The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-19
Permanent Committee of Congress Refuses His
 Request
NOTHING KNOWN OF
 CITY OF TORREON
Despite Fact That Rebels Are Act ing in Is States in Mexico De- pertinent of Interior Con-
 tinues Optimistic Reports

| Mexico City, February 1s-Believing that
 all the insurrections against the govern
 ment are largely a result of the publcf
 ton of sensational papers, President " 6
 dero and his cabinet have appealed e (
 the permanent committee in congres 2 g
 suspend that article of the constit i, s
 providing for free press. and haf | given a negative reply. O | The committee was asked also n-
 thorize the extension of the zone lcn
 the suspension of personal guarantee are | operative. This, too, was refused. The proopsition was transmitted to members of the congressional committee
 at meeting yesterday, which was cal
 culated to be secret. The deputies told | the story today.
 1 sub-measure was suggested during tho meeting by one of the deputies, who sus
 gested that the press be suppressed for | two months and that in return the presi- dent agreed to resign al the end of that period if he had not succeeded in restor l ing peace in the country. It is not prob
 able the suggestion was made with the idea that 1t would be taken seriously. The censorship at Cuernavaca will be re- moved.
 | 1OrTeOn lsOiated Agaln
 The state of affairs in and about Tor | reon is practically unknown here except
 that the rebels have made no attempt to.
 take the city. One wire is working out
 of the town but it is crowded with of- fcial messages and ordinary telcgrams | are arriving some 4s hours after being l filed.
 1 Reports from Durango are that the
 rebels are continuing their raids and that
 the governor has declared he would re- sign unless additional forces were sent to 1 garrison the city. There are now less ! than 100 men there. | The ten Americans reported in danger
 at Tlahuia Coahuila, are safe, accord | ing to information received at the ern-
 bassy today.
 Gomez Would Accept Presidency | Emilio Vasquez Gomez's frank public
 declaration that he will accept the pro- l visional presidency in case the rebels sue l ceed ii. fofchse Fcn nneiSro5I Nadero from 1.-the national palace. has gone far towards convincing unofficial residents of the cap ital that general rebellion is in prog | ress. Mexican officials. however. com | tinue to characterize s local disorders 1 every insurrection in the country. Although rebels are now operating Tn 1s states, the department oY the interior con- | tinues to give out news densag trouble in | great part of these. The state of Chi- | huahua was reported at peace. | Last night there was a fight as San Pedor, some 20 miles from Torreon in which 27 men~vere killed. The majority ] of the dead are said to have been rebels. | They were commanded by Jose Argime<o. Little direct news from Torreon or .he
 country surrounding it was received, but such information obtainable indicated l that for considerable distance to the | east and as far south and west as Du- rango, the capital of the state of the same name. the region is being raided almost | at will by rebels, From Chihuahua there has been received no news that would in- dcate the withdrawal of the rebel forces of Antonio Rojas and Braulio Herndahes.
 The government has denied officially that | Guerro in that state has fallen into the | hands of rebels.
 Coahuila Turbulent With the exception Of that group of 1 six southern states. where Emilano Za- tpata and Jesus IT. Salgado are stub born1y resisting the army now waging a war of eytermination. the region most seriously menaced is that in tho states of Coahuila and Durango. Other
 states north and west of the capita I In which rebels are operating are | Chihuahua, Sinaloa Zacatecas. San Luis. Potosi, JalIseo and Micboacan. | Far to the south In the state of Ia basco insurrectionists are vet unsub- dued and in the state of Vera Cruz there are bands who appear to be not closely connected with the Zapatista movement Yesterday afternoon one of | these assaulted Soldaid. a station on | the Mexican railroad. The rebels were defeated by federal forces
 | At present there appears to be no | one Is directing the various move | of 1 points to this fact as evidence there | is no general rebellion. It Is true. how ever, that from almost all quarters of the republic where the reebs have ap- peared vasquez Gomez has been pro- claimed as their chief, even apata having announced that he would cease only when the fugitive ex-cabinet min ister is placed in the presidency.
 Torreon Leaders
 Among the leaders who are in the
 field about Torreon is Manuel Cargo 1 Aldape. proclaimed for the vice presi
 dency.
 l How many rebels there are under arms no one knows. Riding hard in small bands, as they do. fl is impos-
 sible to gain definite information re- eardlnp their numbers but the news of
 the past week indicates that the in-
 surgents force is increa sing rapidly
 The government has placed an order
 in Germany for 100 900 rifles and big
 order In Belgium for cartridges General Robles. commander of the forces fin the south, has announced that
 he and his officers have made plans for | a renewal of the campaign this week
 which he hopes will be even more ef-
 fective than that already conducted. The rebels ca yet be encountered | within q few miles of Cuernavaca. not
 withstanding the drastic measures car ried out under the suspension of per- sonal guarantees. Both rebels and fed erals are waging a pitiless warfare | in Moreles. The Zapatistas are burning 1 canefelds and ranches have been matched by the government troops 1 who last week hogan he destruction of villages and the herdng of women and childron into camps in the towns Ito prevent them from aiding the men in the field General Robles yesterday ] brought to Cuernavaca 15 Syrian ped ldlers whom he believes are among 1 those who have been supplying the rebels with ammunition. Under the sus- pension of guarantees they may be ex- ecuted.
 l Yesterday in the state of Oaxaca ac- cording to an official note. govert-
 irent troops killed ] , in a fight with