The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-03-01

deavor to persuade Villa to send rep.
resentatives to the convention. After
wards 1t usurped sovereign powers
that IL did not possess and which
Carranza never sanctioned. But Car
rama, putting aside the considerations
and rising nobly to the demands Of the
situation, expressed to the conven-
ton in writing his willingness not
only to resign as First Chief in charge
Of the executive power of the nation,
but to become an exile from his coun-
try II the delegates ask this of him.
The single condition that he stated
must govern this abdication was that
Villa should resign his command of
the Constitutionalist army of the
North and II the convention so de-
creed. must also leave Mexico.
Story Of Convention.
The convention on November 9Th
passed a resolution calling for the re.
tirement of both Carranza and Villa.
Antonio I. Villareal, Chairman of the
convention, thus describes subsequent
events:
After the absurd selection of Gen.
eral Gutierrez as Provisional Presi.
dent for 20 days, which had been done
in Difference to the wishes Of Zapata,
myself and three others we're commits.
stoned to serve notice on the First
Chief that he was to resign. villa
had already agreed, 80 his representa-.
tives stated, to tender his resignation
We would have shortly secured Car
ranza's retirement had not General
Gutierrez, bullied into action by pres
sure brought upon him by villa, sum
moned the latter to Aguascalientes
and placed him in command Of all the
military forces in the country.
This act violated the previous reso
luton Of the convention and was con
trary to its own mandates, or in othel
words, contrary to the desires Of wha,
was left of Il, as II must be remem
bered that out OF the 1856 registered
delegates many had withdrawn for on,
reason or another until at last there
were only 60 members left and Is ou
of this 60 had been recalled by theil
signatories. A quorum in the conven
ton necessitated 70 delegates.
"a brief resume of the situation a
this critical time might be stated a,
follows: We said to Carranza: 'Retir,
or we will fight you, your retiremen
being made with the understanding
that Villa will be forced to withdraw
We said to General Gutierrez and t
the convention: That Villa retire o
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 Ger
eral Gutierrez was that he had give
villa the command of the forces whicl
were to fight against Carranza; tina
Is, he had violated the fundamenta
resolution of the convention, whic
was the basis of the whole agreemen
and the essential condition of our obi
cation.
This violent and illegal decision r,
neved us of every obligation towar
an assembly without patriotism q
moral force, the tool of an ambition
and savage faction to which we In
shown undeserved complacency OF
of love for peace, but whose blind an
] unconditional figureheads we corl
not and would not be.
Thereupon we decided with fu
consciousness Of our act, certain ths
We were following the course Of n
, triotism and duty, to fight Francisc
villa with all our force until we he
removed from the horizon of the n
tion this menace of reaction and ba
: barity."
Carranxa q Civilian.
! Carranza Is essentially a civilis
I rather than q military man. From Il
inception of the revolution he sougl
to direct its destinies as did Pres
dents Lincoln = and Davis contr