The Washington herald., 1916-04-18
SEEN AND HEARD IN
MEXICO BY MINER
Special CerrcsssnAent Of 1'h~ wssh-
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Mexico City. April 7.-Here 1, an IN
ctdent that shows the attitude Of the
Csrrsnzs government toward American
citizens who are living IN Mexico:
IL so happened that arrived m
Queretsro the very day that Mr.. Rogers.
who was our consul general IN cuhs
also got there from the north. Mr..
Rogers come with almost ministerial
powers to represent the United States
as sort Of temporary Ambassador until
Mr.. Fletcher. who has been appointed 70
that post. should assume n
As there are only nine Americans IN
Queretsro. both Mr. Rogers and I were
new arrivals. As was coming out Of one
of the old monasterfes used as q govern
ment of1ee, a typical American ranch
man addressed me IN English
You are Mr. Rogers. aren't youT" he
denied that honor and he continued:
Well excuse me for speaking 10 you.
seen In town / thought sure you must
be the new American representative here.
heard be had arrived and would Ike
TO meet MP with him and see II he can
90 anything 70 help me out You see.
m In kind OF a fix with this here
Mexican government and I'm afraid they
are going TO hold me up. as things are
kind of strained Just now"
What's the troubley' / asked
Would Export His Cattle.
why. you see. I've got a ranch up
north with quite q bunch of cattle on n.
or leastwise they used 10 be quite .
bunch. The dickens OF II is, IT'S rlrht
where the Viliistss are running .round.
and every little while when they want
meat they raid In there and take of
some Of my cattle. did have more than
fifteen hundred in the herd. but there's
less than 500 now. So, you see, want
to take the rest out Of the country and
save what's left before he rets any
more"
We'll why don't your"
Because / won't be let There's q Law
sgin H. You can't export any cattle
from Mexico. No. Stree. there's an en-
barge on that all right So I wrote down
here and told EN- about Il and asked per
mission to take the cattle out They
wrote back that the tax for taking out
cattle was 80 head. In gold. and that I
could cross the border with them n
paid that I guess answered them with
q kind Of sassy letter. for said that
the price Of cattle would have 20 70 up
some TO make them worth the tar. That
must have made 'em mad. for they didn't
answer. So here am"
what have you doner"
Why, nothing. ! was going 10 see Mr.
Rogers and ask him II he couldn't make
sort Of official demand on the part OF
the American government 20 that I could
drive those cattle out without having TO
pay anything like that might just
koTT
Before you bother Mr.. Rogers why
don't you call on the minister Of finance
and Of hacienda and explain 20 him that
villa Is subsisting OF your cattle and
that you are unwiningiy giving him aid
and that by taking the cattle away you
remove supplies from the outlaw"
IAN right, IN Try that but I'm Etra,d
they are mad at me-"
he went away looking not IN the least
hopeful His name Ia Edward Grey, and
he Is a good. common-sense American s1-
cept when II comes to International af-
fairs. and then be "a as nssrslghted as
most people. He could see no reason
why the Omitted States government
should not ask MEXICO 10 break her laws
50 as to save him some msoey. Accord
ing 20 his own story, be came 20 Mex
leo some twenty years sso without a
cent and has made quite a comfortable
fortune here IN cattle raising. But he 10
not in the least grateful 20 Mexico nor
does he think he should be asked 10 obey
her laws. He feels above them: that be
is q privileged character. Mort Ameri-
cans here adopt the same attitude, and
Il has done much to make trouble
That same evening met him sEstn On
the street He was all smiles and ss
radiant as a fun moon
what luckT' asked
Treated Like n white Nfss.
Zine" he replied. Say. those fellows
are a pretty decent lot when you come 70
know them. They sure did treat me Ike
q white man. They weren't mad al all
had no trouble about getting in 20 see
them and when told them my story they
said, why, sure you can take your cattle
out without paying any tax. and they
were sorry I had suffered 20 much loss
by the upset state Of the country and
would do anything they could to help me.
They gave me the permit right then and
there and also said they didn't know I
was an American rSnchman. but thought
I was a speoulator wanting 10 run cattle
away. Those fellows are an riEht I'm
for this government from now on"
believe a good many Americans here
would be In the same frame Of mind n
they went straight to the Mexican Eu-
thorities with their troubles instead Of
pestering the State Department in Wash
ington with them.
BY the way. Mr.. Rogers has had no soft
snap since he came here. He erTived just
after the Columbus outrage and when
American troops had already begun their
chase after villa IN Mexican territory
Fortunately. Mr.. Rogers and the Mexi-
can oficisls kept their heads and worried
together hsrmoniously and calmly. A lit
tie fndiscretion or few hot words might
have brought about q crisis Big inf7o-
ences and powerful forces were strtvtnS
their utmost to make trouble, and n Ia
only q wonder that they did not succeed