Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-07-08
Selected by Tavenner

able to control the people and prevent
war If the troops stay in Mexico. MT
! Carranza feels no different about II
from all the people of Mexico"
The Mexicans were asked about
American ownership of mines and
railroads
Until the revolution" said Loyera,
| employees on the railroads with $lo0
a month were all Americans. For
| thirty or forty years the Mexicans dld
all the track work and all the hard
| labor, under the command of Ameri-
cans. No matter how bright or cap
able Mexican might be, he could not
| be promoted. The American employees
were paid in gold The Mexicans got
silver, they got about one-half or one
fourth OF what the Americans used to
get It was the same in the mines"
After answering many questions
from the newspaper men, the Mexican
delegation through MIR. Lovera CUES
toned the correspondents.
why is it, he asked, that there
| is such a difference between the feel
| ing Of the American people and the
way the American press expresses it
self? We all see that the American
people do not want war, yet the press
talks as If the people wanted war
L
ing hands and saying: Now We'll
clean up the gringoes." Is that the
way to keep peace? We know that
Villa is dead or has left the country.
Carranza would not accept his serv-
ices. The CarranZa army shoots every
Villa bandit they can catch
when Carranza ordered the release
of the prisoners, the papers said: Car
rama backs down They should have
told the truth, that Carranza realized
it would not be justice to keep prison
ers when war had not been declared.
will you adjust your conduct to the
feeling of the American people? We
know that the American press is more
powerful than that of any other cOun-
try. We know the great power of the
press. You might say that you lead
public opinion. They don't do that in
Mexico. We tell our people that the
American people don't want war, but
there is no one to say that in America
War means crushing our revolu-
ton. 1t means crushing our ideals
1t means the occupation of. Mexico
after little struggle"
Lovera was interrupted here by Col
oneI Martinez.
II don't agree with you he said
ct would not be SO easy as that We
uullSu- he WOI1Sn anu CntluTSn
will fight. It would be long struggle
why should the United States make
war on US? villas army is gone He
is dead or has left the country His
last stroke was to start trouble be
tween the United States and Mexico.
The American people ought to be more
lenient. The Mexicans are doing all
they can. How long did it take you
to capture the James boys? Yet our
land is different from Missouri and
Kansas 1t is mountainous and thin
ly settled and there are many wild
places"
Lovera said:
I'VE think the real bandits are in
Wall street. To catch them the Unit
ed States would have to send a punt
tive expedition to New York We hear
talk about going to Mexico and help
ing them, paying the Mexican Iaborers
real money. You can pay real money
TO labor without going to Mexico. Why
don't the Americans start here. How
about Colorado?
THE American people are very good
and very kind and very civilized We
saw them in Mexico whipping people
and doing things such as were not
done since the Spanish inquisition
Our aim is not to do away with
Inc americans, out 10 get the rights
of free speech and free assemblage,
the right to strike, a free press, and
also to get rid of the big ranches. For
many years they have been taking the
land away from the people, so that the
people had to work in the mines and
big plantations and mills for a few
cents day or starve. We want to
change that"
All of the Mexican delegation now
in Washington are men of intelligence
and ability, and of influence in Mexico.
They have a fine feeling of brother
hood with the workers of every coun-
try, and are filled with zeal for the
upbuilding of a great Mexican labor
movement that can form part of a
Pan-American Federation of Labor.
After leaving Washington, Lovera
and Pages will go to Central and
South America to further cooperation
between the labor movements of every
A