The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1914-03-09
PEOPLE SILENT
FEARING DEATH
MEXICANS DARE NOT BREATHE
DISPLEASURE OYER DICTATOR
SHIP OF HUERTA.
Great Sigh Of Relief Will Go Up When
He is DepOsed-Fourth and Last
of Series of Articles.
(Written for the United Press by an
American in Mexico.)

|
VERA CRUZ, Mar. 9.-Despite des
perate attempts by Huerta to build vi
some resemblance of the same iron.
handed sort of government by which
old Porfirio Diaz had ruled for so many
years, the institution the Indian dicta-
, tor headed slowly grew less stable
Huerta, however, took conditions stoi-
cally. He still made his usual round
, Of drinking places, gambling parlors
and disreputable houses and by the
time he had been in power ten months
financial crisis was at hand,
The Banco Central was forced, one
day, to close it's doors because of the
rush of state bank notes. The state
banks were supposed to keep, in the
Banco Central, sufficient funds to en-
able the central bank to meet pay
ments on the state bank bills. But
railroads were out of operation; money
could not be shipped, and, without
money the Banco Central was forced
to refuse to recognize as valid the bills
of the state banks. A run began on
the bank. This run extended to other
banks. Silver disappeared as gold
had done, months before. The only
money in sight was of paper and half
of this was made up of the worthless
state bank notes.
Huerta Used COersiOn.
Huerta tried to solve the problem
by declaring that the state bank notes
were legal tender. 1t was estimated
that anyone who refused to accepx
them might be arrested. But the pub
lie was not put at ease. A run was
started on the Bank of London and |
Mexico one of the largest banks in the |
republic. The bank closed it's doors.
Huerta, to save the day, declared a
bank holiday and, under this. subter-
fuge, the Bank of London and Mexico,
made only small partial payments on
the many claims upon it.
On January /, the sum of $32,000,000
was due from the Mexican government
to holders of Mexican bonds. This
ton of Mexican customs taxes. For
many months Huerta had seen part of
the customs income set aside to meet
the interest and it was money of which
he was in sore need. The temptation
was too great for the dictator to re- l
sist. He issued a decree declaring :
that the interest payments would not
be made for six months. And, at the
same time, he seized the customs taxes '
for his own government.
Slaughtering Of Mexicans.
At the end of twelve months of !
Huertaism Mexico finds itself in a ,
worse situation than it has been in for ,
lalf century. A year of Huerta's die
.atorship has meant the slaughter Of :,
thousands of Mexicans, the breaking ,
I'D of thousands of Mexican homes, ,
he destruction of millions of dollars !
worth of mines, railroads, telegraph 7
ines, bridges and businesses, which it :
lad taken third of century to build !,
)r create. I
The year has seen many Mexical '
eaders either assassinated, imprisoned !;
,r exiled. 1t has seen Mexico debts \
'epudiated; it has seen the Countrys \
financial reputation sink from the \
highest point to the equal OF the low \
steem in which the finances of the r
most unstable of South American re-
'ublics is held. T
The only bright spot in all is that \
Iexico had daily seen the nearer ap- !,
roach and inevitable downfall of 9
Iuerta. With all their silence, and .
hey are silent through fear, the aver :,
ge man in Mexico hates Huerta and :.
oved Madero. To him Villa is hero
Or whom he will wildly cheer just r,
S soon as he knows that he can cheer =,
VltnOut Delng slain IOf MS enthusiasm.
Silence of the Masses. "
The proof of this fact was definite v
given by the populace OF the capital
hen news of the raising of the embar-
0 on arms to the rebels by Presiden, :.
vilson was first published by the !,
exican newspapers. Anti-American -
OTIS might have been expected by the
)pulace six months before But there
as not suggestion of anti-American !,
cling in the capital. The very silence
the masses showed that they favored :,
e action taken by the United States.
The next government of Mexico will .
We it's existence to the United States q
ere will be great friendship Re N,
reen the two governments. In the o..
ID American business interests, if on>
res to look at the matter in that =
Lrrow light, will discover that it has