The Washington herald., 1914-02-01
SUPPORT GIVEN
T0GEN. HUERTA
American Woman Writes OF
Conditions at Guam
ajuato, Mexico.
MONEY SITUATION BAD
Silver and Small Change Is Being
Hoarded-Mines Running
Full Capacity.
MONEY SITUATION BAD

Somerville, Mass, Jan. M.-The intimate
view OF life in Mexico just at present.
given by Mrs. Irving Herr. daughter OF
Dr. A. +. winship. OF Perkins street. in a
letter received in Somerville. will interest
people OF this city. Mrs Herr has lived
near Guansjuato. Mexico, for nearly ten
years and has just returned to her Mexi-
can home with her two boys. after long
visit in Somerville.
Her anxiety in returning when political
conditions were reported to be anything
but peaceful, how she found business.
social and political affairs in Central
Mexico. and how the Americans in Mexico
regard President Wilson's attitude toward
Huerta are shown in her letter. which
follows:
In the first place felt that ! couldn't
sail from New York soon enough. so i'm
patient was | to get away from the oh.
haven't you a heap OF courage and the
looks that more truly told the real opin-
ion OF me in starting hack before quiet
was reported. But 1 didn't get away
from them. as hoped by sailing from
New York, for the first day out the cap
tain. with whom I had sailed before,
said. You are crazy But my husband
wired me l might come. Well. he's
crazier Tn ws- his encouragement.
No Longer Uneasy.
Then. or largely because l had time to
sit around and think and had little else
to do ] began to wonder II l weren't I
most unwise and by the time We reached
Havana I began to think / might not get
beyond Vera Cruz. But as We steamed
west from Havana towards the Mexican
coast my feelings of uneasiness gradually
dropped away and by the time We entered
Vera Cruz Harbor at sunrise on the
eighth day they had left me entirely. To
be sure there were battleships and a
cruiser or two representing the United
States, Great Britain. France. and Ger
was as quiet and peaceful as one could
wish, and there was no report of any
serious occurrence in the interior.
Our trip up to Mexico City and thence
to Guanajuato was through equally tran
gull country. and the trains were running
on schedule as they have been right
along. they tell me. Mexico City itself is
a panicky place and every one expects
something definite and final and disas-
trous TO happen.
THE Wilson administration is blamed
on all sides for the seriousness OF the
situation. Every one of intelligence'-to
quote the American wife of a prominent
Mexican who came South with me-'sup-
ports Huerta, realizing that he is the
only man in sight who is capable of
handling the situation President Wilson
did have few supporters, few. very few,
here, when 1 left for Boston, but they
have deserted him now.
Huerta Round to Lose.
But Huerta is bound to lose-or rather,
not to completely win out-while the
United States lends its moral support TO
the Constitutionalists. That the Consti-
tutionalists, on the other hand, will win
out is not generally believed in this part
of the republic, although the unexpec' ed
has a way of happening in Mexico now
adays. However, their successes are by
no means SO complete nor extensive as
one gathers from reading the press dis
Patches In the States.
"On the other hand, Huerta Is by no
means at the end of his rope. Finanr
cially, he will get money inside of the
country II he cannot get 1t outside, and
there Is still much to be had He Is the
type of man who sticks and the more
he is told to get out by one whose au-
thority he sees no reason for recogniz-
ing, the more tenacious is his hold.
THE money situation from the stand
point Of business is unsatisfactory, for
the peon class is getting suspicious of
the bank notes, and with good reason,
since some of the small merchants in
have been taking advantage
of their ignorance and discounting bills
for them at fifty per cent. telling them
that was all they were worth, and they,
knowing no better, have permitted the
merchants to do II.
silver Is Hoarded.
'The result is a boarding Of silver and
small change and SO taking 1t out Of cir |
culation, and II Is quite difficult to do |
business on a cash basis.
aside from the money situation and |
the fact that the cost of living has
to federal taxes and the |
rate of exchange-and the scarcity of
American goods. which were formerly 30 |
easily obtained. life in Guanajuato is |
going merrily along in the same old way |
All the mines are running at full capac- |
ity; nearly all the women and children |
are here, and the social life is in full /
swing: and II is hard for US to realize |
that there is any adequate reason why |
friends and relatives In the States should /
bA WprryipR themsalyeg oyer uk"