Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-06-20
CARRANzA SHARPLY
REBUKED IN AMERICAN
NOTE TO MEXICO
CONTINUED from First Page)


CONTINUED from First Page)
obligation imposes, to American inter-
! ests in the northern states of Tamaui-
| pas. Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua
| and Sonora, and also in the states 10
| the south. For example, January d
| troops were requested to punish me
| bands of outlaws which looted the Cusl
| mining property, eighty miles west OF
| Chihuahua but no effective resuits
| came from this request During the
! following week the bandit villa win
his band of about 200 men was operat-
ing without opposition between Rubio
and Santa Ysabel. a fact well known 10
| Carrancista authorities Meanwhile a
| party of unfortunate Americans start
| ed by train from Chihuahua to visit
the Cusi mines, after having received
| assurances from the Carrancista au-
| thorities in the state of Chihuahua
| that the country was safe, and that
| guard on the train was not necessary.
The Americans held passports or safe
| conducts issued by authorities of the
| de facto government. January 1O the
| train was stopped by Villa bandits and
eighteen of the American party were
stripped of their clothing and shot In
| cold blood. in what is now known as
| the Santa Ysabel massacre" Gen.
| CarranZa stated to the agent of the
Department of State that he had issued
orders for the immediate pursuit, cap
ture and punishment of those RESPONSE
| BILE for this atrocious crime, and ap-
| pealed to this government and to the
American people to consider the diff
culties of according protection along
| the railroad where the massacre oc-
Cured Assurances were also given
by Mr.. Arredondo, presumably under
instructions from the de facto gov
ernment, that the murderers would be
would also be taken to remedy the
lawless conditions existing in the state
| of Durango. IT is true that Villa,
Castro. and Lopez were publicly de-
clared to be outlaws and subject to APP
prehension and execution. uut so far
as known, only a single man personal
| ly connected with this massacre has
| been brought to justice by Mexican au
thorities within month after this
| barbarous slaughter of inoffensive
Americans ii was notorious that Villa
was operating within twenty miles of
Cuslhulriachic, and publicly stated that
| his purpose was to destroy American
lives and property. Despite repeated
and insistent demands that military
protection should be furnished to
Americans. Villa openly carried on his
operations, constantly approa ching
closer and closer to the border He was
rot intercepted, nor were his move
ments impeded by troops of the de
[ d
tempt was made to Illustrate his hos
tile designs against Americans In fact.
as | am informed, while Villa and his
band were slowly moving toward the
american frontier in the neighbor-
hood of Columbus, n. NJ, not single
Mexican soldier was seen in his vicinity
Yet the Mexican authorities were fully
cognfzant of his movements for on
March 6. as Gen. Gavira publicly an
nounced, he advised the American mill
nF
proach to the border so that t,,ev
might be prepared to prevent him from
crossing the boundary. Villas unhind
cred activities eliminated in the I'M
provoked and cold biooded attack upon
American soldiers and citizens in the
town 'of Columbus on the night of
March 3, the details of which do NOT
need repetition here in order to refresh
your memory with the Nervousness of
the crime After numbering, burning
ana piundering, Villa and his bandits
heelng south passed within sight of
the Carrancista military post at Casas
Irahdes, and no effort was made TO
stop him by the officers and tarrison
OF the de facto government stationed
there.
Compelled to Employ Force.
In the face of these depredatfons NOT
only on American lives and propertv
on Mexican soil, bat on American SOL
diers. citizens and homes on American
territory, the perpetrators of which
Gen Carranza was unable or possibly
considered il inadvisa BILE to apprehend
and punish, the United States had no
recourse other than to employ force to
dfsperse the bands of Mexican outlaws
who were with increasing boIdness
Systematically raiding across the in
ternational boundary. The nlarauders
engaged in the attack on Columbus
were driven back across the border by
American cavalry. and subsequently, as
soon as sufficient force to cope with
the band could be collected, were pur-
sued into Mexico in an effort to capture
or destroy them. Without co-opera ton
or assistance in the field on the part of
the de faCto government despite re-
peated requests by the United States
and without apparent recognition on
its part of the desira bility of putting
an end to these systematic raids, or of
Furnishing the chief perpetrators of the
crimes committed, because they men
aced the good relations of the two
countries. American forces pursued the
lawless bands far as Parral. where
the pursuit was halted by the hostility
the de facto government. who arrayed
themselves on the side of outlawry and
became in effect the protectors of Villa
and his band
Ii ms HidIHtF ana Tor THESE
have the American forces entered May
lean territory. Knowing fully the cir
cumstances set forth the de facto gov
eminent cannot be blind to THE neces-
slty which compelled this government
to act and yet 1t has seen At to recite
groundiess sentiments Of hostility TO-
ward the expedition and to impute to
TINS government Interior motives for
the continued presence of American
troops on Mexican soil. 1t is charged
tnat these troops crossed the frontier
without first obtaining the consent or
permission of the de fscto government
obviously, as immediate action alone
could avail. there was no opportunify
70 reach an agreement (other than
that of March 1913, now repudjated nv
Gen CarranZa) prior to the entrance Of
such an expedition into Mexico if the
expedition was to be effective. Suisse
quent events and correspondence ave
demonstrated to the satisfaction of this
government that Gen. Carranza would
not nave entered into any agreement
providing for an effective plan for the
capture and destruction of the Villa
bands. While the American troops
were moving rapidly southwark in pur-
suit OF the raiders. 1t was the form and
nature OF the agreement that OCCUPIED
the attention of Gen. Carranza rather
than the practical object which 1t wa
70 attain-the number of limitations
that could be imposed upon the Amer
'can FORCES to impede their progress