The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-06-27
PRESIDENTS NOTE
WARNS CARRkNzA
Drastic Action Will Follow if the
MeXiCans Start a
Fight.
TROOPS To STAY IN MEXICO
First Chief ls Charged With Bad
Faith and Broken Promises-De
Facto Soldiers Knew of Villa
Raid on Columbus.

Washington.-The American govern
ment threatened General Carranza
with "the gravest consequences if he
| attacks American troops now in Mex
leo.
This threat was contained in a long
note replying to his last withdrawal
| demand.
| Full of short-arm diplomatic jabs,
the note positively declines to take
! the American forces out of Mexico. 1t
| excOriated Carranza for his failure to
| cooperate and resented his brusQue-
ness and his intimations of bad faith.
| 1.-THE de facto government is pleased
| to ignore this obligation Ito protect
| American rights and chase Bandits),"
| said the note, land to believe that in
| case of a refusal to retire these troops
| there is no further recourse than to
| defend it's territory by an appeal to
| arms The government of the United
| States would surely be lacking in sin
| cerity and friendship if it did not
| frankly impress upon the de facto
| government that the execution of this
| threat will lead to the gravest cOnse-
| quenceS."
Bluntly the note told Carranza that
| this government cannot recede from
| it's settled determination to maintain
| it's national rights" and to prevent
| further raids across the boundary.
Some of the Charges.
The highlights of the note were:
Resentment of Carranza's discourte-
| Gus tone and temper in his last note.
Charges that bandits have gone I'M
| hampe"ed and unpublished in attacking
Americans.
Recitation Of scores of instances of
banditry
Charges that the Carranza regime
| had been Indifferent to atrocities and
| even encouraged and aided some of
| the leaders of these.
Charges that Carranza did not take
proper steps to apprehend Villa and
| others.
81 am reluctant to be forced to the
| conclusion which might be drawn from
the circumstances" Secretary Lansing
| declares, that the defacto government,
| in spite of the crimes committed and
the sinister designs of Villa and his
followers, did not and does not now
| intend or desire that these outlaws
| should be captured, destroyed or dis
| persed by American troops, or, at the
| request of this government, by MeXi-
can troops"
Says Murderers Are Protected.
Incursions have been made into
American territory, depredations and
murders have taken place on American
| soil, American garriSonS have been at
| tackled at night and American soldiers
killed and their property and horses
| stolen, American ranches have been
raided and American trains wrecked
| and plundered, murders characterized
! by ruthless brutality and unciviliZed
| acts of mutilation," have been perpe-
trated. Representations have been
| made to stop these OutrageS to no eff
| feet. Towns in northern Mexico have
only harbored the perpetrators and 80
| far has the Indifference of the de facto
|
| leaders have received not only the pro-
| lection of the Mexican government, but
| encouragement and aid as well.''
The note enumerates nine raids last
| September as typical, recites in detail
| the successive steps taken to prevent
| the attack on the Cusi mining property
which eliminated in the Santa YsabeI
massacre" and the subsequent pursuit
| of the bandits which, to date, has re-
| suited in the capture of only one band
| 1t by the Mexican government.
Allowed Villa to Escape.
Taking up the operations of Villa,
| the note charges that Villa was per-
| mitted to remain for days in the vi
| cinity Of Cast unattached, that his
progress toward the American border
was unimpeded by single Carranza
| soldier, eliminating in the attack on
Columbus. The note charges that no
| effort was made by Carranza to stop
Villas flight, although, in his retreat
| he passed within sight of the Carranza
| garrison at Casas Grandes
Declaring that this government had
no recourse but to run Villa down, the
note charges that the Cooperation Or
assistance in the field which General
| Carranza promised the punitive expe-
dition has never been forthcoming It
| charges that the Carranza soldiers, in
| an attack on United States troops at
| Parral, "arrayed themselves on the
side of outlawry and became in effect