Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-27
|bANS FREE SPEECH
President of Mexico Forbids
Criticism of Government.
MANY ARE UNDER CHARGES
Proposed Treaty to Prevent Trans.
portation Of Arms to Belligerents
by Aeroplanes.
MEXICO CITY. October 10 1912

MEXICO CITY, October 10, 1912.
PRESIDENT Madero has given warning
that ne Will not permit the expression of
opinions adverse to his government. He
has imprisoned in Belem Jail a number
OF men-most of them very young-for
daring to utter views contrary to his
own.
notwithstanding that the president
fought for freedom of speech and was
later elected on a platform containing
plank guaranteeing that privilege, 1t Is
not safe today to say rude things about
| the executive.
His predecessor. Gen. DiaZ, had a way
| of silencing too demonstrative press,
but President Madero gave almost full
rein to all writer's in the republic, with
! one result. that the volume of print paper
| sales was more than doubled, and an
other, that the people generally got the
| habit of talking more freely than they
| had done for generation.
1t was not until the early part of Sep
TENDER. however. that the president was
induced by his councillors to permit the
old law. providing punishment for those
| who make remarks derogatory to the
executive, to be applied.
Youths Among the First Arrested.
Among the first to be arrested under
youths. who loudly shouted "vivas' for
Gen. Diaz about the time of the celebra-
ton of the anniversary of Mexico's indie
pendence. It was decided that the mere
shouting for Diaz was no insult to the
president especially since the deposed
presidents birthday comes on the same
day as does the independence anniver-
sary, but it was regarded as insulting
when the youth who wanted to express
his approval of the exiled general walt
ed until the present presidents carriage
with him in it was right in front of him.
Since then secret agents revehng IN
their Widened field, have gathered to the
colony of alleged insulters a number who
incautiously in street cars, cafes and 9TH
err public places voiced unfavorable op1n-
ion of the president and sometimes &C
companied their expression with remarks
that will not appear refined when entered
in the court records.
Among the young men awaiting trial is
one gifted with the rhymester's powers.
He had written q piquant lot of verses
of friends read them. A secret service
agent sat at an adjoining table.
Failed to Observe Religious Custom.
Punishment for not adhering to an an
cient religious custom has fallen on the
residents of Puebla, according to the SUI
perstitious among them.
September is the period the Puebla peo-
ME have long called 1.-The month of light
ming" Tradition has it that during Sep
TENDER the bolts of fire fall there more
frequently than at any other time OF the
year.
A hundred years or more ago some
priest discovered that much benefit could
be derived from paying due respect that
month to st. Joseph Since then the i'm
age of the good saint has been carried
through the streets at least once in Sep
TENDER. in spite Of the laws of the reform
in 1857, which forbade any such process
sion, and the faithful point out that since
that custom was adopted the fatalities
by lightning might DE counted on ones
fingers.
Last month for some reason the pre-
ventive measure was not taken. Not
once was the image of the saint taken
from its niche and the records Of deaths
by lightning were more than in years
past and numerous individuals report
that their homes were struck by the big
electric rays.
A treaty between Mexico and the
United States governing the flight of
aeroplanes over the international bound
airy line may be one Of the indirect re-
suits of the revolution and the efforts
of the northern republic to prevent the
importation of arms and military stores
into Mexico.
Lately it was reported, though not
confirmed. that the rebels in the north
were getting cartridges and even rifles
by air. 1t was said that expert aviators
were rising from the Texas plains a
short distance north of the boundary
line and then at night flying far over
the heads of the American soldiers along
the line. crossed into rebel territory, where
the contraband was delivered the air
smugglers returning the next night.
There was enough in the story for the
secret agents of the Mexican govern
ment to spend days in trying to ascertain
what truth there was in ii. and Minister
Lascurain of the foreign office said that
Mexico probably would take the initia-
tive in asking the government at Wash
ingtOn to enter into a treaty of aviation