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

his personal command. HIS only
strength lay in the justice of his cause
and the only means he used to or
eanize 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
right and Justice. The entire Constf-
nationalist army. exclusive Of the Divi-
sion of the North, commanded by VII
Ia, fiocked to the support OF Carranza.
Carranza withdrew from Mexico
City and established the national cap
ital at Vera Cruz.
Pathetic in its note Of helplessnc3s
is 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
the executions Of Alberto Garcia Ara
gon, Vice-President of the Aguascali-
entes convention and Professor David
Berlango. another distinguished men,
Der Of the convention, both Of whom
had been brutality murdered by the
orders 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.
''In view Of these terrible orders the
delegates, carrying the flag Of the con-
vention, called for protection on the
Carranza Governor of the State of
Nuevo Laredo, in which State they
are at present"
Indicative of what an empty honor
Gutierrez held and how the so-called
convention party now means but one
man-Villa-is the following excerpt
from the same narrative:
ION Sunday, December 31st, Gen.
eral Villa came to my home, revolver
in hand, accompanied by ten OF
twelve armed men. besides two thou
sand cavalry, who surrounded my
house and removed the meager guard
| of twenty men who were defending
| me. With the courage instilled in him
| by such an array of force, Villa sha ne
fully insulted me and hurled baseless
Notifying and criminal charges al
/ me.
with shame and Indignation l had
| to be a spectator of all these outrages
because l did not have sufficient force
to halt the reign Of murder and rob
berry that Villa conducted"
| The flight of Gutierrez from Mexico
City, accompanied by many prominen
men in the so-called Convention
party, strikingly illustrated to tn,
world the impossibility Of this or an!
other kindred government ruling II
Mexico that was not subservient to tn,
wishes of Villa
The abandonment Of Gutierrez an,
the other prominent men of the Con
vention party has left Villa isolate,
and alone and made the issue in Mex
co now definite and certain. It is
Shall Villa be allowed to become tn
dictator of the country, or shall tn
people themselves rule?
The outlook in Mexico at presen
Is really encouraging, though the con
fusion attendant upon military opera
lions has served to make this countr,
consider the situation more dark thai
ever before. All the patriotic ele
ments in Mexico are rallying to Car
ranzas standard. Villa with his owl
| division of the army is fighting tn
rest Of the nation and an indication
OF what his movement really signifie
is the fact that he has invited all tn
old Federal army officers again0
whom the Madero revolution and 1t
successor that drove Huerta from pow
er was waged, to join him.
World conditions are such that n
government in Mexico can exist will
out the friendship of this country an
without its moral and financial hell
In sense then, Americans are in dut
bound to look upon the situation 1
Mexico from an intelligent and syn
, pathetic angle.
carranza Mlsunderstood.
. Carranza has been grossly misul
| derstood in this country. He is
! man of probity, clean living and Il
. tense patriotism. He Is not wealth
man. He has reared his family
comfort, having made his living frol
the raising of cattle. He himself hs
J. visited the United States many time
= He has had his family educated
3 this country. Every man whom b
Q has selected to become q member {
his Cabinet he has first sent to tn
= country to become acquainted with Il
T. American idea, system and plan I
r conducting the ONCE he Is about to a
I sumo.
!. Carranza Is unmilitary, educate
4 having taken q law degree. intensel
g Mexican, and intellectually desi
e GUS Of helping the downtrodden pee
t to obtain "his chance in life" VII
: contrastingly is uneducated, ignorar
b brutal, unrestrained in his passion
totally unappreciative of the needs
{ his country and is simply riding b
s vanity to what he hopes will be Il
e dictatorship of Mexico.
Il Illustrative of the character Of Il
g two men is the fact that Carranza, n
!, even to gain valuable political end
% would stultify himself to the extent
currying favor with the Washingtt
II administration as long as our troo
D were at Vera Cruz. His feelings
: friendship he kept locked in his hea
g until the time he deemed proper
}" express them. Villa, on the 9th
4 hand, has been one thing to tn
n country and another to Mexico. I
a has taken every occasion to slobbt