New-York tribune., 1914-03-30
Torreon-and After.

rho ,,,,ture of Torreon bv General Villas army,
which for the last day or two mas Seeheu hioie vi
less assured hut which is still disputed III la'e
dispatches would have important political ana NH
itary results In political way 1t would put tue
revolution on It's feet. SO long as the CONSTITUTIONS
alsts controlled but two or three states IN the Iar
ro1tI west remote from the Mexican capital ana the
chief centres of industry and commerce, their revolt
had only local character General Carranza set
up an independent government in Sonora over
AeSr ago But he has remained isolated ever since
in that mountainous half-civiliZed state. 1T was
not until Villa conquered Chihuahua and opened UP
direct line OF advance on Mexico City that the rev
olution took either political or military signln-
cance The fall of ToTeon would free the whole
northern section of Mexico from the control OF the
central government. Huerta could not longer hold
Durango, the west, or Saltilo and Monterey, on
the east. If Carranza is anything like as good an
administrative organizer as Villa is a fighter the
Constitutionalist authority would probably soon be
acknowledged over an area larger than that of the
average Latin-American state.
Torreon is the key to the control of Northern Mex
ico and Villa was justified in paying the price he
did in attacking it, If after taking it he can reor-
Canize and reinforce his army he push south
: A. toward Mexico City. first clearing the east
est line from Durango to Monterey. Zacate-
out one hundred miles below Torreon, is the
objective on the way to the capital Yet the
berate resistance encountered at TorreOn intro
ces a new factor into the situation. 1t has been
Said again and again by the COnstitutionasts that
the Federals would not put up a real fight Huerta 5
troops have been described as forced evies taken
from the jais and the gutter with no interest in the
Federal cause. Yet the most fanatic patriots could
not have fought more heroicaly than did the Fed
erals at Torreon If their spirit inspires the rest Of
the Huerta forces General Villas progress into Mid
die Mexico will be slow. The further south he gets
the more formidable will Huerta's concentration be,
and there can be little doubt that the Mexico City
government has more troops, better equipment and
more military resources than Carranza and Villa
have
Unless revolution breaks out in Middle Mexico the
struggle between the ConstitutiOnalistS and the
Federals is likely 10 be prolonged. The former might
even be content to rest for while in possession OF
the northern states If such deadlock ensues Tor
will have done little to relieve the embariass-
ments Of this countrys policy Of "watchful wait
ing"
The President will not deal with Huerta The
difficulties of dealing with Carranza and Villa even
in case they should be recognized as belligerents
have recently been painfully emphasized in the
Benton case. With the contending forces becoming
more equal in strength and civil war taking on new
aspects of tenacity and ferocity. the impotence of
policy of standing afar off and avoiding inter
vention in theory while trying to practise it inter
mittently in fact will become more and more gall
ing. Only some lucky miracle like the retirement of
Euerta will enable the admi. ration to take up
the work of moderatng savag, : and protecting
American and other foreign interests in Mexico
which this country's position as an American power
imposes it. The deplorabe weakness Of the
'watchful waiting" policy has been that it was
predicated upon the 100 to chance of timely
miracle. Yet the age of miracles in international
politics has long since passed.