Salt Lake Tribune | 1913-12-21 | Page 4 | Confiscation Discussed as Final Resort

CONFISCATION FINALRESORT i j Mexican Government in Last Stages of Financial Impov- erishraent; Bands of Rebels Reb-els Continue to Organize. I HUERTA EXPECTED TO LAST SOME TIME j Dictator Is Unscrupulous and I j .Will Not Hesitate to Seize Money if by Any Chance He Can Locate It. m MEXICO CITY, Dec. 20. Kob- S els this aftornoou attacked Tam- m pIco, the center of the oil district, E - according to official advices re- K coived in Mexico Oity tonight. I MEXICO CITY, Dec. 20. Financial fly impoverishment and an increasing or jfi ganization among scores of rebel bands uj havo reduced the provisional govern- K nient to what appears to bo a desperate situation, but conservative residents of Dj tho federal capital profesg to believe, S in viovr of the recent military opora- K tions and the fact that Provisional If President Huerta continues to secure jaj mpnoy, .oven though in small, amounts, K tint tho government may not fall for H many months unless some unexpected ffl turn for 'the worse occurs. II This was pay day for government em 11 ployees and in almost all departments Ifc there was little delay in meeting tho Ij1 pay rolls. That the government may not be able to float another lo3n is conceded con-ceded by Mexicans generally, but none I has lost sight of the fact that- tho country is rich and that General Huerta as a last resort would 'not hesitate to take money whore ho could find it. Already tho cabinet has discussed the confiscation of tire property of all in-j in-j dividuals who are known to havo ar rayed -themselves against the Huerta government. The measure has not yet ffl received tho full approval of tho mln- w isters, but if adopted it will prove' a K rich resource. S Forced Collections. K Collections that fall Utile short of "boing forced have been niado in cities outside tho capital, and Provisional fx President Huerta '5 new order for the establishment of a militia at the ex-! ex-! expense of the business men generally ! in the various states is in lino with j his policy to draw directly from tho ; country the revenue necessary for car rying on the war. 0 The failure of Genoral Francisco Jjj Villa to march south from Chihuahua M because of his reluctance to leave the 9jj forces of General Salvador Mercado H and General Pascual Orozco in his rear, H the failure of the rebels to tahc Tam- pico, the reocenpatjon of Torreon by j j government soldiers and the presence at 1 a Monterey of 5000 federal troops, are j J looked upon by military men as indi- ( j cations that tne swinging advance of 5 j the rebel army has been slowed up and j J that from uow on, as their campaign is ) carried further into the heart 01 the re- I 1 public, their progress necessarily must j j be slower. 1 j Plan of Rebels. ; Bebel sympathizers here insist that j Tainpico will be easy prey for the reb- j j els on the next attack and that after : I capturing the port they may bo erpeefc- 1 ed. to do ono of two things either ad- i vanco to. tho center of the country and attack Sau Luis Potosi or return uorth- :. ward and light for the possession of Monterey. Military men believe the rebels are unlikely to commit the tactical error j of moving on San Luis Potosi and leav- ; ing the largest mobilized government j forces in their rear at Monterey. The same military authorities do not beliove that a successful attack on Monterey would bo a simple task. At tho war orfice hero it is not conceded con-ceded that the rebels would be able to take Tampico, defended as it is bv 2000 or inoro federals, with the 211ns of the I warship Bravo and Vera Cruz. On 'the other hand the rebels, it is known, can I bring to the attack at least 3000 men 1 and a few pieces of artillery. General Zapata's threats to enter the city of Mexico, while creating some slight anxioty, arc not taken seriously oy ' most people, who believe that he will : obey Genoral Carranza and wait until his forces arc joined by men from tho north. A report that President Huerta has almpst no ammunition left in tho city is officially denied and the denial is credited by most people, it beinir point-I point-I od ont that one of General Huerta "s , j chief objects has been to look after the f protection of his own seat of goverc- meut.