The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1910-12-24
War in Chihuahua Fiercest
And Government Throw
ing Many Troops Into Sc
ditious District.
INsURRECTOS WAGING
GUERILLA WARFARE

So far the area of disturbance in
Mexico has been United mainly to the
state of Chihuahua. There have been
other outbreaks in other states, and
many arrests, especially in the central
part of the republic, but no serious arm.
ed resistance to the government any.
where but IN the north.
The government has thrown an army
of several thousand men into the scdi.
tions district, and no one questions the
bravery with which the federal troops
are proceeding against the insurgents.
but the insurgents ON their part are put
ting up game fight, and the very ex.
tent of their losses is the best proof
that they are neither towards nor in
the war for fun.
II is to considerable extent guerilla
warfare, no large compact bodies of in.
snrgents presenting themselves at one
time. This makes the task of the gov.
-rnmrnt troops much harder, for in or.
der to guard against surprise aud de.
struction Of communicating lines the
government forces must he kept com.
pact, leaving wide areas open to the
raids of the insurgents. The moral eff
feet of the insurgept successes ON the
people in the district makes daring
deeds seem worth while To the insur
gents, aud the government finds dihi.
Guilty offsetting these with real victories
owing to the nature of the combat.
RcvcrsalS of government fortunes in
these early days of military operations
are To be expected and are not at all ser
ious in their larger bearing on the final
outcome of the insurrection. The in.
surgents are in country friendly to
them and with which they are entirely
familiar; the government on the con
trary is operating in the cnemy's coun'
part been brought from a distance and
are unfamiliar with the geography aud
Topography aud unused to the condi-
tions of campaigning in the region. II
is almost entirely a question of the com
potency of the officers, of thorough
scouting, and of keeping the "crack.
or line" open-thc line of communica
tion with the base.
The troops themselves are brave and
persist ent so far as appears, they are
as u rule loyal to the government, and
NJ, Ia
standing the initial misfor,uncs, in the
long run there can be- no doubt of the
outcome The insurgents de- not seem to
have any wide or efficient organization.
II is n mistake to assume that they are
bandits or pcous; while naturally the
lawlcss classes and ignorant Substratum
will tend to attach themselves TO the
rebels, the insurgents. nevertheless as n
general thing are composed of the bet
ter class, both as to leaders and men.
The outbreak will provo aborative, but
il is none the less n ganuine protest
against declared government eXcesses,
u movement based on kind Of priuci.
ple-mistaken though the methods are.
The DiaZ government will best prove
its strength not by brutality and inhu'
manty, not by wholesale military exc.
BUTTONS without fair trial: not by adopt.
ing a weyler policy in the disturbed re-
gion. not by holding noncombatants re-.
sponsible, hut rather by exercising
wise restraint, allowing the civil laws
to take their course aFordng every nc.
cused man n fair trial, aud tcmpering
Justice with mercy
The insurgents have committed tho
gravest crime that can he committed
against organized socicty--if II be con
cedcd that they really constitute only a
small minority of the population. But
IL they be found TO represent n majority
they may he hailed one day as patriots
This line is not always clearly drawn
between reasonable insurrectian and
patriotic revolution, the only true test