The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1912-05-02
Definite News from Mexico

Definite News from Mexico
The following interesting letter from
A. S. Perrier son of Mr.. and Mrs. A.
F. Perrier give definite news from our
southern Sister Republic:
Ell Orc, Mex. April 2lst, 1912.
My Dear Father:-
Yours of the 18th |
just reached me. can well imagine
that you are worried about me as the
accounts published in the American
newspapers show a very bad condition
here in Mexico. In reality. things are
bad enough. but they are not as dang
erous as painted. Business is absolute
ly dead and it is impossible to do any
thing outside OF the centers of popula-
ton. In many parts of the Republic
it is unsafe to travel as bands of rob-
bers have sprung up on all sides who
take money arms and horses wherever
they find them. There have been only
few cases of loss of life by Ameri-
cans and the cases of damage to for
eign property have not been many. In
the North where the real revolution is
situated, the foreigner has been pretty
generally respected. The case of
Fountain, who was enlisted with the
Federal troops and which was men,
toned in the U. S. diplomatic note is
somewhat different. He was taken
prisoner by the rebels sentenced to
death, but they have here peculiar
''law of flight" whereby a condemned
man knows he is going to die, but no
stated time is given. He is given his
liberty within certain limits, and
whenever his captors are ready he is
shot from behind. 1t was on account
of the manner of his execution that the
U. S. complained. Also. some methods
of warfare are in use here which civil
ized people abandoned centuries ago.
For example, the burning of the dry
brush over battlefield to prevent the
vanquished from collecting their dead
and the use of wild locomotive load
with dynamite against troop train of
the other side. 1t was more of warn
in than anything else from the U. S.
which came in the official note.
Things were getting little worse all
the time and Taft saw the necessity to
call halt before they got to a stage
where the U. S. Government would be
forced to take drastic action. 1t is
not so much what they have done as
what they might do We're they not
stopped. The note has caused an aw-
full lot of comment adverse to the U. S.
from the Mexican press, who as usual
think they have been abused, but at
to the fact that Uncle Sam is not
willing to stand idly by and allow de-
predations. In this diplomatic affair
the Mexican character is very clearly
shown. They are your smiling friends
while they can use your friendship, or
your brains, but when you insist on re-
turn for the investment you are abused
and sighted. individually, the for
eigners in this country have by precept
and example opened new avenues of
business, improved the antiquated
methods o. the people and in measure
elevated the native workmen in their
trades. The U. S. Government gave the
Madero revolution its support by turn
ingits back upon agitators and the ship
ment of arms: then afterwards it fur
ther he lped Madero by refusing to the
present rebels what it had granted
year before to Madero, Indifference.
Now the Mexican cry is that the u
S. is looking for a pretext to grab
Mexican territory. They object to the
assembling of u. S. troops along the
frontier on the grounds that it is hos
tile measure and in the same breath
say that the U. S. is responsible for
the passage of arms across the border.
1t has apparently never occurred TO the
Mexican press that this side of the Rio
Grande is Mexican soil and that smug-
Cling should be prevented by vigilance
on this side.
The causes, reasons, Gf there are any}
etc. of the past and present revolu-
tions are many and varied. One must
befamiliar with the Mexican and Mexico
to understand even a little bit of it
To be brief, Porfirio Diaz came into
power on the wave of revolution.
He wanted to be chief and got it and
when he got 1.-THE kept it for "a years.
He had the faculty of gathering about
him the, strongest men of the Republic
and due to them he was able to build
up machine which it took years to !
break
At last, by too much confidence in
his advisers he was led into some acts |
which did not meet the popular ap-
nroyol and altar manu- nos,,eeoaeS,,ll 4 !