The Arizona copper camp., 1916-10-27
Mexico and towards Carranza.
Murderous Carrancistas

Mexico and towards Carranza.
Murderous Carrancistas
This authoritative statement issued
| by Mr.. Wilson through his secretary
of state sets forth that for three years
there has been continuous bloodshed
and disorder in Mexico; that Americans
have been barbarously murdered, and
vast properties developed by American
| capital and enterprise destroyed; that
| the murderers have not been brought
to. Justice; that during the past nine
! n~snths there have been constant in
vasions, depredations and murders on
American soil by Mexican bandits; that
American soldiers have been killed;
American ranches raided American
railway trains wrecked and plundered,
and American towns destroyed; and
that Carranza's soldiers and adherents
| took part in the looting, burning and
| killing; that murders were char
acterized by ruthless brutality and
| barbarous mutilation; that some Of
the leaders in these atrocities have not
only received protection but encourage
ment and. aid from Carranzas govern
| ment; that during this time there was
instance after instance Of the barbarous
| slaughter Of unoffending Americans in
| Mexico itself, in addition to the heinous
| crimes committed in numbering, burn
| ing and plundering on American soil;
| that CarranZa's generals made no eff
| fort to stop the crimes, and that Car
| rama himself was either unable, or
| else considered 1t undesirable, to pun
| ish the criminals; that Carranza gave
neither cooperation nor assistance to
| the American troops who pursued the
| bandits; that on the contrary, Carran-
| Za's adherents halted the American
pursuit at Parral and became the pro-
tectors Of Villa and his bandits; and
that Carranza's government has shown
| that it does not intend nor desire that
the outlaws bandits and criminals who
have been guilty Of these murders and
outrages, shall be captured, destroyed
or dispersed, either by American troops
or by Mexican troops.
In the above statement I have used
| the exact words Of Mr.. Wilson's secre-
tary, merely condensing the statement
and keeping exactly its sense. i have
not used one word not contained in
the statement. No indictment by me
Of Mr.. Wilson's policy could be as
strong as that furnished by himself.
Immediately afterwards occurred the
treacherous murder of our troops at
Carrizal. Then Mr.. Wilson became
frightened, bowed in object submis-
sion to Carranza, kissed the hand that
was red with the blood Of American
| men and women, and, inasmuch as he
dared not hold Carranza responsible
began in unmanly fashion to scold
Carranza's wretched American victims.
"Kept Us Out of War"
"Mr. Wilson says he has kept us out
| Of war The democratic platform
| says that the Mexicans'' have made
war upon and murdered our people,"
For once the democratic platform told
the truth. Mr.. Wilson says that some
Of the murdered men were barbarously
mutilated. In the press one such case
Of mutilation is described Two troop
ers Of the 18th u. 8. cavalry, Henry
Stubblefield and Richard Johnson, one
| from Virginia and one from New York,
were killed by Carranza's troops at
Progreso, Texas, on September 29, 1916.
Stubblefield's body was found soon
after the fight. Johnson was reported
missing, but Mexican prioners informed
our officers that Johnson had been
tortured and beheaded, his body thrown
into the Rio Grande, and his head and
ears cut off and displayed to the popu-
lace of the Mexican town Of Concep-
ciOn as evidence that American troops
| had been routed. This was not an
exceptional instance; it was typical of
what has gone on unchecked in Mexico.
What Roosevelt Would Have Done
"Mr. Wilson and his followers are
| fond of asking, when we criticise his
| action, What would you have done?"
Either one of two courses could prop
erly have been followed. 1t would
have been defensible to have recog-
nized Huerta, in view Of the fact that
other great powers had recognized
him: and, Of course, it was quite in
defensible to refuse to recognize him,
and yet recognize Benavides in Peru,
event we would have held Huerta to
and Carranza in Mexico. In such
"strict responsibility" by acts, for re-
storing order in Mexico and for pro-
tecting American life and property.
This course would have been de-
fensible. Personally 1t seems to me
that 1t would have been even better
to have done exactly what Mr. Will
son said he would do, but did not do.
He said to congress on August 27,
1918: 1--WE should let everyone who
assumes to exercise authority in any
part Of Mexico know in the most
unequivocal way that we shall vigil
antly watch the fortunes Of those
Americans who cannot get away and