Imperial Valley press., 1915-06-08
"MIRIANO MEUDER ASTRO,
MCnr,r,,l .

"Yours respectfully,
"MIRIANO MEUDER ASTRO,
Consul"
Department for Foreign Affairs and
Justice. Decree No. Z.
Francisco Villa, general-in-chief of
the Conventionalist army operating in
the north and center of the republic.
by virtue of the powers conferred up
on me by the Decree of February 2
of the present year.
Whereas, the greater number of
the persons implicated in the over
throw of the lawful government of
Senior Madero, and in the crimes and
offenses both of a political and mill
tary nature connected Herewith, have
sought asylum abroad in order to es-
cape the action of justice, both in so
far as relates to the personal liabil-
ity they have incurred as well as to
the civil responsibility they are under,
toward the nation and to the persons
who have been made victims; and
whereas, the principal authors and
.accamplices have been joined abroad
by many persons who sympathize
with the reactionary cause, and who,
while not guilty of active participa-
tion in the events of the coup detat,
yet favored and aided the administra-
ton of the usurper, thus hindering the
triumph of the Constitutionalist cause.
and
Whereas, for the purpose of pre-
venting the enforcement of these pc
cunlary liabilities, or with the intent
to foster a counter movement of =
reactionary character being openly TO
mented abroad, all these guilty par
ties and their partisans are effectinr
operations, either genuine or pretend
ed, for the transfer, lease, hypotheca -
ton, or elsewise, Of the properties
they still retain in the country by con-
veylng their interests to private per-
sons or corporations, foreign or do
mestic, whose violation of the laws
cannot, owing to especial circumstan-
ces, be fully shown, and lastly, if
the government of the convention does
not take steps to put an end to the
evils above referred to the civil LA
bility in which these guilty parties
have incurred cannot be enforced. and
the conspirators will be left the pc
cuniary means of renewing once again
the struggle between the democratic
party and the reactionaries.
"Now, Therefore, | have seen fit to
decree as follows:
article l. Until such time as the
lawfully-constituted authorities shall
have issued an amnesty decree, the
criminal and civil liabilities of all
authors, accomplices and abettors of
the crimes of rebellion, treason and
usurpation of authority, committed
against the lawful government of Sen
or Madero and against the various
oIdIC SoNSl llIlcllS, lIOIl lHe JIn OF
February, 1913, to the 18th of Au-
gust, 1914, and of the offenses Of
common or military order connected
with the above mentioned events, shall
remain absolute.
"Article 2. Similarly, the criminal
and civil liability is absolute in the
case of all persons who co-operated
in the administrations of the usurp-
ers Huerta and Carbajal, by serving,
either by appointments issued by the
said persons or by virtue of so-called
elections during the period above re-
ferred to, the offices of senator's and
deputies to the Federal Congress or
the state legislatures, of secretaries or
assistant secretaries of departments,
Of governors of states, of treasurer
of the federal government or of the
various state governments, chiefs Of
the treasury department bureaus, post
masters, telegraph director, federal
or state justices, district judges, and,
lin general, of any political office re-