Evening star., 1915-11-25
The MEXICAN MIDDLE
W.-Perturbed But Peace
full Ell Paso.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

Ell PASO, Tex, November 19.-This
| metropolis of the southwest wishes to
correct the national impression that
she is a war center. Although she
is the gateway through which war-torn
Mexico imports everything. from car
tridges to dictators. the city continues
| calm and orderly as ever. Neverthe-
less. the storm in Mexico has left it's
mark in ways that are interesting to
note.
Ell Paso is the city of the refugees. A
great class of Mexican society has al
most deserted the republic, and most
of them have come to Ell Paso. They
are the landholders and moneyed men,
the friends of the old conservative or
der. Their estates laid waste and their
stock driven off, the men themselves
have retired with their families to wait
for better times. Many of them are
still very wealthy in spite of their
losses. for Mexico was the land of
great fortunes. Like the upper classes
people of cosmopolitan experience and
culture. Their presence constitutes not
problem. but an asset.
The bulk of the refugees. however,
are of another type. Altogether FL
Paso has about
Ell PaSO Holds $1,000 of them
1900 Refugees. in ii is ner i,,yi 81 Y ion ane
that they cannot all be Castilian capi-
talists. The great number of lower
class Mexicans do constitute a prob
lem. both political and social. They do
not become American citizens; hence
it is supposed that they will so back
to Mexico as soon as order is restored.
In the meantime FL Paso is trying to
educate them, and especially to teach
them English. The whole lower quar-
ter of the city. by the river bank op-
1t is a bit of Mexico in the United
States The speech of the streets, the
signs of the shops, are Spanish. Rag
ged little Mexican newsboys vend
dozen Spanish papers; even the old
Mexican street hawker has invaded the
quarter with his stand of cheap candy
and its accompanying swarm of flies.
immigration comes in waves. Every
battle or prospect of a fight sends a
crowd of non-combatants seeking
safety over the line. Since many of
these immigrants must be classed as
undesirable aliens, a strict inspection
is maintained. AT a time of real dan
ger, as when Villa was moving on
lished a camp for refugees, where they
were held under guard until it was safe
to send them home again Five thou
sand people took refuge in this camp.
Today there are two Mexicans in Ell
Paso to every American The peace
able nature of the Mexicans is strik-
ingly shown by the fact that they have
never given trouble of any sort, even
when the American government took
steps against Villa, with whom most of
them sympathize The attention of the
immigration inspectors is directed
toward wedding out the physically un-
fit rather than the potential disturb
ers. The bulk of the immigrants come
in over single bridge, where the troll
ley line crosses from Juarez to Ell Paso.
Here every passenger is sharply scru-
tinized, and the apparently unfit are
taken off for a closer examination. AS
the people of Juarez are continually
making excursions into Ell Paso on
business or pleasure. it is sometimes
hard to distinguish between an unde-
sirable alien and an old lady on a
shopping tour.