The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-04-04
TORREON.


but he is greater man than common
~ has been supposed. The unflaggins
care he employed in preparation before
he attempted to attack Torreon is rem
iniscent of General Kitchener's cam
paign In Egypt. The English general
won worldwide fame by his attention to
preliminary details. He would not move
forward until the highest efficiency had
been obtained in the commissariat and
ordnance departments, bases of supply
and facilities Of transportation along
the line of communication.
Villa in like manner remained at Chi
huahua until all these details were per
fecte6. Even then he did not give the
order to advance and this caused some
surprise. Finally the reason for his de-
lay was revealed when he announced
that ne had solved the problem Of water
supply and would Immediately move for.
ward. He felt that If every other de-
tail were complete his campaign might
go to pieces because of an insufficient
water supply. The reports tell US that
in spite Of his meticulous preparations
the water supply did not prevent mucn
suffering and many deaths, although it
was sufficient to keep Villa Is army in
good enough condition to win the deci-
sive battle Of the war.
What of the future7 It opens wide
field for speculation. No prediction
could boast Of much accuracy unless
based upon full knowledge as to
Huerta 8 strength and the temper Of
the people in Mexico City. If the fed
erals are radically weakened by Villa e
triumph at Torreon we may expect to
hear Of al uprising in Mexico City, and
in that case Huerta s fall would appear
to be inevitable.
The immediate effects Of the victory,
however, are obvious. The rebels have
driven wedge into the very heart of
central Mexico and have cleared the
way for an advance on Mexico City.
On either flank the federal forces must
flee TO the south by rail OF water or be
captured, 1t is likely that Guaymas
and Tampico will be taken and
this will give the rebels possession
of seaport on the Atlantic coast
and ore on the west coast A few
months ago the possession Of seaports
would have been more important than
at present because st that time the
United States was enforcing an embargo
against the shipment Of arms into Mex
leo.
The lifting of the embargo Indicated
that the government al Washington f.
Yorod the rebel cause and sought, even
with the aid of a notorious bandit. 10
overthrow the Huerta government. In
taking this action the administration
was conforming TO popular opinion, for
there can he 10 doubt that great ma.
Jority Of the people in this country
oppose Huerta and sympaShize with the
rebels, who, in spite Of their falliugs.
arc loyal TO the cause OF Francisco
Madero, the strange idealist, and, if re-
ports be true, occultist, who sought to
impose high minded government upon
low-mlnded people. By an odd freak
OF fortune we find an able but brutal
bandit at the head Of victorious army
seeking 10 restore Madero s kind OF poy~
ernmeni' II Villa and Carranza succeed
In their object The world is apt TO wit
ness some grotesque results. How far
the administration Of the constitution
ahsts VIII 90 TO remove the danger Of
intervention by the United States ca
only be conjecturcd, but there does not
appear 10 be much reason for pinninp
our faith 10 Carranza or Villa Whether
the federals or the rebels triumph the
United States is not the gamer. Ii
Is heads tGey WIN tails we Inse