Fergus County Democrat., 1915-03-11

"The resident foreigners are abso-
lutely in no danger whatsoever. When
I levied the extraordinary assessment
on the merchants, bankers, business
and professional men in general, in an
effort to alleviate the poverty stricken
c,s,diton of the poor, the foreigners
engaged in business here, through the
minister of France, petitioned the frs
chief at Vera Cruz to be exempted
from it's provisions. Mr.. Carranza
granted their request and since then
these foreign merchants have been
very favorably disposed to our cause.
MANY of the business men, bankers
and merchants gladly paid the tax inn
posed and others stated their willing
ness to comply with it if given addi-
tonal time. They are now daily en-
deavoring to meet it's requirements.
at is utterly false that ! have pre-
vented food at any time from entering
Mexico City, or at any time took sup
plies from the city to furnish them to
the army.
"Owing to the depredations Of the IA
Datistas the water supply has been
short, but every effort has been made
to remedy this condition. Flour, coal
and other commodities that must nee
essarily be impaired at all times have
not ben abundant, but vegetables and
small trucking that Mexico City at
all times obtains from the Indians who
cultivate small patches in the suburbs
Of the city. have been as plentiful
as the times justify.
-
newspapers were reporting that Catho-
lie priests had been the subjects
Of mistreatment and that they were
suffering abuses in prison, | author
lied the correspondent o. La Pranza
and the local agency Of the Associated
oress to interview th.. clergymen them
selves and discover Of their own ac-
cord how they were being treated
"The following is an abstract from
report made By the correspondents
and published in La Prenza:
"'After many OF the priests had
singly informed US that they had not
been maltreated, they requested Canon
Juan Climaco Ramirez to voice the
sentiments of the entire group. The
prelate spoke as follows:
"'We have been well treated by all
the chiefs and offers, who, ! believe,
helong to the staff of General Castro.
We have not been molested in the
least and we know that this is due
to orders from General Obregon, to
whom we are greatly obliged Tor the
consideration shown us. We receive
our food from our homes. We are
allowed to receive those who wish to
call or us and we have the freedom
OF the building and walk through all
the corridors and nails. (They are
lodged in what was formerly the build
ing occupied by the department of war
and marine at the national palace }
We have daily communication with
Father Paredes, who is working to
solve the situation.
"In connection with this information
that has been received in the United
States, would call your attention to
the fact that certain sources of infor-
nation, greatly relied upon by the
United States, are poisoned against
the constitutionalist cause. Every oc-
casion is taken by those worthy Sc
nors' to put US in the worst light
possible.
"It is natural that those interests
that prospered under the old regime,
while the Mexican people themselves
We're left in a pitiful state, will stoop to
any means, no matter how low, to
discredit the constitutionalist move
ment, which they realize sounds the
death knell Of special privilege and
embodies Il general revolutionary move
ment for the benefit of the Mexican
masses"