Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1916-04-05
MEANS A LONG STAY
ARMY OFFICERS BELIEVE JOB IN
MEXICO WILL TAKE CON-
sIDERkBLE TIME.
FEAR MExlCANS MAY FIGHT
Factions May Unite Against Northern
inVader-Pershing's Good Work in
the Phllippines-Naval and Congress
sional Circles in Controversy.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

as the United States government has
been obliged to senu an army into
Mexico il will be forced to stay there
for long time before it completes its
work. There are some military men
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 a larger force
engaged in a much broader field OF
operations
OF course as has heen said by mill.
tary men and laymen scores of times.
If big army eventually goes into Mex
leo it will go because the necessity
seems to be that it must fight the. fol-
lowers OF all factions in the southern
country including the adherents of
the de faeto government under Car
rama. So If an American army goes
in. that is big army and not merely
punitive force, il 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 of,
the work O. the United States troops
viii concern itself only with the bandit
bands, out before these can be round
ed up and the work of pacifleation
completed it is held by many Wash
ington officials that long time will
have elapsed. much money will have
been spent and probably many lives
will have been lost.
how tho Army Views It.
This is the army view of the matter
and it is based ON what has happened
in AeAico and on this Size of the Dor
der in the years that are past Col
G. A. Dodd of the cavalry is in COM
mand of 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 been INTO Mexico in pursuit
of hostile Apaches nd there are more
of them who have fought Mexican
bandits in the chaparral and desert
countries along the Rio Grande.
Colonel Todd when lie was a captain
I'm the Third cavalry was j. the field
for two years again st Mexican bandits
aided by some n-Mexicans, who
constantly were raidi1g back and
forth across the border and who as a
rule made the chaparral country
south of the Nueces river their lurking
places.
1t ,ook the nited States govern
ment nearly two years to capture
about 300 Mexican and Mexican-Texan
banuits. The operations against these
thieves and Gesperadoes began early
in 1892 and lasted rntil the latter part
of the year 1898. The reason for the
success of The outlaws in Guiding the
troopers was that the ature of the
ccun.ry in which they were commit
ting their depredations was such as to
make concealment easy AMI effective
pursuit almost impossible.
1t should be remembered that these
operations largely were conducted on
tbs Americans side of the border. At
that time American troops were for
hidden TO cross into Mexico, but no
such inhibition held in regard to the
men whom they were trying to cap
ture. The outlaws went back and
forth at will If the American troop
ers had been allowed to cross the
river the chances are that the career
of the bandits would have been cut
much shorter than was the case.
Chased indians Into Mexico.
In the early SOS and somewhat
later, under an agreement with Mex
lco American troops were allowed to
cross into the southern country when
actually in pursuit of hostile Indians.
Some officers now on the active list
of the United States army took part
in these trailing expeditions into the
mountains of Mexico and into the
desert regions where the bandits of
today will betake themselves If
pressed by American troops
1t took the troopers Jong time to
put an end to The Apache raidings.
Geronimo and the other Apache chiefs
With their bands considered them
selves virtually safe if they could once
get across the line into the Businesses
of Mexico. The bandits of today may
go where the Apaches went and it is
probable that following them will be
colonies and lieutenant colonies who
as first and second lieutenants fol
lowed the same trails when in pursuit
of the Apaches.
Army officers say that this section
of Mexico is one of the worst in the
world in which to conduct a campaign
with any hope of success. The coun-
try is rough and for long stretches it
is waterIess. One expedition which
went into Mexico in pursuit of Indians
could not find water for two days and
the men came near perishing. With
this expedition was Lieut.. John W.
Heard, who is now lieutenant colonel
of cavalry stationed in Texas Heard
once said that the expedition probably
was saved by a mule which seemed
to scent water and which breaking