Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1916-09-25

MEXICO UPSET AGAIN.

Gen. Bell, commanding the United
States forces at El Paso, reports de-
tails of raid by Villistas on the city
Of chihuahua on September 16. Gen.
Funston gives full credit to the re-
port made by Gen. Bell. Yet, be-
cause Gen. Trevino, the Mexican
commander, denies this report, the
| War Department calmly sets aside
and discredits the official report OF
its own commander The good faith
and reliability of Gems Bell and
Funston count for nothing against
the word Of the Mexican commander,
who is shown up in very unfavor-
able light by the American official
report.
The Washington Post asks:
"Is Gen. Bell in poor standing
with the departments Has Gen. Fun
| ston's usefulness come to an end2
What are the people to believe, when
the War Department publicly casts
doubt upon the reliability of its
principal commander on the border?
Does it mean that Gen. Trevino is re-
! garded as a more truthful man than
the Americans? The incident makes
very disagreeable impression upon
the public mind"
Quite so. If Gen. Funston and
Gen. Bell do not enjoy the conf
dence of their superiors, they should
be detailed to less important duty,
and somebody like Gen. Trcvino
should be placed in custody of the
lives and property Of Americans
along the border. But If Gems. Fun
ston and Bell are to remain in COM
mand, their official reports should be
accepted in full faith. 1t Is not their
fault that Gen. Trevino Is shown up
as a laggard in meeting the bandits
who raided Chihuahua. They report
the truth as they learn it, and long
experience on the border enables
| them to sift out the facts There is
no longer any doubt, except at the
| War Department, that the Villistas
played havoc at Chihuahua and in
duced a large body of Carranza's
soldiers to join them.
Carranza, in short, is not master
! Of northern Mexico. His chief gem
eral is incapable of maintaining
order, even in his own headquarters.
The bandits do as they please The
Carranza forces are honeycombed
with disloyalty. AS soon as the Viii
! listas can show the Carranza sol
diers where loot is to be had the Car
ranzistas become Villistas and take
to the hills.
1t matters little whether Villa
| himself is at the head of the bandits
or whether another highwayman has
/ taken leadership. The important
fact Is that banditly is again becom-
ing the leading industry Of northern
Mexico and that Carranza cannot put
an end to it.
The situation tends to make the
! conference at New London a ridi-
culous performance. The American
conferees are put in the position of
/ negotiating seriously for the settle
ment Of Mexican problems with
pretender who cannot even keep his
own garrisons intact His forces
either join the bandits or are afraid
| to pursue them. Yet the pretender
makes the withdrawal OF the Amer
| ican forces the sine qua non of
amicable relations and refuses to
| take up other questions until the
( United States shall surrender to his
demand.
The renewal of bandit activity
makes II impossible to withdraw
J Gen. Pershing's forces 1t would be
a crime to leave the border to the
protection" of Carranza troops,
many Of whom are themselves ban
dts in the making. and in any event
incapable Of putting down the Viii
listas The American troops must
remain where they are II they can
not move forward on their original
mission in pursuit of villa.
In the meantime, the American
commissioners at New London are
nlaced in an awkward position. OBJ
viously, they will be compelled to
mark time until they can ascertain
| whether the Carranza government is
IN fall to pieces or regain control Of
the situation. No arrangement made
by Carranza's representatives at New
London would be worth anything at
/ this juncture. The only guarantee
of the safety of Americans along the
! border lies in the armed forces of the
United States.