The Washington herald., 1916-12-09
Seen and Heard
BY GEORGE MINER.

New York, Dec. S.-There has
been a great deal of talk in the
United States in the last few months
concerning the presence of foreign
ers in the Mexican army. have been
) told by highly important gentleman,
who spoke with the tone of authority
and the confidence of assured facts,
that the Mexican army was largely
officered by Germans. Other men
have told me that at least third of
the officers in the Mexican army were
Japanese. Leaving all politics aside,
l, of course, doubted their statements,
for have never seen one single Ger
man or one single Japanese in the
military service in Mexico on any
side, either with the contitutionalistic
army of Carranza or with the semi
military bandits controlled by Villa
and Zapata.
Mr.. George Weeks, who is the edi-
tor of the Mexican Review, has kind
ly given me the actual data concern
ing foreigners who reside in Mexico.
He says that there are less than
$500 Japanese all told in the whole
republic. Of Chinese, he says, there
are more or less $1,000 to 10000 in
the republic, but no Chinaman in
Mexico has ever been known to take
up arms and fight for any side.
Very much to my surprise, he told
me that there are in the Carranza
army about half dozen Japanese Of
fcers. One of them is an aid on the
staff of Gen. Pablo Gonzales. An
other is a subordinate in the COM
mand of Gen. Gonzales. The other
four or five are filling minor positions
in various detachments.
There are, he also says, perhaps
forty or fifty Japanese private SOL
diers in the ranks, and he says to the
best of his belief, and despite my own
observations, that a few Cinnamon
are really in the army-perhaps FIVE
or six. But they are not pure
Chinese at all, only half breeds. These
Cinnamon, like the officers referred
to, were in the revolutionary army
under Madero and were forced to
take out papers as naturalized Mexi-
can citizens before their services
were accepted by the constitution
alists>
Carranza at one time, early in the
revolution, had an opportunity to
secure the services of large num-
Der Of Japanese and other foreign
ers. But he positively and promptly
declined to accept that offer. l know
this to be fact myself from a state
ment made to me by Mr.. Carranza
and this belief of mine has been con-
hrmed by Mr.. Weeks.
There is one so-called German Of
hcer in the army-Gen Klose. AL
though of German parentage, Gen.
Klose is Mexican born and also a
Mexican citizen. For that matter, all
the officers in the onstitutionalistic
army of foreign extraction are Mexi-
can citizens. If there are any other
Germans in the Carranza fighting
force they have kept their nation
ality effectively disguised. As a mat
ter OF fact, nothing could justify the
sensational reports on this subject
which l have heard in the United
States.
The stories regarding large num-
bers of foreigners in the forces of the
various Mexican leaders are undoubt-
edly for the most part fables. Villa
is credited with having some 1900
Americans and other soldiers of for
tune with him during the Torreon
campaign. But a careful census
made by the newspaper correspond
ents with Villas forces disclosed the
fact that the real number was Just
fifteen.
The drink question in Mexico is
perhaps the most important one next
to that of finance. In Yucatan,
which is the first state to regulate
the sale of intoxicants and suppress
those of the most insidious and evil
kind, there has been a big problem
to work out. Gov. Alvarado has
been on the alert to nip in the bud all
attempts to circumvent the good
work he has done in this direction.
1t seems that the law prohibiting
the sale of alcoholic beverages in Yu-
catan was carefully studied by some
of the liquor dealers and an effort
made to discover some Intoxicating
drink that would not come within
the pernicious alcoholics named in the
lists.
The drink was found in Tepache,
where it was sold on the streets, the
plazas and in the stores of the city
| in spite of the activities of the po-
lice. 1t did not seem possible for a
while to stop the vice of drunkenness,
as cases constantly occurred where