The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1916-03-30
MEANS A LONG STAY
ARMY OFFICERS BELIEVE JOB IN
MEXICO WILL TAKE CON.
SIDERABLE TIME.
FEAR MExICANS MAY FIGHT
Factions May Unite Against Northern
InVadsr-Pershlna's Good Work In
the PhIIIppInes-NaVaI and Congress
SlonaI Circles In Controversy.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

BY GEORGE CLINTON.
Washington.-Army officers here
say there is no blinking the fact that
As the United States government has
been obliged to senG an army into
Mexico 1t will be forced to stay there
for long time before it completes its
work. There are some military men
In Washington who declare that the
comparatively small force sent into
Mexico for Furnishing purposes and
with orders to stay there until the job
Is completed, probably will be as long
at the work as would q larger force
engaged in q much broader field of
operations.
OF course as has been said by mill
tary men and laymen scores of times,
II big army eventually goes into Mex
leo 1t will go because the necessity
seems to be that 1t must fight the fol-
lowers of all factions in the southern
country including the adherents of
the de facto government under Car
rama. So if an American army goes
In, that is big army and not merely
punitive force, it will mean that the
Mexicans, spurred by what they think
Is pricking of real patriotism, will
have joined together to fight the north
ern invader
If the Carranza following holds off,
the work Of the United States troops
will concern itself only with the bandit
bands, but before these can be round
ed up and the work of pacification
completed it is held by many Wash
ington officials that a long time will
have elapsed, much money will have
been spent and probably many lives
will have been lost.
how the Army Views It.
This is the army view of the matter
and it is based on what has happened
in Mexico and on this siCe of the bor-
der in the years that are past. Col.
G. A. Dodd of the cavalry is in COM
mand of a part of the troops on the
border. If Colonel Dodd does not
know how to trail bandits and how to
fight them probably no man in the
American army does. There are a
good many officers on the retired list
who have be on into Mexico in pursuit
of hostile Apaches and there are more
of them who have tough. Mexican
bandits in the chaparral and desert
countries along the Rio Grande.
Colonel Oodd when he was a captain
In the Third cavalry was L. the field
for two years against Mexican bandits
aided by some Tcxan-Mexicans, who
constantly were raiding back and
forth across the border and who as q
rule made the chaparral country
south of the Nueces river their lurking
places.
It look the United States govern
ment nearly two years to capture
about 300 Mexican and Mexican-TeXar
bandits. The operations against these
thieves and desperadoes began early
In 1892 and lasted Until the latter part
of the year 1893. The reason for the
success of The outlaws in Guiding the
country in which they were commit
ting their depredations was such as tC
7 make concealment easy ana effective
| pursuit almost impossible.
It should be remembered that these
, operations largely were conducted OF
5 the American side of the border. Al
!. that time American troops were for
, hidden to cross into Mexico, but M
7 such inhibition held in regard to tht
] men whom they were trying to cap
S ture. The outlaws went back anC
3 forth at will. If the American troop
r ers had been allowed to cross thu
/ river the chances are that the caree
9 Of the bandits would have been Gu
}, much shorter than was the case.
9 Chased Indians Into Mexico.
In the early sos and somewha
I later, under an agreement with Mex
r leo, American troops were allowed t
e cross into the southern country whel
9 actually in pursuit of hostile Indians
S Some officers now on the active lis
4 of the United States army took par
g In these trailing expeditions into tn
s mountains of Mexico and into tn
n desert regions where the bandits O
r. today will betake themselves
S pressed by American troops.
S 1t took the troopers long time
l. put an end to the Apache raidings
o Geronimo and the other Apache chief
l. with their bands considered then
/, selves virtually safe if they could one
l. get across the line into the fastnesse
l. 20 where the Apaches went and it
I. probable that following them will b
q colonels and lieutenant colonels VIII
a, as first and second Eeutenants TO
lowed the same trails when in pursu
: of the Apaches.
= Army officers say that this sectio
- of Mexico is one of the worst in tn
world in which to conduct campaig
:, with any hope of success. The coul
= try is rough and for long stretches
Is waterless. One expedition whiC
went into Mexico in pursuit of Indiar
- could not find water for two days an
= the men came near perishing. Wit
this expedition was Lieut.. John '
Heard, who is now lieutenant colon
Of cavalry stationed in Texas, Hear
:. once said that the expedition probabI
- - was saved by a mule which SCENE
- to scent water and which breakiI
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