Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1916-06-30
WHO Is TO RI.ANgE2

With it's proceeds and those of loot /
and what public stores he has been
able to seize and hold, he has gotten |
together an army OF more than CO.,
600 men stretched across the north
ern strip of Mexico. They are un-
der the command of Carranza's chief
general and war minister, Obregon
and include some 5000 cavalry, rid
ing the best horses in Mexico and
well trained in guerilla warfare
almost as many as the total troops of
the American border and expedition
airy forces combined. Oregon has
over one hunderd and twenty ma
chine guns, twice as many as the
United States army. His men are
most of them seasoned Mexican fight
ers; they include the best Mexican
veterans OF all the Mexican wars
since the Huerta revolution
The past is past; but when the
Wilson administration, through it's
newspaper partisans and party plat
forms is claiming credit for having
kept us out of war and for the be-
nign policy of watchfu1 waiting, 1t is
well to recall what has been done for
good or i'll by our pacific philosophical
president.
How has it come about that after
years of the familiar story of muir
der, rapine and anarchy, after hear
ing again and again that we must
let Mexico work out her own destiny
It now appears not only that we must
go in but that Intervention was in
evitable from the beginning?
When the account is cast up, where
is the responsibility to be laid for the
fact that instead of now having to
suppress a few marauding bandits we
must face and overthrow $4,000
men trained In fighting as Mexicans
go. three-fourths of them mounted
and having twice as many machine
guns as our own army. For nearly
three years arms and munitions have
been freely exported across the bor-
der, and 1t is safe to say that there
is practically not gun that will be
turned on our army, not a bullet that
will find its billet in an American
soldiers heart, that had not been
shipped across the border by express
permission of our government.
Who is to blame? Tt was early in
Wilson's administration that the
president announced that on account
Of the murder that paved his way to
power Huerta would not be recog-
nized by this government, and that
in order that Huerta's adversaries
might have full swing, the shipment
to Mexico of arms and munitions. for
hidden by the Taft administration.
might be resumed
There was not, nor was there pre-
tended or expected to be, any bene-
neiary of this policy except Carranza
and his so-called government That
Huerta was INSCRIPTIONS, q military
dictator stopping at nothing, was
doubles true. But he was all the
government there was, he was the
only man since Diaz's overthrow that
had succeeded in establishing even
the semblance of orderly government
and he was the only man that gave
any promise OF maintaining order.
Most of all he was the de facto ruler
OF Mexico and had been provision
ally recognized by the powers of Eu-
rope.
It was at this point that the i'm
practical benignant dreaminess that
marks the temperament and mental
F~NS~S0SS va NOO01OW Wilson found.
with the ready assistance OF the
equally philosophical Bryan. fatal
opportunity for realization. Because
he was a murderer the administra-
ton refused to recognize Huerta
practically ending his government.
We doubt If there has been since the
days of the Iturbide revolution a rul-
er In Mexico whose approach to pow
er has not been sustained with blood
1t is a dreadful thing but it is the
way the Mexicans do
Wilson's recognition of Carranza
and the lifting of the embargo on
arms and munitions, opened the Pan
dora's box whence have fown out to
sting and torment us the pestiferous
brood OF Mexican ills. It Is this that
has enabled Carranza to build I'M his
marauding bands into a real army
with real equipment. It was the same
weak phtlosophic statesmanship that
first took up Villa as Carranza's chief
soldier, encouraged him, supplied
him with arms, suffered outrages at
his hands and was finally compelled
to denounce and pursue him and TO
do its best to kill him.
Doubles Wilson means well. 4is
intentions were good; but BY refus-
IN r.