Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-04-07
WE'RE SHY Oh TROOPS
Government Faces Big Problem
in Entering Mexico.
Can Muster Only About $4,000 Men
In Fighting Shape, but May
Call for Larger Force.

Washington, D. C.-The first que
ton which comes UP in sending an tx.
petition after Villa is that Of the
troops available. The only troops i'm
m~ediately available are those of the
regular army. OF the Is regiments
of cavalry, about three and a third
are out of the country and therefore
not available. Seven are already on
the border, leaving foul and two
thirds which can be sent.
OF the field artillery, one regiment
of light and and a half regiments
OF mountain are on foreign service and
therefore not available. One regiment
of light. n of horse. and half a regi-
ment OF mountain are on the border.
In the rest of the country there is only
n regiment and hat is a siege one,
the guns of which are too heavy to
be used with such an expedition as the
one after Villa.
Nineteen Infantry Regiments.
OF the 30 regiments of infantry
ten and two-thirds are on foreign serv.
ice, 15 are already on the border, leav-
ing only foul and a third available as
q reinforcement. The first time the
troops were modified on the Mexican
border companies Of coast artillery
were organized into battalions and
regiments and used for infantry. At
the present time, however, due to our
strained diplomatic relations with 9TH
er powers, the coast artillery cannot
be spared from the coast defenses.
This means we have available to
guard our Mexican border and chase
Villa eleven and two-thirds regiments
Of cavalry, nineteen and a third regi-
ments of infantry, 48 field guns, and
16 mountain guns. AS the regiments
are at peace strength, this gives a
force of about $4,000 to guard 1900
miles of frontier through a country
easily crossed by troops in any d.
rection and to catch Villa In a terri
tory with which he Is thoroughly ia.
miliar.
Mexlcans VIII Aid Villa.
A great advantage possessed by
Villa is hat every Mexican will aid
him in every possible way. He new.
er will lack information as to where
our forces are and as to what they are
doing. On the other hand, when ques-
toned by our men they will always lie
and give as much misinformation as
possible.
Villa can our troops serious
embarrassment by r%etreating practi-
cally straight south. 1t is true that
there are Carranzista forces occupy
ing most of the principal points north
of and including Mexico City.
South of Mexico City is the territory
held by Zapata, who has never come
in since the original Madero revolu-
ton. While little has been heard
about him in this country, he general
ly has more followers than had Villa
in his palmiest days. He excites even
more terror among the natives than
does Villa. He has threatened Next
co City itself on more han one occa-
sion. For these reasons there prob
ably would be little difficulty In Villa
getting through the Carranza forces
to Zapata. should he wish to do so.
Must Guard Communications.
AS our troops advance into Mexico
their line of communications, becom-
ing longer and longer, will need more
and more troops to guard ii. Also,
the natives will come more and more
to believe that a genuine invasion
Is being made. At the present time
SO much hatred of the American ex-
lists just south of the line and so much
hatred of the Mexican just north of 1t
that a clash between Carranzistas and
the American troops is possible at
any time.