--j-' "W" W"" "r" " "T'W1!
The Commoner
VOL.' 16, NQ. 7
12
r
r
The Status of Mexican Affairs
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0 0
By a reading of tho noto of the United
0 States government to Mexico under dato 0
0 of Juno 20, readers of The Commoner
-will obtain a clear understanding of the
causes which have led up to critical re-
0 latlons existing between this government
0 and tho do facto government of Moxico,
and which led to tho mobilization of tho
United States array and tho militia of tho
various states along tho border. Tho
subsequent notes detail tho progress of
0 negotiations botween tho two govern-
ments which promise at this writing to
bring about a peaceful solution of tho
0 oxlsting difficulties.
0
NOTE OF UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TO
MEXICO
A Washington, D. C, dispatch, datod Juno 20,
says: Tho text of the noto sent by Secretary
Lansing to Genoral Carranza follows:
"Tho Secretary of State to tho Secretary of
Foreign Relations of tho De Facto Government
of Moxlco: Department of State, Washington,
D. a, Juno 20, 1910.
"Sir: I havo read your communication, which
was dolivored to mo on May 22, 1910, under in
structions of tho oxocutivo of tho do facto gov
ernment of Moxico, on tho subject of tho pres
ence of American troops In Mexican territory,
and r would bo wanting in candor if I did not,
boforo making answer to tho allegations of facts
and tho conclusions reached by your govern
ment, express tho surprise and regret which
havo beon cauBod this government by the dis
courteous tono and temper of this last communi
oatlon of tho do facto government of Mexico.
"The government of tho United States has
viewed with deep concern and increasing disap
pointment tho progress of tho revolution in
Moxico. Continuous bloodshed and disorders
have marked its progress. For three years tho
Mexican republic has beon torif with civil strife,
tho lives of Americans 'and other aliens havo
been sacrificed; vast properties developed by
American capital and enterprise have been de
stroyed or ronderod nonproductive; bandits
havo been permitted to roam at will throughout
tho torritory contiguous to tho United States and
to- seize, without punishment or without effec
tive attempt at punishment, the property of
Americans, while tho lives of citizens of the
united States who ventured to romaln in Mexican
territory or to return thero to protect their in
terests havo beon taken, in some cases barbar
ously taken, and tho murderers have neither
been approhendod nor brought to justice. It
will be difficult to And in the annals of tho his
tory of Mexico conditions more deplorable than
thoso which havo existed there during these re
cent years of civil war.
OUTRAGES ARE RECOUNTED
'It would be tedious to recount instance af
ter instanco, outrage after outrage, atrocity
after atrocity, to illustrate the true nature and
extent of tho wide-spread conditions of lawless
ness and violence which havo prevailed, Dur
ing the past nine months, in particular, the
frontier of the United States along the lower
Rio Grande has been thrown into a state of con
stant apprehension and turmoil because of fre
quent and sudden incursions into American ter
ritory and dopredations and murders on Amer
ican soil by Mexican bandits, who havo taken tho
lives and dostroyed tho property of American
citizens, sometimes carrying American citizens
aoross tho international boundary with tho booty
seized. American garrisons have boon attacked
at night, American soldiers killod and their
equipment and horses stolen. Amorican ranches
havo beon raided, property stolen and destroyed
and American trains wrecked and plundered
The attacks on Brownsvlllo, Red House Ferry'
Progreso postofflce and Las Poladas, all occur
ring during September last, are typical. in
these attacks on Amorican territory Carran
xista adherents and even Carranzlsta soldiers
took part. In the looting and killing. Not only
frere. theso murders characterized by ruthless
brutality, but uncivilized acts of mutilation' we
Jtarpetrated.
.O. CHECK ON OUTLAWS
"Representations were made to general- Gar
raaxa and he was emphatically requested to stop
theso acts in a section which he has long claimed
to bo under tho complete domination of his au
thority. Notwithstanding theso representations
and tho promise of General Nafarette to prevent
attacks along tho international boundary, in tho
following month of October a passenger train
waa wrecked by bandits and several persons
killed, several miles north of Brownsville, and
an attack was made upon the United States
troops in the same place several days later.
"Since theso attacks leaders of the bandits,
well known to Mexican civil and military au
thorities, as well as to American officers, have
been enjoying with impunity the liberty of tho
towns of northern Mexico. So far has the in
difference of the de facto government to theso
atrocities gone, that some of these leaders, as I
am advised, have received not only the protec
tion of that government, but encouragement
and aid as well.
"Depredations upon American citizens and
property within Mexican jurisdiction have been
still more numerous. This government has re
peatedly requested in the strongest terms that
tho de facto government safeguard the lives and
homes of American citizens and furnish the pro
tection which international obligation imposes
to American interests in the northern states of
Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua
and Sonora, and also In the states to the south.
For example, on January 3, troops were request
ed to punish the bands of outlaws which looted
tho Cusi mining property, eighty miles west of
Chihuahua, but no effective results came from
this request. During the following week the
bandit Villa, with his band of about 200 men,
was operating without opposition between Rubio
and Santa Yz'abol, a fact well known to Carran
zlsta authorities. Meanwhile a fcarty of unfor
tunate Americans started by train from Chihua
hua to visit the Cusi mines, after having received
assurances from the Carranza authorities in the
state of Chihuahua that the country was safe
and that a guard on the train was not neces
sary. Tho Americans held passports of safe
conduct, issued by authorities of the de facto
government. On January 10 the train was
stopped by Villa bandits and eighteen of the
American party were stripped of their clothing
and shot in cold blood, in what is now known as
tho Santa Yzabel massacre." General Car
ranza stated to the agent of the department of
state that he had issued orders for the immediate
pursuit, capture and punishment of those re
sponsible for this atrocious crime and appealed
to this government and to the American people
to consider tne difficulties of according protec
tion along the railroad where the massacre oc
curred. Assurances were also given by Mr Ar
rodondo, presumably under instructions from
the do facto government, that the murderers'
wou d be brought to justice and that sterm
would also be taken to remedy the lawless con
ditions existing in the state of Durango it Iz
true that Villa, Castro and Lopez we?e publicly
declared to be outlaws and subject to apprS
s on and execution, but so far as knowS only a
single man personally connected with this mas-
auu7oHesbeen t0 JUStice "he MexTcan
mmT,,N EFF0RT TO TAKE VILLA
Within a month after this barbarous slamrh
rf4nnoffen8ive Americans, it was LtoSs
that Villa was operating within twenty miles of
Cusihuirachic and publicly stated that his Lv
pose was to destroy American lives and n?on
erty. Despite repeated and insistent demands
that military protection should be furnished to
Americans, Villa still openly carried on his op
erations, constantly approaching closer ami
closer to the border. He was nof inEwJl 1
nor were his movements tardea by tTotl tf
the de facto government and no effectual nt
tempt was made to frustrate his hoatiiA SSi
against Americans, in fact anilm??11?
while Villa and his band were slowlv m'
toward the American frontie? in th L?ST,nB
hood of Columbus N m ilf I Q, n?tehbor
soldier wasseep in hie inhftv 8,"G Mexican
movements,, for on March 6, Tg?1, - lIs'
publicly announced, he advised th- ?Qa7,Pa
military authorities of tho n5iL .he Amercan
the border,,BQ St towjZuXi approa to
prevent him, from crosrin? i?e prGar to
unhindered actfvUIe WtUbff SA ViIla'3
voked and cold blooded attaJv I th,e unpr
soldfers and citizens in th lPn? meran.
on the night of March" thtails Thich
do not need repetition here in order to refresh
your memory with the bideousness of the crlmo
After murdering, burning and plundering Villa
and his bandits fleeing south passed within slehf
of the Carranzlsta military post at Casas Grande
and no effort was made to stop him by the offl
cers and garrison of the do facto government
stationed thero.
TROOPS AID OUTLAWS
"In the face of theso depredations not onlv
on American lives and property on Mexican
soil, but on American soldiers, citizens and
homes on American territory, the perpetrators
of which General Carranza was unable or pns
sibly considered inadvisable to apprehend or
punish, the United States had no recourse other
than to employ, force to disperse the bands of
Mexican outlaws who were with increasing bold
ness systematically raiding across the interna
tional boundary. The marauders engaged in the
attack on Columbus were driven back across the
border by American cavalry and subsequently as
soon as a sufficient force to cope with the band
could be collected, were pursued in Mexico in an
effort to capture or destroy them. Without
co-operation or assistance in the field on the
part of the de facto government, despite repeated
requests by the United States, and without ap
parent recognition on its part of the desirabil
ity of putting an end to these systematic raids
or of punishing the chief perpetrators of the
crimes committed because they menaced the
good relations of the two countries, American
forces pursued the lawless bands as far as Par
ral, where the pursuit was halted, by the hostil
ity of Mexicans, presumed to be loyal to the de
facto government, who arrayed themselves on
the side of outlawry and became in effect the
protectors, of Villa and Jhis band,
UNITED STATES FORCED TO ACT
. "In thia manner an for these reasons have
the American forces entered Mexican territory.
Knowing fully the circumstances set forth, the
de facto government can not be blind to the ne
cessity which compelled this government to act,
and yet, it has seen fit to recite" 'groundless sen
timents of hostilities toward thev .expedition and
to impute to this government ulterior motives
ror the continued presence of. American trbops
on Mexican soil. It is charged that these troops
crossed the frontier without first obtaining the
consent or permission of the de facto govern
ment. Obviously as immediate action alone
could avail, there was no opportunity to reach
an agreement (other than that of March 10-14,
now repudiated by General Carranza) prior to
the entrance of such an expedition into Mexico,
11 the expedition was to be .effective. Subse
quent events and correspondence have demon
strated to the statisfaction of this government
that General Carranza would not havo entered
into any agreement providing for an effective
Plan for the capture and . destruction of Villa
pandits. While the American troops were mov
ing rapidly southward in pursuit of the raiders,
it was the form and nature of the agreement
that occupied the attention of General Carranza
rather than the practical object which it was to
attain-tbo number of limitations that could be
imposed upon the American, forces-to -impede
their progress rather than the obstacles that
could be raised to prevent the escape of the out-
t NO BAD FAITH BY UNITED STATES
it was General Carranza who suspended,
through your note of April 12, all discussions
and negotiations for an agreement along the
' Is the Ptocols between the United States
and Mexico concluded during the- period 1882
18 J 6, under which the two countries had suc
cessfully restored peaceful conditions on their
common boundary. It may be mentioned here
that, notwithstanding the statement in your
note that the American government gave no
answer to the noto of the 12th of April, this
note was replied to on April 14, when the de
partment instructed Mr. Rodgers by telegraph
to deliver this government's answer to General
carranza. Shortly after this reply the confer
ences, between Generals Scott, Funston and Ol
regon began at El Paso, during which they
signed, on May 2,- a project of a memorandum
and referendum regarding the withdrawal of
American troops. As an allegation of the bad
rami of the American government you state
that, though General Scott declared in his mem
orandum that the destruction and dispersion of
ino Villa band 'had been accomplished,' -yet
American- forces are not withdrawn; from Mex
ico, .it is only necessary to read the memoran
dum, which is in the English language, to as
certain, that this is clearly a misstatement, for
tne memorandum states that 'the American pu-
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