will be based upon the deaths of seven Japanese in Torreon during the mas sacre.
 Ernesto Madero Takes Oath , The second member of the new cab inet was sworn in at 12:30 o'clock to- day. The portfolio of the minister of finance was delivered with due formal ity to Ernesto Madero. the young bank CT of Monterey, whose nephew Is Fran cisco l. Madero. He immediately took ch, of dor vtf ant urh ~t the retirement of Jose Yves Limantour. two days ago, has been In charge of Jaime Garza, the now sub-secretary, succeeding Roberto Nunez. Minister Ma dero has been entrusted with cash re- sources of the nation summarized as follows, In Mexican currency:
 On hand in various government of- fees, s2A69S,127.
 On hand in treasury, S12.e3s.os6. I On hand in banks and banking houses. $27, 7,14s,s96.
 Total, $62.4S3.11s.
 Among the sums in government of- fees, gthe largest Is $21.01s,s73, con- stituting the fund for the regulation of the currency.
 The sum In the general treasury ,s $12,63s.o95.
 Among the sums held by foreign and
 naval banks are
 : Bank of England, $16.44s,656. Banque de Paris ct Des Pays, Paris. $495,691.
 : Chase National bank, New York. $24S,294.
 National Bank of Mexico, ss,999,464. Just prior to the administering of
 the oath to MT. Madero the diplomatic
 corps paid its respects to the new Pres ident.
 Henry Lane Wilson, the American } lbassador, as dean of the corps. de-
 livered the address, which was respond . ed to by President De La Barra.
 
 Rev. Coupland Declines Richmond. Va. May 27.-Jt Is learned that the Rev R. S. Couplond. rector : of Trinity church, New Orleans. who