The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1915-03-04

the convention: That villa retire or
we will fight him and uphold the reso-
luton Of the convention. Villas re-
tirement being with the understanding
that Carranza will be forced to retire.
THE reply we received from Cen
eral Gutierrez was that he had given
Villa the command Of the forces which
were to fight against Carranza; that
is, he had violated the Fundamental
resolution Of the convention, which
was the basis Of the whole agreement
and the essential condition of our obi
cation.
This violent and illegal decision re-
1ieved Us Of every obligation toward
ian assembly without patriotism or
moral force, the tool Of an ambitious
and savage faction to which we had
shown undeserved complacency out
;of love for peace, but whose blind and
Unconditional figureheads we could
not and would not be.
f; "Thereupon we decided with full
consciousness of our act, certain that
We were following the course of pa
: triotism and duty, to fight Francisco
: Villa with all our force until we had
removed from the horizon of the ma
ton this menace Of reaction and bar
barity."
(: carranza a Civilian.
Carranza is essentially a civilian
rather than a military man. From the
inception of the revolution he sought
: to direct it's destinies as did Presi-
dents Lincoln and Davis control
events in our Civil war. Accordingly
when Villa commenced his military
campaign against Carranza the latter
| had not a single soldier directly under
his personal command. His only
strength lay in the justice of his cause
land the only means he used to or
:ganize an army was to unfurl the ban
ner of patriotism and to allow such
;generals and their armies to gather
:around it as desired to combat for
fright and justice. The entire Consti-
;tutionalist army, exclusive of the Divis
sion of the North, commanded by Viii
ia, flocked to the support of Carranza.
Carranza withdrew from Mexico
!City and established the national cap
;ital at Vera Cruz
Pathetic in its note OF helplessn ess
lis the story that President Gutierrez
told of conditions existing in Mexico
City while he occupied the presiden-
tial chair. He narrated this after
he had fed from the city and endeav-
ored to attach himself to Carranza.
The following parts of his narrative
:are taken up after he recites in detail
1.-THE executions of Alberto Garcia Ara
:gcn, Vice-President of the Aguascali.
entes convention and Professor David
iEerlango, another distinguished mem.
Der of the convention. both of whom
had been brutally murdered by the
forders of Villa.
: He says: '"The members of the
Aguascalientes convention which was
now meeting in Mexico City, justly
alarmed by these daily murders, in
formed me that they desired to change
their residence from Mexico City to
the town of San Luis Potosi, where
they expected to convene in safety.
: "A large number of the members OF
the convention proceeded to the above
city and General Villa having been in
formed by his agents of what had hap
:pened had the audacity to issue or
;ders of arrest and execution against
these persons whose immunity WAS
absolute and who were the source
from which Villa derived the authority
with which he is Invested.
Delegates Flee.
t'In Wow Of these terrible orders tbt
DELEGATES. carryine. the flag Of the con
;vertion called for protection on tht
Carran5a Governor of The state o
iNuayo Laredo. in which state the
are ~ present."
Indicat-~a - Whist IN emptv homo
;Cltti-.r.- ha7l and how tho so-calle,
convc,..ia., r--tv now means but one
rnan--E i!!a--is tho following excerp
Ir~o,r t!,a ee.~o narrative:
"O1 sunday. December 2fst. Gen
era vida cane ia my home, revolve
in Eaq1 accompanied bv ten O