The leader-enterprise. [volume] (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1912-1915, 1915-03-17

The outlook in Mexico at present.
is really encouraging, though the con-
fusion attendant upon military opera.
tlons has served to make this country
consider the situation more dark than
ever before. All the patriotic ele,
ments In Mexico are rallying to Car,
1anza's standard. Villa with his owI
o1VIslon of the army is fighting the
rest OF the nation and an indication
OF what his movement really signifies
is the fact that he has invited all the
old Federal army officers against
whom the Madero revolution and it's
successor that drove Huerta from pow
er was waged, to join him.
World conditions are such that no
government in Mexico can exist with
out the friendship of this country and
without its moral and financial help.
In sense then, Americans are in duty
bound to look upon the situation in
Mexico from an intelligent and SYM
pathetic angle.
Carranza Misunderstood.
Carranza has been grossly misun-
derstood in this country. He is a
man of probity, clean living and in
tense patriotism. He is not wealthy
man. He has reared his family in
comfort, having made his living from
the raising of cattle. He himself has
visited the United States many times.
He has had his family educated in
this country. Every man whom he
has selected to become a member of
his Cabinet he has first sent to this
country to become acquainted with the
American idea, system and plan of
conducting the office he is about to as
sumo.
Carranza is unnilitary, educated,
having taken law degree, intensely
Mexican, and intellectually desir-
GUS of helping the downtrodden peon
to obtain "his chance in life" Villa
contrastingly is uneducated, ignorant,
brutal, unrestrained in his passions,
totally unappreciative of the needs of
his country and is simply riding his
vanity to what he hopes will be the
dictatorship of Mexico.
Illustrative of the character of the
two men is the fact that Carranza, not
even to gain valuable political ends,
would stultify himself to the extent of
currying favor with the Washington
administration as long as our troops
were at Vera Cruz. His feelings Of
friendship he kept locked in his heart
until the time he deemed proper to
express them. Villa, on the other
hand, has been one thing to this
country and another to Mexico. He
has taken every occasion to slobber-
1ngly express his regard and friend
ship for this country and the admin
istration, while in Mexico he has at
tempted to gain recruits for his army
by demagogically declaring that the
United States intends to annex Mexico
and that he in the role of his country's
savior calls upon the ex-Federals to
Join him in resisting the invasion that
ne announces soon is to come Villa
is forced to make this explanation to
his own troops because otherwise they
would keenly resent the presence of
these Huertistas in their ranks.
Carranza and the Constitutionalist
cause has been assailed in this coun-
try as being not only Anti-Catholic.
but Anti-Religious. The true facts
show both these accusations to be
false. The Constitutionalist cause is
opposed to any church taking part in
the politics of the country and is We
hemently opposed to it's aligning itself
with the reactionaries and privileged
classes, as unfortunately the Catholic
church has done since the colonization
Of Mexico by the Spaniard.
Rafael Zuberan Capmany. former
agent of the Constitutionalists in
Washington, and now. minister of the
interior in Carranza's Cabinet, stated
in the following manner the Constitu-
tionalists' position in this respect:
Church Question.
Let the Catholics of America IN
derstand that the occurrences which
have happened and are explainable
under the present disturbed condi-
lions, do not, nor cannot constitute a
part of the program of the Constitu-
tlonallsts who are pledged to the prin-
clpIe OF the separation of the State
and church and are firm believers in
the principle of religious liberty"
One of the main reasons that has
prevented better feeling of cordial
ity existing between Mexico and this
country has been the fact that the
ordinary American looks upon all
Mexlcans as "greasers" and affects an
air of superiority towards the nation
that has bred the worst of understand.
ing between the two countries. The
lower class of Mexicans, commonly
called the "peon," is undoubtedly ig-
norant and ill-kempt, but he has ster-
ling virtues of honesty and a genuine
love of his country that deserves re-
spect.
President Wilson by his just atti.
tude towards Mexico has wiped ont
the old memories that country hes
held OF US since the Mexican war
when we took from it the greater nor,
ton OF its territory. Mexicans now
universally recognize that the only
ambition this country has in regarS
ance to it. '-0"-