Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-05-17

giving any but the most general I'M
dertakings, such as promise to re-
store peace: to do justice to all; to
encourage education. etc, and all
without entering into details as to
how he is going to proceed.
But the election OF Dia5 appears
far from certain. Had the election
for president been held the day after
the close of hostilities in the capital,
there is no doubt he would have been
elected without any material opposi-
ton. With Huerta in the chair, how
ever, and a big revolution 10 attract .
or distract the people, there is much |
less heard of the popularity of Gen |
eTal Diaz. There are many of his own |
partisans who have expressed the |
opinion that he never will be presi- 1
dent. 1t is nothing that he has done, |
say they, TO turn from him the popu- |
lar support, but rather the fact that |
he has done nothing spectacular since |
he ceased firing shrapnel into all |
quarters of the city.
Investigation of the army payrolls
has shown an expenditure of $4,000
pesos (S13,500) a month for salaries
to officers who never appeared in uni
form. II is charged that this was the
work of one of the Madero family. He
is said to have used the paymaster of
the rural guard TO pay off his own
henchmen. His method was, accord
ing TO the story told at the palace, to
name a man whom he wished to ia
vor or use, an officer in the rurales,
at the same time telling the command
ing officer that this new officer would
report once a month for his pay. None
Of those appointees has appeared TO
collect his money since the overthrow
of the Madero regime.
Pessimism at the Mexican capital
continues dominant With or without
money the administration. in the opin-
ion of thousands of residents, both
native and foreign, is bound 10 fall.
These men believe that intervention
by the United States or some other
power might prevent the overthrow,
but. left alone. that the Huerta gov
/ eminent will see itself slowly crushed
backward against the wall by the con-
stitutionalists.
Francisco l. Madero. alive, never
could induce any considerable num-
| Der of men TO take arms in defense
/ of his government, but Madero, dead,
[ has proved a far more potent figure.
Any estimate of the number Of REP
/ els is largely a guess, but it is safe
/ to assume that in no previous revolu-
/ ton have there been in the field so
many men armed working so closely
/ together.
1t was not the lack of money that
handicapped the government so badly
in the opening days Of the rebellion
as it was the smallness and ineffici-
ency of the army. There was a fair
part OF the irregular establishment
which could not be counted on, and
when an investigation was made it
was discovered that not every name
on the payrolls was backed by a SOL
der present or accounted for"
II was believed however, that with
money to continue the pay of the SOL
diers and TO organize and equip new
bodies. the government would whip
the rebels. The more hopeful said
that if the government could hold
them off for year or more it would
win, but the majority regarded the
chance slight even n that case.
Madrid. MAY 1.-THE fourth cen
tenary of the discovery of the Pacific
ocean by Vasco NUnez de Balboa is
= TO be celebrated here this year, and
the president of Panama, Belisario
Porras, has sent letter TO King Al
. fonso, assuring his majesty of Pan,
/, ama's friendship for Spain. Balboa
, the Spanish soldier and adventuTer
|. first saw the Pacific ocean from the
Isthmus of Panama.
President Porras sets forth that thu
bonds of kinship between Spain anC
the Hispano-AmeTican nations are ev
, er growing closer and announces tha
the Panama national assembly has de
cided to commemorate this centenary
by a competition of lyric poetry; b!
;, an exposition in which Spain is spe
cially asked to participate and by thu
erection at the entrance of the Pan
anna canal on the Atlantic ocean o
a colossal statue of Balboa, the cos
to be betrayed by PUBLIC subscription
He asks the king 10 place his nam
first on the list.
] The Spanish government has decid
d ed to celebrate the centenary by OF
+ gani1ing at Seville a congress of His
L pano-American history and geograph.
and an exposition of the preciou
documents from the archives of tn
= Indies and the Colombine library Tela
n tive TO the conquest and exploration
= of the new world by the Spaniards
!. The congress and exposition, whiC
Il will serve as fitting prelude to tn
great Hispano-American exposition bt
ing organized for 1919 at Seville, vi
4 open on Sept % next, tie anniversar
Of the discovery Of the Pacific by Ba
boa in 1913.
Lausanne, Switzerland, May IL
Baron Pierre de Coubertin, presider
| of the international Olympic COMM
/ tee, who has visited the Unite
= C+atas eavaraI times IF recent year