Arizona republican., 1914-12-24
A man who jumps at conclusions seldom lands on his feet.-Anon.
An Accessory Before the Fact


 We suspect that General Tasker II. Bliss has earned for himself a reprimand from the admins uaton In a report to Secretary of War Garrison on the conditions Naco he telegraphed
 The Mexican forces who have shot 5s Ameri- cans on Arizona territory within the last few weeks have received all their ammunition, many guns and of their food from the United States.
 Congress should take immediate steps, if watchfu waiting is to be continued prohibit the exportaton of foodstuffs ammunition of any sort across the border
 Within days several pieces Of field artillery have been dragged the border from the United States, and these guns would stute the dangerous obstacle the removal 0 the Mexicans, if it should be deemed expedient to shell their position
 The forces of General Carranza under Hill will be starved within few days if their food supply is cut off from the United States because they between the forces of Villa, under May torena and the border and it is impossible for them to get provisions from anywhere but the American side
 There are noncombatants left in the Mexican side of the Of Naco-whch is bisected by the boundary line and which known on both sides by the same name-and no defenseess people would be killed if the Mexicans sheed"
 General Bliss, however concealed measure O his contempt for Mexican policy by not closing "watchful waiting" in quotation marks. Still there was something audacious in his advice upon a point to which the administration must have given what it was thought due consideration; otherwise it would not have lifted the embargo on arms and ammunition than year
 This embargo established by the Taft ad ministration the only rational feature of ado bx adm nis ion. Ar Wilson inherited and adopted the worst features of that policy he discarded the redeeming of it and permitted the free passage of arms into Mexico ridiculous ground that since Huerta could bring in munitions of war by sea- the revolutonists ought to be given oppor- tunty to secure munitions il any way possible. Il this line of reasoning had been carried out to log ical conclusion. it would have become the policy of this government secure the revolutionsts any other advantage they might need to place them on even terms with the Huersts. For instance, if Huerta had superior kind of artillery or superior number of it would have devolved upon us to see that the revoutionsts equipped with equally good artillery and, that if necessary we should furnish enough American soldiers to bring the forces of the revoutonists up the strength of the Huertists The lifting of the embargo seem ed the remarkable later when after the Occu- patton Vera Cruz. though and ammunition for the revolutonists still pouring across the line we prevented the landing of munitions for Huerta at ports against which had established lo blockade
 The revolution end and the warfare of the factions in the north began. Still ammuni- tion and guns poured the border in an end less procession for both factions. Our government would been equally justified in permitting the export of arms and ammunition for rival bands oI Mexican bandits. they might see fit. Every bullet picked up this side of the line every one which has struck American citizen this side of the line had been carried across from the United States with the permission of our government
 General Bliss points that the Hill or Car ranza faction Naco would be unable to fight i this government had preserved strict neutralit, since ,al of it's supplies must be received from this side of the line If government had not lifted the embargo or had re-established it when the wal of the factions began, the Maytorena or Villa forces could not have received ammunition from an! source since they have not had access to the sea The United States is solely responsible for the con tinuance of the battle of NacO.