The record. [volume] (St. Maries, Idaho) 1913-1918, 1915-10-05
Tuesday, October 5, 1915
ANARCHY IN MEXICO CITY

an American just returned to this
country after years of business
in the Mexican capital, in an ar
ticle in the New York Sun. The
only money in circulation is the
printed issues of one faction or
another, without anything be-
hind them but military force.
Whenever one faction gains ad
vantage over another the mon
ey Of the defeated faction be
comes worthless. Mexico City
has changed hands six times in
the last year and the amount of
money printed has reached hun
dreds of millions.
Transportation does not exist
except where the military author
tiles choose to use the rolling
stock still undestroyed. For six
months Mexico City has been
practically isolated from the
world. There has been no OPP
pOrtunity to import anything
since the time of the occupation
of Vera Cruz by American troops.
Expectation is also practically inn
possible. Some shipments have
been made to the United States of
hides bought at ridiculOusly low
figures in Mexico and subjected
to eXtrtmely high export duties
payable in gold, together with a
graft all along the way to mil
tary commanders for the priyi
lege of allowing the goods topass
The UarranzIsta faction, this
writer also says, has shipped en-
ormOus quantities of foodstuffs,
such as beans, corn, cattle, etc,
while Mexico City is starving ia
establish credit in the United
States for buying arms and ann
munition.
Mail service into Mexico City
has been almost entirely non-ex-
istent since the close of last Jan
uary. Civil courts and civil gov
eminent have long ceased to be
Conditions are altered from day
to day by arbitrary military de-
crees.
General looting goes ON un-
checked. The finest residences
have been confscated and usee
for barracks. For months it ha.
been unsafe to be ON the street.
after dark because of holdups by
military men and by common
thieves. The writer witnessed
from his own window a holduI
conducted by three uniformed
policemen at o'clock in tn,
morning in full daylight. The,
at the point of pistols took from
we'll dressed Mexican civilian
all he possessed in money anC
jewels. Later the same day ON,
OF these policemen shot and kill
ed Spanish grocer for declinins
to serve him a drink, which
military order actually prohibite,
him from doing.
Owing to a shortage of electric
light carbons, street lighting has
long been deficient and fully hall
the time there is no light what
ever at night in the streets. FoI
six weeks while the Zapatistas
controlled Xochimilco, where the
source of water supply is located
the city was without regular
water supply and conditions be-
came extremely bad.
As more and more business
houses and factories closed thou
sands and thousands of the bet
ter working and middle classes
were thrown into the streets with
out means of livelihood. An in
ternatiOnal committee was form
ed, composed of residents from
each foreign country. The com
mittee is still in existence, work
ing very hard, not only for the i'm
terest of foreigners, but also for
the interests of Mexico and Mex
leans. The scarcity of food has
brought misery not only to the
people but to dogs and horses,
which have died by thousands in
the last six months.
Foodstuffs consigned to the
city by the Americas Red Cross
were not permitted to reach the
city. Foodstuffs available in
the surrounding country rarely
reached the city without the pay
hient of brides. Charles J. Con-
ner, in charge Of the A nerican
Red Cross relief work in Mexico.
finally discovered a large amount
Of food supplies hidden in the
city. Al agreement was arriv-
ed at viii the< owner of the stock
and the supnhes passed into the
hands of the REQ Gross.