El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-08-22

ENEN- FRANCISCO VILLA has just
II sent to Col Plutarco Elias Gales
a telegram which IS Of the fol-
lowing tenor:
am informed that owing to a
misunderstanding and acts Of Violence
difficulties are expected between the
forces Of the state to which you belong
and Mr.. Maytorena. I believe that this
Official is the Constitutional governor
ana the legal representative OF the
people Of Sonora His orders ought 10
De respected and under no circum-
stance ought TO be hOstilized, thus re-
specIlng the sovereignty OF the state as
lald down by the precepts OF our con-
suLullon and for the establishment o.
which we have been fighting hope
this does not happen so that our cause
viii not lose prestige as otherwise
as chief Of the forces nearest to that
/ state viii be obliged to proceed there
ana arrange matters as they ought 10
authorities so that peace may De es-
tablished for the good Of our coun-
Try await your reply and 1 salute
you affectionateIy."
It has become absolutely necessary
to define this situation and place the
dots over the is, as otherwise the Villa
dictatorship, which has come to the
horizon several times recently with
alarming characteristics, viii cause
serious and grave consequences to our
nation. It is now time to call halt
Really, il does not matter that this
man be a Francisco Villa whom We
shall all always recognize as valiant,
courageous and meritoriOus fighter
in the battlefields and to whom the
Coustitutionalist revolution Is largely
indebted; this man with all his glory
as warrior. which he has rightfully
acquired, is being shamefully exploited
by a lot Of traders and traffickers in
political destinies and worlds goods
This man is not and never can be so
great. however, that his simple wish
or desire shall be complied with as
dictatOrial decree, in his belief that
he is the great I Am
No, II Gen. Villa has dreamed Of such
power. then this same Gen. Villa is
badly mistaken and the man who to-
day is national idol for his bravery
on the battlefield, tomorrow will fall
from his high pedestal which viii be
destroyed TO atoms never to be rebuilt.
because all men used as instruments
always follow the same paths as Ma
poleon's nephew or the more recent
figure Of Pascual OrozcO.
me telegram sent by Gen villa TO
Col Gales shows an absolute ignorance
OF the law and the facts and also
shows a tendency to marked authority
with evidence Of dictatorship. I insist
that he is badly mistaken as 10 the
disputed statement Of the facts:
In the first place. the forces which
are under the command Of Col Gales
in Sonora are not forces Of the state.
army and they are an integral part Of
the army corps OF the northwest, COM
manded by the chief major general, Al
varO Obregcn, under the final juris-
diction Of the first chief Of the Con-
sutuuonalist army. This suboroina-
tion dates back TO April IS, 1913, the
date on which the MOnclOva convention
adjourned, their acts being ratified by
the state Of sonora by a decree Of the
legislature issued August is, Of the
same year. (See article Of said de-
cree-1
Likewise can we apply on this point
the decree issued by the first chief On
July Z, 1913. especially article ]. in
which several army corps are created.
Article . says that the division OF the J
northwest shall be composed Of the
forces Of the states Of Sonora, Chihua-
hua, Durango, SinalOa and the territory
of Lower California" all Of them TO be
commanded by a general in chief in
conformity with article OF said de-
cree
Because, Don Jose Maria 8Iaytorena,
in the second place, according TO law
is not now the constitutional governor ,
Of sonora and consequently is not the
legitimate representative Of the peo-
pie of that state And 10 that effect
am going to demonstrate according to I
law the verify Of my proposition
True. Don Jose Maria Maytorena was
originally the nominee of a popular
election and was duly declared elected
as the constitutional governor Of the
state Of Sonora, but at the very mo-
ment when his native state was called
upon 10 pass on the vital question Of
the recognition or non-recOgnition OF
the usurpatiOn which had taken place
at the capital Of the republic by the
traitor and assassin. Huerta, NIaytorena I
for the first time found out that his
digestive organ needed attention and
that his stomach was Of more import ,
ance than the vital questions then con- /
fronting his state So he fled to the {
United States. Patriots, however in I
the personnel Of Ignacio L. Pesqueira, Z
ObregOn. Alvaradi, Cabral Dieguez and 7
many others raised its banner 'alOft !
and conquered their state from the 4
hands Of the usurpers with personal |
courage and valOr.
When, after an absence OF six /
MaytOrena returned TO Sonora,
recollectinE then for the first tire that 4
he was the constitutional governor OF 4
the state, he returned TO claim the gov I
srnOrship which he had abandoned at 4
who had risked their life and all to 4
win their state. not desiring to display I
a picture that would have been unedi- z
wing for the revolution, permitted him T.
~ 4AAA H1A AAAAAA1EAA WAL4 the NAAEA ca
scutiveship.
Under this state Of affairs. May !
-orena took advantage of these circum- I
stances to forbid the holding of cleo 4
lions for the legislative and judicial /
officers and by virtue Of his own de- I
cree assumed the legislative functions /
and appointed magistrates to the SUI I
1reme court and also designated city I
In other words. Mayto- .
rena assumed the powers and functions /
Of the legislature and judiciary, eXer- I
,ising himself the functions Of both by I
means of his appOintees.
Consequently il appears that this
nan by his own acts has violated the
most sacred precepts OF the political
constitution Of Sonora. thus destroying
his own right to invoke the cOnsuitu-
ion and making him amenable under
its provisions to trial as a violator OF
the same.
Here is the proof: The political con-
5utution Of the state Of Sonora, as like
wise the general constitution OF the
republic fas well as all constitutions
4 the confederation Of Mexican stotes),
as IN its preamble a provision strictly
rohibitive which reads as follows;
Never, for any reason whatsoever.
IAN two or more supreme powers be
placed IN one person or corporation,
nor shall the functions Of the legls-
ature and its nouare ever be placed in I