Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-01-03
'MEXICOHOPELESS,
4 SAYSEXPLORER
Carranza Regime Fallen
Into Government of Graft
and Oppression
FURTIVE ALLY OF BOCHE
X. II. Millward Asserts Ger.
man Defeat Has Increased
Official Chaos
BIZ q Stdn CorrcSpondcnt

Washington. Jan. 3.--Business, gov
ernmental and civic conditions are more
deplorable throughout Mexico today
man they have been at any time in the
last fifty years, Il was said here TODAY
by Russell Hastings Millward. an Amer
lcan explorer. who has Just returned
after travelling In Mexico.
The Carranza officials staked their all
on Germany to win the war; the Ger
man officials and propaeandists had
every opportunity during the war TO use
Mexico as base OF operations and now
tneI are making one last effort 20 "reap
tnelr harvest before they are checked
up by the Allied nations, Mr.. Millward
asserts.
Mr.. Millward holds the worlds record
tor distance travelled on foot--2O. .o7s
miles-and has been decorated by vari-
Gus American and European scientific
societies. It was Mr.. Ntillward who con-
tested Colonel Rooscvclt's claim 10 the
discovery of the Rio Canuman--tbe
klVer OF Doubt in Brazil
I'm all my travels" Mr.. Nluward
said II have never before seen such
conditions as exist in Mexico today pro
pared as | was to find extremely bad
conditions positively was shocked
When saw the true state of affairs As
far as was able to ascertain, Carra,za
ana the group Of men around him stal;ed
(helr hopes on a Germany victory. and
now that Germany has been defeated
'hey DO not know which way to turn.
oficials in Orgy Of Grating
"1 refer principally 10 conditions IN
fucatan and on the Gulf coast Tho
representatives of the present Govern
ment appear to have gone mad on the
subject of graft. Nothing is too small
and nothing too large for them to an
propriate.
The entire country Is disorgarjzed-
business. Government and all. Robbery
and blackmail are rampant. Poverty Is
general Thousands on thousands of
men are without work and have been
lorced ny hunger to turn thieves. Men
VINO are able to get work show little
Inclination TO do so. because they realize
by experience that their pay will be
appropriated, under various gulses NV
the military and others in the Govern
ment.
Virtually all the Mexican business
men who could, have closed their prop
critics rather than submit to the system
OF biackmail to which they have been
subjected by the Carranza officials.
During the war, Germany and Ger
mans had every opportunity to use the
country and harass other foreigners,
Just as soon as the Kaiser quit the
Carranza agents, realizing their hopes
were gone, so far as Berlin was con-
cerned, started out to make final
cleanup while still in power. Imposi-
ktions of an absolutely unfair character
Were filed on the aliens under the guise
@of fines and taxes. Every conceivabl
! scheme has been followed to gouge
business interests or to force them TO
close their establishments"
No Hope i'm Carranya, He Says
Mr.. Millward said it was absolutely
useless to hope for permanent i'm
provement in conditions so long as Car
ranza and his followers are in control.
He is satisfied that Luis Cabrera, Car
ranzas financial adviser. represents the
worst single influence in the country
and that he Is determined to harass all
american interests until they are COM
PEELED to quit the country.
N "The greatest single difficulty in the
Nsituation arises from the fact that Mex.