The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1915-10-21


Carranza possessed no governin,
talent He had been an automatol
In the Senate and as governor he WA
the butt Of local wit. His vanity sool
became a State liability. State affair
ran down hill; taxes were doubled ant
in instances multiplied by three. bu
little of the money reached the treas
ury. In the northern section Of tn,
State, along the border of Texas
bands Of brigands raided haciendas
and small towns and supplied materia
for the enemies of Madero to exploit
in American newspapers. This suited
Carranza well because it lessened the
prestige of Madero, whom he hated
Madero sent him monthly subsidy
70 organize and maintain State force
to quell these disturbances. Carranza
organized and maintained the force
but the disturbances were not quelled
The force was used in parades and
reviews in the State capital and in
smaller towns. All the time he stored
up arms at Monclova. Finally Madero
cut off the monthly subsidy and Car
rama bought his secret preparations
to head.
He had only twelve hundred men,
but they were well armed and march
ed with a martial air and seemed to
Carranza an invincible host. The
mill hand, Pablo Gonzales, now the
general in possession of Mexico City,
held a minor post in this little army.
He had Carranza's ear; so did others
who saw the prosperous State lying
open to plunder. Carranza cared little
for plunder himself; his desire was
for pomp and glitter and applause.
But he knew what the others wanted,
and he listened He had no money to
pay large army, but it needed none;
it could live off the country and its
people.
At the close of January, 1918, the
step which was to mark the begin
ming of his personal revolution against
Madero and the Federal Government
was arranged for. Emilio Madero
was to be seized and imprisoned and
the Federal Government deied The
affair dragged from day to day. Then
came the outbreak of Feb. 8 in Mexico
City, with the tragic ten days of
| fighting in the capital, and Carranza
awaited the outcome.
The outcome was Huerta, and Car
ranza's desire for revolution failed.
Huerta telegraphed peremptory de-
mand on all governors, calling for
their submission and allegiance. Car
rama parleyed with him for two days
by telegraph over conditions, the
principal one being that the monthly
subsidy was to be resumed. Huerta
conceded them all. Carranza then de-
spatched Cara Ramos as a messenger
to Mexico City, bearing letter to
Huerta which named the man Carran-
"a had chosen as his representative.
If the bargain between Huerta and
Carranza had been concluded, the his
tory of Mexico might have been diff
ferent and our complications less
acute. A combination of circum-
stances, supplemented by Carranza's
cowardice, frustrated his plan for
alliance with Huerta, and drove him
into opposition. This was the way of
it:
The direct line Of the National Rail-
way from Saltillo in the State of Co
ahuila, to Mexico City was out of
commission. Carranza's messenger
travelled, therefore, by way of Tam
pico He was four days in making
the journey. Telegraphing between
Carranza and Huerta continued until
the afternoon Of the day before Cara
Ramos arrived, when the wires were
cut and all communication was shut
oir The abrupt cessation of the tel
egraph service bred uneasiness.
Two days of silence passed. The
cutting Of the wires suggested Huer-
ia trap. The third day dawned. Car
rama waited no longer. At daylight
he left Saltillo with General Coz and
Colonel Ramos. Twenty men accom-
panied them, one Of whom carried
satchel containing 10000 pesos, all the
available funds. They were not GER
tain of their destination; any place
would do If il was far enough from
Huerta and his trap.
Those who thought Of the after
effects II their governor ran away,
made diligent efforts TO dissuade him,
but he was too frightened to listen in
telligently even TO Cardenas, whose
orders he had taken for many years
What Carranza wanted just then was
not good advice from an old friend; il
was distance-miIes, many miles--be-
tween himself and danger So Car