The Irish standard., 1914-11-14
from the National Capitol
By Stanton Lawten

gEYlE.s....ss..-.-.~~-
handful. Carranza's answer is dated
Oct. "a, 1914, and fills the front page
of the next days issue of Ell Liberal,
the official organ of the government.
The answer of Carranza begins
thus:
II have allowed complete liberty to
the circulation of the manifesto which
has been written for General Villa in
Chihuahua and signed by him. have
permitted this in order that the peo-
pie may know the motives advanced
by the authors of the manifesto,
whereby they pretend to justify the
rebellion of General Villa when he
repudiates me as first chief of the
constitutionalist army and charge of
the executive power Of the Union. On
account of the striking lies, contradic-
tions and stupidities in which this
document abounds, believe that it is
my duty to refute them by state.
ment of the truth.
Finally, he charges me-" says Car
rama, with having authorized the
violation of the guarantee assured by
the Constitution, among others that Of
liberty of conscience, by permitting
many governors of states to exagger-
ate the just resentment felt by the
constitutionalist party against the
Catholic clergy who took an important
part in the Huerta regime. He says
that l permitted the governors to sup.
press religion, to impose penalties on
religious practices authorized by law,
to outrage profoundly the religious
feelings of the people through acts
condemned by civilization and the
rights of nations. II General Villa
were capable of weighing the meaning
Of what they wrote for him to sign,
he would not have put himself in such
an unseemly situation by formulating
the charges against me, because it
was he himself who exaggerated this
just resentment of the Constitutional.
list party against the members of the
Catholic clergy for sustaining the die.
tatorship. He went so far as to cause
real alarm or indignation among all
classes of society. The fact is that
General Villa, who now seeks an
agreement with the clergy by showing
himself so respectful towards re-
lfgion and religious practices, did. in
every place he occupied during the
campaign, expel the priests, close the
churches, and forbid religious exer.
cises. And in Zacatecas his anti.re.
ligious fanaticism reached a climax
which contrasts greatly with his pres.
ent Christian meekness. He expelled
eleven priests of different nationali.
ties, of whom three were French, and
of these no one yet knows of their
resting place.
ut is high time to recall to General
Villa in this regard the hearty con.
graduation which he sent to General
Antonio l. Villareal, governor of
Nuevo Leon, when the latter publish.
ed decree in which he restricted re-.
llglous exercises and forbade confess.
sions."
The following is the text of the
congratulatOry message:
chihuahua. July 20.
General Antonio l. Villareal:
i congratulate you heartily and en-
Enthusiastically on your decree imposing
restriction on the clergy in the state
over which you worthily rule. And
already l am Fastening to follow your
wise example, because, like yourself.
think that one of the greatest en-
emies of our progress and liberties
has been the corrupt clergy who have
so long ruled in our country. salute
you affectionately.
FRANCISCO VILLA,
Commander in Chief"
Carranza declares that he is not
pound by the Constitution because he
holds office under the terms of the plan
OF Guadalupe and not under those NJ
the Constitution. The present is a
unconstitutional period, he saws
when all of the reforms must he Of.
fected which the provisions of law and
the Constitution would render difficult
II not Impossible, to effect. Carranza
asks Villa:
Did he, indeed, who is now so zea,.
GUS for the Constitution, act according
10 the Constitution when he confiscat-
ca farms in chihuahua, when he shot
people without respecting the con.
stitutional guarantees or the DEGREES
of the first chief, and when he paid no
attention to international demands.
but proceeded without due process of
law-that law which he invokes 80
solemnly now-in the case of the Eng.
lish subject. William 8. Benton?
unfortunately" says Caranza. "in
the state Of Chihuahua the lives and
property interests of Mexicans and
foreigners have, indeed, remained al.
most without any protection in the
hands of Villa, who, because of his