New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-06-09
Refuoees Able Assistants

Refuuees Able Assistants
Roth departments are peculiarly for'-
urote IN their assistants, who are refu-
yee Americans. Many of these are work
ing chiefly from motives of PATRIOTISM.
They are medical men VINO nave h"'
large having practice in Mexico Ci'y
and engineers from mines. Even the
of street cleaning gangs are
Of a splendid type. They are strahueu
here and need the money. In cohse-
ouepce the departments command the
sorvices Of men worth many times
what the army Is allowed to pay them'
These men are experienced in handing
native labor, speak Spanish easily ana
are glad to escape from the idieness
and boredom of the life of portales.
In the appointment OF these men
there is no politics, and as they are
not working for what there Is In H. out
because they would rather work than
sit idle. there is no graft. The hrst 10
learn this were the gamblers ana pro-
of houses in the red hgnt
district. AS matter OF course they
came to Funston and inquired cheer
fully to which officer should they pay
tribute. They were grieved to find that
that officer had been given a perpetual
leave of absence.
When the army first arrived gam
bling houses were many and VIDE open
The morning after / won 100 pesos
which in real money is S1O-at one
Funston closed all of them. The pro-
prietor of the one | patronized s.lli
shakes his head at me reproachfully.
He undoubtedly thinks the general and
1 split his money flfty-fifty and then
closed his place so that he could not
win 1t back. He wrongs us, but | still
have his money. 1t is another arSu-
ment in favor of a benevolent despot-
ism.
After the lid was screwed down on
gambling bull fighting was stopped
and in the bull ring boxing was sub
stituted With the change everyone,
the bull, was delighted, ex-
cept the bull fighters. They were in
vited to witness the boxing. They
1t a brutal and demoraliz-
ing spectacle.
lnaIienable Rights Lost.
In other ways the American despots
have interfered with the inalienable
right of a Mexican to enjoy the suf-
ferings Of others. 1t used TO be that
when a Mexican was intoxicated the
police roped him and dashed him to a
handcart. They then, to the delight
of the populace. wheeled him through
the streets. Like wild animal caught
in a net he snarled and struggled.
have seen a man and a woman dashed
together on the same cart, kicking and
fighting and followed by a delighted
mob.
Benevolent despotism has changed
that. Now we have black marias,
painted white and scarlet, with cur
tains discreetly drawn. They are so
attractive that TO ride in one is a
pleasure. They almost encourage in
toxication.
Before the army arrived the streets
Of Vera Cruz were filled with beggars,
crippled, blind and diseased. From
hotel or TO hotel they dragged them
selves, showing their sores and ex-
hibiting pltiful or monstrous deformi-
ties. To come in contact with some
OF them was TO acquire horrible I'M
named diseases. They have been re-
moved TO hospitals or furnished with
enough money to put them beyond the
need of making capital out of their
misfortunes.
Worse than the condition of the beg
CARS was that of the dogs that overran
the city. In print their state cannot
be explained. II 1t made us suffer to
look at them, II can be imagined what
the animals themselves endured. Bene-
VIOLENT despotism reached out its hand
and removed them also.
1t also removed at least to a distance
nswsboys and bootblscks who used to
crowd around the tables where cleanly