The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1914-05-02
Secret Mission to Mexico

William H. Ellis, a New York capitalist and personal friend OF
Dictator I1uerta, was recently quoted in the Brooklyn Eagle on the con.
duions prevailing in the southern republic. He told how the secret cf-
forts of a selfconsituted peace commission were shattered by the order
Of President Wilson lifting the embargo on arms in Mexico ION te
very eve of Huertas compliance" There are few Americans, says the
Eagle, better qualified to talk Understandings of Mexico and its needs
than Mr.. Ellis. That paper says he is on the inside and has been for
the past thirythree years. He was born on the Mexican frontier and
spent his early days is a cowboy, later branching out into cattle, WOOL
hide and cotton trading.
On December "a last Mr.. Ellis, together with DR.. Bernabe Bar
rious, left secretly for Mexico City as a special peace commission to
interview Huerta and the leading Mexican citizens and to present to
them a proposition by which it was hoped peace might be brought about
According to the statement in the Eagle, Huerta was n a receptive mood
and was ready to enter upon negotiations when the order came lifting
the embargo N the importation Of arms and ammunition. Huerta is
reported to have said when he heard of the order: 1T is now a tight
to the finish and to death"
Concerning the internal affairs OF Mexico and the resources at the
command of TIuerta Mr.. Ellis said:
In any discussion of Huertas strength and the possibilities of
his holding out indefinitely it is necessary to consider the inn
mensc financial resources at his command. How many persons
know that Huerta can raise S3oooooooo at any time he desires?
First Of all, he has suspended the payment IN all his bonded in
debtedness and railroad bonds. He has doubled the taxes on all
mortgages, stamps, mining interests and other properties. The gov
eminent is now considering mortgagng Or issuing a bond against
the church property in Mexico, which, under the law, is government
property and aggregates between 100000 and 100000 pesos.
The Catholic church in Mexico. as every one knows, IS fully able
to redeem its property. If the government issues bonds against
church property the entire issue would be subscribed by the church.
There are approximately 5000 large haciendas, o ranches, in
Mexico. Huertas government contenpates assessing these Is,
900 plantations about $1,000 each year during the existence OF the
war, which would bring in a revenue of S&5oooooo. Likewise
there is being formulated a plan to tax all the water powers IN the
republic OF a horsepower ratio basis. This would bring in about
twenty or thirty million dollars. There are countless other sources
of revenue that could be called upon. Each barrel of oil, every ton
of ore from the mines, could be taxed, and the import and export
duties could be raised.
I believe that Huerta could whip the rebels in any pitched bat
tie. This, however, would only prolong the revolution. The rebels
would simply disband and break up into small groups. Instead OF
having 5000 rebels in IN place we would have bandits, posing as
revolutionists, roaming over the entire republic, robbng and muir
dering and committing outrage after outrage. The only way to
ouell revolution is to quel the revolutonists. This would mean
turning Mexico into a slaughter house.
There is n solution to the situation which has been sug-
crested TO those in intimate contact with Mexican affairs, but OF
which the general public, believe, knows but little. If President
Huerta should resign, and, going north, take charge of the army
and fight the rebels, something might be accomplished. 1t has
been suggested that he leave the presidency to Jose Lopez y Por-
tlo V Roas, his minister of foreign affairs. He has the respect of
his enemies as well as his friends and would, no doubt, make an
ideal president.