Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-24
HUERTA Chatting
UNDER RES7RA|NT
Duties and Ceremonies OF
Presidential Office in Mex
leo Not CongeniaI.
PREFERS SOLDIERS LIFE
TO POLITICAL STATION
Believed in February That Peace
Had Been Restorod-Amazed by
Present Revolution.
MEXICO CITY. May 10. 1918.


Gen. Huerta is chatting under the re-
straint imposed by the duties and cere-
monies attending his Office as president
and some of his old friends in the army
will not be surprised il one day he
throws Off the tri-colored band and again
dons the military uniform. 1t is said
that the president, not fully satisfied
with the progress which is being made
against the revolutionists, is seriously
considering the resignation of his ONCE
in order personally to direct the cam
paign.
That the army has not made any great
advancement in restoring peace Is evil
dent. and Huerta. who planned and car
ried out the campaign against Orozco a
year ago, is pardoned by his intimates
for believing that he could do the job
more expeditiousy. II am not a man of
governmental affairs" said Huerta re-
Gently in the course of an impromptu
after-dinner speech. Il am a soldier, and
every time that l see a body of men
entraining l long to go with them into
the field"
Speculation Regarding Successor.
"Who would take Huertas place as
provisional president is matter of much
who would satisfy the people and display
the requisite executive ability is what
may prevent Mexico's soldier-president
from abandoning the palace. To place
Felix Diaz in the presidency probably
would not improve the situation greatly
and certainly 1t would not please Diaz,
since his occupancy of the provisional
post would greatly lessen his chances of
holding it as an elected incumbent The
selection of Francisco de la Barra would
please many of his Intimate friends, but
the Catholic party has its eye on de la
Barra as candidate for the presidency
at some future time when elections can
be held. Once it was suggested that
Gen. Geronimo Trevino take the provis,-
ional presidency. But the general is
getting on in years, and in addition he
does not want the place.
Whether Huerta would do any better,
however. in the field than his officers
now are doing is regarded as by no
means certain. He probably has an in
f1uence over the army greater than that
of any other general; but the army today
is poor thing compared with that left
by Porfirio DiaZ, notwithstanding that
Diaz's army was far less efficient than
he considered II. 1t has been demon
strated that the army is not unit of
loyalty. and the Introduction into it's
ranks of thousands of ex-rebels appears
not to have greatly strengthened it's
| loyalty, and to have lowered discipline
and efficiency. AS minister OF war
Huerta might direct all phases Of the
campaign, but as simple general In the
field he could direct only small part,
and what he might accomplish In one
region might easily be Offset by what
transpired In other parts OF the republic.
Believed They Had Secured Peace.
| Huerta and Diaz believed in February
that they had restored Mexico to
peaceful condition. and they probably
did not dream that the counter-revolution
ever would assume the proportions it has
today. There is no doubt now. however,
that the number of rebels is greater than
the number of the governments troops,
and it has become practically q matter
of money which side will win. May be-
gan with the government still on the de-
fensive. but making promises of the early
Inauguration of terrible campaign
against the rebels. 1t was believed in
the capital that by that time the rebels
would have exhausted their supplies of
ammunition and would be unable to buy
more, or to get 1t across the American
boundary line even II they possessed the
necessary means to purchase it. Money
Is not plentiful In the rebel treasury; but
neither Is 1t in that of the national gov
eminent. So far as getting guns and
ammunition across the line is concerned,
the rebels appear to be having less diff
Guilty than did either Madero or Orozco,
and Mexicans In the capital are open In
their denunciation of the Washington
government for not maintaining a strict
er patrol.
Pay Of the Soldiers.
Were it not for the fact that the Mex
lean soldier generally provides his own
rations, he would today be the highest
paid fighting man in the world. Madero
raised his wages to a peso. so cents gold.
day, and Huerta has further increased
it to a peso and a half, or Is cents gold.
The maintenance of the army in the past
three years has been Mexico's greatest
item of expense. but Notwithstanding that
the government is hard up and has had
difficulty in securing the loan for which
it has been striving. Huerta considered
| the increase a necessity With this lure
he hoped to gam recruits. Conscription,
however, has been the method adopted.
Judged by some Of the expenditures-or
announced intention to expend-the gov
eminent is not SO poor as facts would
seem to indicate. Recently it was stated
at the National Palace that in order to