Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1913-12-04

suTcHERY IN THE
NAME OF LIBERTY

rrom the Houaton chronicle.

from the Houston Chronicle.
One of the worlds noted wonnen as she
bowed her neck to the guillotine, cried
been committed in thy name."
When one reads OF the butcheries per-
petrated by Villa and his banditti in
Juarez he is prepared to appreciate the
~despairing cry of the victim OF French
fanattctSm.
Villa did moro in a few hours to weaken
the revolutionist cause than all the atroci-
Weyler in Cuta never made a bloodier
record. Because men OF courage and In
telligence adhered to the cause OF the gov
t eminent, assuming the same right to make
as he exercised, he had them shot down
as Il each one had been a dog in q ditch.
Without trials-or after trials which were
a mccking, jeering sham-he put men to
death as remorselessly as a butcher would
have killed a calf. yet he is a follower and
colleague Of C~arranza. who has made the
most vehement protestations of his devo-
ton to liberty and constitutional govern
ment, and from the most intelligent and
reliable sources we are told that wander
Ing ag, bands Of his so-eallsd soldiers have
the calendar or that can d 10 the hor-
rors OF war.
On the other hand, Huerta reached tho
head Of the government Of a republic ESQ
called) by the bloody road Of foul, premed-
itated murder, and yet shamelessly PIRATES
ab9ut til the ~. pae maGa Of the country
III Tx A1do All0oS u 1ClIOaCu uDOu ING
civilization OF the age.
The government has always been a farce
and a travesty upon q republic. Porf1rio
Diaz, with all his ability, was a president
elected by the people only in name. He
was in reality an autocratic despot.
The saving grace and influence Of every
re republic publ 6 is the common people, hard
class which does not exist in Mexico. At
the top are the prodisal. naughty rich; at
the bottom the poems. sunk in poverty
almost beyond belief.
With men such as Carranza and Huerta
and Villa all striving to dominate a peo-
patton in the affairs of any kind Of gov
eminent, Christian statesmen like Wood
row Wilson and William J.. Bryan are
called upon to deal.
Never did men face a more serious or
more ~perplexing problem. So far as the
Chronicle recalls, their position Is unique
in the annals Of diplomacy, Putting all
glory could come from a conquest of
such a people. and they are seeking no
conquest.
BY virtue Of a l~ong-existing policy there
is put upon this government a RESPONSE
bility such as was never before put upon
any nation. 1t can not with Justice to
which 1t is one Of the most conspicuous
experiments among all the nations of the
earth permit its own subjects or those of
and slain. and 1t can not permit a beauti-
full land at its very doors, bountifully
favored by nature and fitted for the peace
full abode OF prosperous and happy mil
lions. to be made a slaughter pen.
How to prevent further strife and butch
cry is a problem for solution. If we enter
Mexico with our army 1t will mean the
sacrifice of the lives of many brave young
American soldiers. the life Of the very
humblest one OF which IS worth that OF
q thousand Of the ignorant fends who
are reveling in murder n rapine and
robbery.
If we crush out both factions and Sc
cure peace 1t will at best be but temper
airy. and. as soon as pressure Is removed,
strife, will again, and thus we confront
a situation big with perplexity and
We do not want Mexico. We do not
want to subjugate any people,. We do
not want to ever appear to desire to do
so. We do not wan to send our army
upon any such mission, but we do want
strife and devastation and butchery to
stop, and it must stop. II it takes blood
ana treasure to accomplish that end.
Civilized nations can not tolerate
Huertas and Villas. Crimes dark and re-
Of Liberty,