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--j-' "W" W"" "r" " "T'W1! The Commoner VOL.' 16, NQ. 7 12 r r The Status of Mexican Affairs 00 000 00 0000 0000 000O00 0 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- 4' -f V