The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-11-10

The early withdrawal of the Amer jean military forces from Vera Cruz makes it opportune to review some of the social consequences of their occupation to the native population in normal times a, community of 35,- 900 people.
 From April. 2S, two days after the occupation of the port to September 2. the American Red Cross main tained headquarters and carried on an active work of relief This was early limited to cases of suffering due either directly or indirectly to the, American occupation of Vera Cruz
 For example, many of the federal soldiers became panic-stricken upon the entry of the American soldiers and fled, leaving their wives and fam flies in destitute circumstances. Others remained with the army, but ,inas-| much as the various companies were detailed to different parts and no ac- scurate. records were kept of indivtd- -# uaIss families were unable to locate the husbands and fathers.
 Relief Work.
 Families of wound ed soldiers must sustain life until the soldiers had re- covered sufficiently to support them by other means; families of the dead must be cared for; families who had maintained. themselves by the sale of lottery tickets must be helped to find other enploymen since the Ameri-1 cans prohibited the sale of such tick cts. So too,@ the workers along the water front must be helped, who had depended upon the passenger traffic; and also the political prisoners from the notorious prison of San Juan de U1Ioa-
 Where medical or surgical atten- ton alone was required, this was giv- en or refused as examination indi-i cated necessity. Where food, money or clothing was requested. a personal visit was made to the home and the statemen of the applicant were ver-I flied. Where money was asked for to cover burial expenses the death certificate was examined and the body was personally seen by a work CT. This was found to be necessary because a few attempts had been made by neighbors to collect money from Nthe Red Cross using different names for the burial of the same body.
 Wherever employment was desired this was usually given as soon as the right place could be found. Through the cooperation of the American army officers, who had been given charge of all public institutions and who needed native help, the Red Cross was able to place practically every applicant
 
 cases dealt with in the succeeding weeks covered all the ailments of the native population. ordinary and ex- traordinary, and the records show that more than two hundred var1e- ties of illness received attention.
 Mexican Burial.
 A few remarks about the buria1s (of which fifty-five were paid for by the Red Cross), may be interesting. Tn many parts of Mexico it is cuS- tomary, upon the death of a person, for the family to go to the caslet- maker and rent a casket (usually of the toughest and cheapest boards, and without Hning), for $1.50 or $2 in Mexican money and the father or a male member of the family will put the casket on his head and trot home with it. He also brings with him cand1es,< which he had bought, and artificial flowers and a. robe or shroud which he had rented for one or two pesos more.
 A grave 2 feet deep had been pre- pared and the annual rental of one or two pesos paid in advance. Then the body shorn of it's rented flow grave. The grave is filled, and the casket, shroI1d and flowers are car rfed back to the casket-maker, where a. rebate of about one-third of the deposit is received. If at the end of the year the annual rental is not promptly. paid in advance, the bones are taken up and thrown into a. large pit built for that purpose in one cor ner of the graveyard: and the grave
 Control of Vice
 The question of prostitution is a.1z ways a. serious one in Vera. Cruz, as in all sea ports. Immediately after the American occupation several hum dred women established themselves in the segregated district and else where in Vera Cruz. About. one-haIf were Mexican, the remaining half half were French, Spanish, Cuban or American.
 On July 1, the commanding general put into effect an order deporting all prostitutes not MeIcans by birth or naturalization. It has been found necessary for several years past to maintain a. large hospital with about three hundred beds for the treatment exclusively of women with venerea1 diseases In a hospital of approxi- nately the same size as this for worn- en, an average of 200 men are being treated for the most horrible forms of yenerea1 diseases.
 As a general rule. here is a great deal of dysentery and typhoid fever in. Vera Cruz from May to August of each year Knowing this, sthe medi- cal officers Of the United States army took the necessary steps, immediately after the occupation, to prevent epi- denies of these diseases among the American forces. Teh first step is the