Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-05-04
TELLS OF MEx1CANs AND LIFE IN MEXICO.

Marshaltown has as Il resident at
least one man knows about all there Ia
to know of Mexico, and Mexlcans. and
their life. This man Is j. NJ. Alarco,
209 East Webster street. Texas land
salesman, a native Of Valencia, Spain,
but now a citizen OF the United States.
Mr.. Alarco spent ten years in Mex
leo, coming back to the states three
years ago while I could get out and
have something left" as he puts It..
Mr.. Alarco lived in Mexico City.
Guadalajara and Aguas Galleries. and
in that time was manager of an cleo
trio light plant, sold mining machinery.
was in the oil business. and acted as
district agent Of the Mutual Life In
surance Company of New York.
Naturally Mr.. Alarco is very much
interested in the Mexican situation,
and he firmly believes that the only
solution of the Mexican problem Is for
the United States to acquire the coun-
try. "'The Mexicans will never be able
to govern themselves, In my opinion"
said Mr.. Alarco TT is too easy to
start a revolution, and for the most
part the people are too shiftless to
care whether they are at peace or war.
AS an example. let me cite an Incident
that came under my personal observa-
ton only few weeks ago. was down
i'm Brownsville on business, and while
there went across the Rio Grande to
Matamoros, where a rebel detachment
was camped. To a peon l CHANGED to
meet said:
who are you fighting for''
Juan Alvarez" was the prompt re-
ply. -,
yves. but on which side are fightinG?"
asked.
II fight for Juan Alvarez" was the
answer again. makes no difference
which side"
The peon then went on to explain.
At labor he could earn only 10 cents a
day At war he could earn 81 per day
and findings" (what he could loot)
~ can die only once" the peon said,
land l might as well die fighting as die
from overwork."
"And that about explains how many
Mexicans feel about war, yet there
ism, one out of ten who could stand
at your office window here and hit the
court house with q Mauser bullet And
It is quite natural that they can't shoot.
Most of them are too poor to own
rife, and If they did have the rifle they
could not scrape up enough money to
buy ammunition. Why the United
states spends annually for target prac-
tlce alone more money than 1t costs to
keen the entire standing army OF Mex
ico.''
Relatives at 1ampico.
! Mr.. Alarco is also greatly interested
in the situation from the fact that his
wife's sister, Mrs. Thomas VI. Hughes
and her husband have interests at
Tampico. Mr.. and Mrs. Hughes have
just reached Galveston as refugees
from Tampico. Alarco thinks the ad-
ministra ton made a grave mistake IN
not extending more protection to ram
pico. and that Mrs. Hughes Is plainly
of this opinion is shown in atelegram
she sent her sister, under date of
Galveston, April %. Was Austin, April
20, and received here wednesday. Mrs.
Hughes wires:
Landed today. Forced out Of Tam
pico Wednesday under protection Ger
man and British flags; deserted by our
government, forcibly brought to Gal
weston" tw 4
Mr.. and Mrs. Hughes were on the
Connecticut with !, several hundred
refugees out Of Tafnpico.. Mr.. Hughes
has been general manager and part
owner Of the Buey Lumber Company
and was doing a fine business. He and
his wife brought out Of Tampico the
| contents Of three suitcases, represent
| ing their entire earthly possessions.
Not Right to Desert Tampico.
ut was not right to desert Tampico,
said Mr.. Alarco. Our battieships. as
your own paper stated in dispatch
Wednesday, were out ninesmiles. while
our people in Tampicos We're compelled
to seek refuge under the Flags Of Ger
many. England and France. Why did
not our own vessels stay in close
enough to render aid to our own peo-
ple?"
Mrs. Hughes writes her sister Of the
situation at Tampico under date OF
April %. as follows:
LAS we left our house, back of the
plaza, for the new Imperial Hotel. we
| the Gringos.' over 500 refugees are
here on the Connecticut alone. There
has been much rioting, and the COM
n.ander Of the German cruiser sent
word to Zaragosa, federal commando
at Tampico. to- clear the streets or III
would do 1t for him. The streets were
cleared within fifteen minutes.
''The American fleet has been sen
to Vera Cruz, against the protest OF
the acting admiral and there wer
not enough men left to land at Tam
| pico and protect the people. We woulC
probably have been massacred If tbs
Mexicans hadn't realized that the Eng