The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-03-13

citizens on the border.
President Wilson and Secretary OF
State Lansing will discuss this new
H phase Of the situation at confer
ence tomorrow morning. Senator
/ Stone. chairman, OF the Senate For
elgn Relations Con'mittee also has an
appointment to see the President. and
Representative Flood. chairman of the
House Foreign Relations Committee.
q expected to communicate his views
to the Pr ssident-
Thus far Congress- apparently to
man. has been behind the President
In his plan To punish villa. There
seems to he growing impression,
, however that the Mexican invasien
will not end with the expedition now
under way to capture Villa. There
was evidence of strong feeling that.
once into Mexico, the United States
NAV find itself headed straight for
actual Intervention.
Fuiiston's Plans Withheld.
General Funston left the War DE-
partment almost wholly in the dark
today as to his plans for the invasion
of Mexico. He did not cut his cables,
as Dewey did at Manila Bay. but he
did not send any information relating
TO troop movements across the border,
The Information he sent to Wash
jngton referred 10 the movement Of
troops TO the border to take the place
OF the expedition To be sent after
villa.
Even this information Secretary OF
War Baker would not make public.
MIR, Baker said that at present all
movements of troops would be con-
sidered as confidential military infor-
nation and withheld from the public.
He intimated that this plan would be
al H.. .,lIf
under way There is evidence that
the War Department will maintain the
strictest censorship,
Secretary Baker insisted hat he had
no Information corroborating reports
. that the first large body of troops had
: left Douglas. Arizona, and was headed
i for the Sierra Madre Mountains.
: you may rely on It," Secretary
/ Baker said. that we have no dis
patches showing whether American
troops have gone across the border, or
! when they will go. or in what num-
+ bers"
Army officers attached 10 the gen
I eral staff who have seen service on
! the border realize that the capture OF
/ Villa, even if no opposition is made
/ by the Carranza forces, will be eX-
/ ceedngly diificult, owing to the topo-
/ graphy Of the country.
! Where Villa May Hide.
The plains of Northern Chihuahua
/ are covered with dense growths OF
soap weed and sand dunes, in which
| a regiment OF troops can be hii. The
mountains on the western borders OF
! Chihuahua are full OF gorges and gull
I lies, in which the pursuing American
forces will be constantly in peril OF
/ ambush.
Villas present whereabouts are I'M
I known to the War Department If
Funston knows where Villa is hiding
/ he has not advised the department
| No word as to Villa has reached the
/ War Department since he was report
! ed at Ascension last night. This is in
, striking distance OF the railroad over
! which the Mormon colony of Casas
! Grandes was planning to fee to tho
/ American border.
The confidential agency of the Mexi-
can government in Washington today
received the following telegram from
! Andreas @. Garcia, Carranza consul at
/ I'll Paso:
Francisco Villa was today in Cor
! ralitas, on his way to Casas Grandes
We have sufficient force in that
! region and n reinforcement of 500
! cavalry is being sent. General Luis
| Gutierrez will reach Juarez tomorrow
with additional troops Our military
men are developing intense activity,
and the bandits must soon be eNter-
minated"
i The presence of this large body of
Carranza troops in chihuahua is rec
ognized as an element of danger I'M
1 less Carranza acquiesces in the Ameri-
can expedition against Villa. His
/ proposal for reciprocal agreement
governing cross border expeditions il
accepted as indicating a friendly at
/ tltude on his part But no direct
word has been received from him
since Secretary Lansing notified Am
bassadof- Designate Arredondo of the
American governments Intentions
The State Department expects to
receive hourly frem Consul Silliman ut
tarranza' capital advices showing
Carranza's attitude toward the expedi.
ton to capture Villa.
trttt no matter What the attitude OF
CarranZa may be. the War Department
~ gong ahead with its plans to enter
Mexico.
Opposition win Mean War.
If Carranza acquiesces. it NAV end
With the present punitive expedition
II he opposes the entry Of the Amerj-
can forces officials realize that it will
mean war. They have made their
plaAs with reference to both contfn-
eepCtes.
Oihcial records of the State and
war Departments indicate that one
OF the CarranZd consuls. at least. was
advised of the imminenCe of an in
cursIon Of bandits into the United
states, a short time before the in
vasjon at Columbus
Reports from General Funston show
that at least week before the Column
bus massacre the State Department
seHt g telegram to Jesse II. johnson,
American consul at Matamoras telling
MN that Secretary of State Lansing
had Teen informed there was TO be
a raid into the United States. and that
1t was the belief here the crossing
would be between Matamoras and
Reynosa. The impression gained by
Mr.. Johnson from his source OF in
formation at that time was that no
invasion was mediated