Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-04-04

Wall Street planned the Villa raid and
paid for Il. The American monOpolists
of Mexican land. oil and mining conces-
sions and hennequin plantations have
everything TO lose by the present demo-
cratic regime in Mexico. which boldly
proposes to restore the land and its. re-
sources 10 the whole people on equal
terms. The monopolists have now but
one recourse-to force American inter
vention in Mexico to destroy the new
popular government and reinstitute the
reign of privilege under the American
flag and backed by the American army
To bring this about in the teeth OF
the common people of this country they
have employed every device-short Of
melting Mexican invasion of American
territory. Now we have the Villa raid
the last desperate trick of baked
greed.
Villas ignorance, daring and eXecu-
tive ability marked him from the first
as the fittest possible tool for the Wall
street purpose. Long before he broke
with Carranza he was surrounded night
and day by the agents of the Interests.
They flattered his vanity, nurtured his
ambition, goaded his avarice, while the
his blood lauded him as the coming
strong man Of Mexico" "the true sue
cessOr Of the mighty Diaz."
But the Mexican poems have become
wise. They care little for leaders. 1t
IS the land they want. When Villa fell
under their suspicion they deserted him
promptly and flocked to the banner OF
Carranza. The attempted counter-revolu-
ton failed for lack OF men. OF money
IL always had enough and to spare. Wall
street changed its methods. The tlrst
indication was the massacre or score
of Americans at Santa Ysobel in Sonora
Flaring headlines, pathetic sob-storles,
penny-a-line indignation articles filled
tbe rrass The administration and the
American people sat firm. Then as a
man tempting another to fight, wall
street turned from this slight tap on
the nose and hit the American people
bIoyv square in the face. IL oroereu
villa to raid an American army camp
and xiii United States soldiers IN uni
form. .,,o,t-o
Will the trick work. mat Is 'ie
only question Wall street is ASKING IL
self TODAY. And who is Wall street :
WILL street is the land. oil. mining and
benneouin monopoIists of the Unlted
states. Who is supremely interested In
Mexican oil concessions? VINO Is IL
covets the control of the hennequin
plantations. whence comes the noer TOT
harvester Irvine? What great newspa-
per owners hold enormous haciendas IN
Mexico? Answer these questions ana
you lay your hand on those resp9nstDis
FOR the killing OF a score or united
states soldiers and the would-be spon-
sors for the death of several hundred
Thousand more
can Wilson stem the tide? lnterven-
ton means the assured safety OF All
the great blood-wrung concessions own
ed bv the Interests in MeXico-ano IL
means the abortion of struggle Tor the
land which the Mexican people nave
waged increasingly for 100 years!
Non-intervention means that hence-
forth every Mexican or foreigner IN
Mexico NAV have to occupy twelve acres
Of suburban land or eighty acres or
rural land which he can neither SELL
rent. nor lease, nor mortgage, but which
il mis- TO use and live upon so long as
he will and for his heirs after him. IL
means free education, the organization
Of labor. high wages, the government
ownership of all railroads. telegraphs
and telephones In short, IL means the
development of the first great Industrial
democracy the world has seen. Will IT
be permitted to live?
This Is not the first villa raid" in
the hihtory of Mexico. 1t is an old
trick. Seven times the poems have risen
in massed revolt in the past hundred
vears-with one demand, La TERRA,
THE Land" Seven times they nave
been crushed and beaten back to peon-
age-not by the Mexican pluJocracy, but
by that plutocracy leagued first with
Spain. then with the United States-in
the Texas imbroglio, and the American
Mexican war. then with England, France
and SDain in the joint invasion under
Macmillan. then again with United
States supporting the petty army re-
volt which placed Diaz in power and eX-
pelIed the Liberal President Tejada.
Now the Villa raid is repeated. The
peons have won. They have the land
for which they have fought SO valiantly
and long. Now the cup of freedom is to
be dashed from their lips and American
Intervention forced upon them by this
last desperate trick Of raising the cry.
American blood has been shed on Amer
lean soil by Mexicans"
In 1910 the poems first rose in revolt
demanding the land. The Mexican land
owners called i'm the aid of Spain. The
revolt was crushed by 100000 Spanish
regulars In 1924 they rose again. Mex
leo was now independent. This did not
prevent the same landowning element
from inviting Spanish Intervention. They
got il and the revolt was aborted.
In 1888 again the poems rose. This
time in greater passion and power. At
the same time the American south was
casting longing eyes on Texas. 1t want
cd slave" votes to buttress it's waning
power in the senate. A pact was made
between the Mexican landowners and the
southern planters. Santa Anna headed
villa raid into Texas. A war began,
ending in the massacre Of Alamo and
the ewes of the Mexican plutocracy for
the heading off Of domestic revolt
In 1916 the poems again rose, demand
ing the land. Again. also, the south
wanted slave territory. Again the pact
was renewed. War is better than re-
volt" thought the landowners. foreign
invasion better than yielding our great
estates TO the poems" War, ending in
the American acquisition of New Mex
leo Arizona and California, followed
The melting incident was an unprovok-
ed American foray into MeXicO-a villa
raid
In 1853 the poems rose again in a
spontaneous unorganiZed mass move
ment Of such intensity that il swept
them into power and enabled them ia
establish the first constitution in the
world TO be based on the rights of man
as opposed TO the rights of property.
In August. 1867. Juarez became the
first president under the new regime of