The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-07-17
Won A VICTORY
OVER WILSON
Carranza ShreWd Enough to
Avert a Crisis
SKILL IN DIPLOMACY OF FIRST CHIEF TOO MUCH FOR PRESL
DENT OF THE UNITED STATES

ST. Louis, July I6.-A special from
Monterey to the Post-Dispatch says:
Mexicans of business prominence
who have arrived here from the City
of Mexico during the last few days
are unanimous IN agreeing that the de
facto government won a victory over
the United States in the diplomatic
avoidance of the recently threatened
crisis. Luis Cabrera, who is said to be
First Chief" Carranza's chief politi-
cal advisor, is given credit for giving
the de facto government at least a
temporary lease of life by his shrewd
diplomatic treatment of the acute sit
uation with the authorities at Wash
ington.
It is now an open secret that Car
rama believed at one time, Immediate
ly following the order for the mass
ing of the national guard of the diff
ferent states upon the Rio Grande,
that war was inevitable. He had lit
tie confidence in the assurance of Cab
rero that the threatened break be-
tween the countries might possibly be
avoided by diplomatic note writing of
which he has already proved adept.
Carranza well knew that the much
vaunted opposition to the prospective
American military invasion had no
real existence; he knew that his own
army was mere shell; he knew that
the whole fragment of his so-called
government would fly to pieces almost
the moment the American troops
crossed the border in any force.
Here is the proof of the way Car
rama felt about it, according to the
Mexican statements. When news of
the big troop movement towards Mex
leo came to him he deserted the presi-
Dental palace and took up his abode
in a Pullman sleeping car in the rail-
road yards. To this car was attached
a locomotive with steam up and ready
to move out at moments warning.
Wholesale desertions of Carranza
troops in Northern and Central Mex
leo have taken place since the reap
pearance of Francisco villa upon the
field of action. Villas raid upon CO.
lumbus, N. NJ, has made him the pop
ular hero of the masses of Mexicans
all over the country. The Carranza
soldiers hold him almost in reverence.
They are focking to his standard by
the hundreds.
Brigandage is becoming more and
more rampant in almost every part
of the country. Scores of rowing
bands of outlaws are preying upon
the defenseless and suffering people
in nearly every state. Many men Of
the lower and middle classes who were
formerly of unblemished respectable
ity now find themselves facing the al
tentative of either turning robber or
starving to death. They are forced to
steal for the sake of their families as
well as for themselves.
The authority of the defacto gov
ernment is absolutely nil, with the ex-
ception of in the City of Mexico, and
very few of the other larger cities.
As a matter of fact, there is little
semblance of government anywhere in
Mexico.
It is the general opinion in financial
circles here that the borrowing in the
United States or elsewhere of $780,
000,0 or any sum by the de factor
government would prove but of small
temporary benefit to that tottering
element of the nations political dis
turbers. This amount Of new and real
money in the country would only serve
to intensity the activity of the other
revolutionary factions, it is claimed.
No thinking man III Mexico believes
that American Intervention has been
prevented by the recent turn of events.
The crisis has simply been deferred
and the job which they think is in
evitable, probably made all the hard
err