El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-06-17
MEXICO CITY IS
LITTLE REPUBLIC
Has Own Government, Army
and Railroads; No Trains
From Outside World.

If you happen to wear a size Is col
/ lar and you live in Mexico City, you
/ wear a size Il or Is or 90 without II
. put them there, or go without, as the
I supply of carbons for the arc lights
, gave out two months ago If you want
3 size is hat you wear 81 or 90
one of the most highly developed arts
/ in Mexico City at this time. according
/ to an American fresh from the capital
Mexico City, the American says, is
/ exactly like a miniature Independent
4 country, with its own form of govern
4 ment, its own railroads and its own
army, all cut off from intercourse with
! the outside world except through tor
| tuous channels.
No Train Since February.
Early in February a train, loaded
with Supplies. pulled into the Buena
/ Vista station Since then no train
( loaded with anything in the way Of
[ supplies except come fOodstuffs has
pulled in This explains the reason
| for circling- a IS shirt band with 10
cOllar-Or doing without The stores
are open, but their stocks are so de
pleted that the chances Of purchasing
( the common commodities are small
The 'conventionalists. despite the
fact that they are continually intrigu-
ing and pickering among themselves,
have formed a fairly efficient police
force. Minor robberies anu hOldups
Z
troops are kept in order and the can
I tiuas have been given the tip to see
70 Il that the flowing bowl does not
flow too freely.
Convention Like Mad House.
Sessions Of the convention are held
almost daily in the chamber Of depu-
ties, and, according to the American
are veritable mad house Delegates
wransle over abstract problems. TO the
accompaniament of jeers or vivas from
the galleries The most impracticable
questions, such as the proper method
for beauufying certain streets or the
advisability Of changing the decorations
of the second best state chamber Of the
national palace are threshed out TO the
last and ultimate word. There is one
convention member who daily creates
disturbance by making a violent attack
on BenitO JuareZ- Just what his COM
plant against the deceased patriot is,
no one seems TO know
Call Each Other Names.
The Zapstistas and the "cOnven-
tionalists" are continually wrangling
among themselves. Zapata issued a
proclamation in one of the newspapers
arra1gning one wing Of the party in
the most bitter terms. as thieves and
grafters- The day before Zapatista
general. who was stopping at the old
Porter hotel, walked into the lobby. ac-
cuSed his own brothers IN arms Of
being rescals of the first water and
announced that he and his cOmmauu
would hereafter take orders only from
Rogue Gonzales Cara
The water supply is fair at this time
and has been a great help in improving
sanitary conditions The street car
service is fair and the authorities have
even begun some municipal improves
mentS- The streets, for instance, are in
better condition than at any time in
the last two years. the American says. 2
This Improvement was A direct result Z
OF an order Of former provisional
president Rogue Gonzales Cara The
Mexican Herald printed in both Eng
lish and Spanish, continues to appear.
villa Money Is Used !
Villa money is the currency used and
il is now worth 9 IL cents gold IN
Mexico City. as eontrasted to 3 liz Z
cents here on the border Prices are
not eXhorbitant, but supplies of ali I
foodstuffs are limited. The interna- ]
tional committee. in its report some I
months ago, estimated that il would ]
take 451, zoe, 900 pesos. at a 10 cents I
gold rate Of exchange, to feed the peo- !
pie of the city and federal district I'M /
til the time OF the next harvest. which ]
viii be in October and November. This I
conclusion was arrived at on the re- I
ports Of the big hacienda representa-
tives in Mexico City and the commits 4
sion merchants The hacienda agents, I
IN their report to the committee es-
tlmated the amount OF the crop planted 4
as at about 60 percent OF normal Later I
Investigations have shown these fig
ures to be correct. the American says.
Trains Run by Government.
Railroad trains are operated from the
city to TulOca, the longest single run,
and over short stretches Of the Inter
Oceanic into MorelOs- The line to
Cuernevaca is also open There are
but few engines and fewer cars and
the service is very casual The rail-
roads, like the street car company. are
operated by the government. the prop
critics never having been turned back
to the owners.
The Zapatistas are still addicted TO Z
their old habits OF blowing up trains. Z
The American says that on the line
from san Juan del Rio to Omotusco the
right or way IS strewn with shattered
cars and wrecked locomotives The
raTorite method of blowing up a train, Z
says the American. is TO place a box
ot dynamite under the track and con-
aect II by wires with a hiding place a
snort distance away
Any Old Train VIII Do.
whether the train happens TO be
loaded with troops, passengers or
.reIght. makes on difference. Just as
soon as IL is squarely over the charge
ne dynamite is exploded. The Ameri-
an says he has seen huge locomotives
PICKED up from the track and thrown !
IN their sides some feet distant by the
terrific force Of the explosion
The Zapata and Carranza outposts at !
1achuca are but five miles apart. !
n ithout hardly a move by either side I
hey have remained in the same posi-.
ions for months. Occasional pot shots !
ire all that break the monotOny
Many Passports Needed.
Getting through the lines requires
whole bale Of passports The first
$ issued in Mexico City, then half a
ozen commanders give more as the
moves to the front AT
'achuca the Carrancistas give passes
nd commanders up the line keen al
ing to the collection. Then. at San
nguel de Allende, where the Villa .
ines are crossed, more passports are
ssued There is little difficulty IN q
assing between the hostile lines, the
american SAYS The trip is made by