The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-13
FTTNSTON'S STATEME

 dc ubtful success of hasty and there fore unprepared pursuit of the fugitive Villa.
 FUNSTON'S STATEMENT
 General Funstons statement today was in reply to what he termed the impatience or the American people for speedy ac- tion.
 '.The people must be patient he said. we must be adequately prepared Tor this thing.
 .'In the first place, we must use' as much as possible soldiers who are ac- customed to Mexican border duty How ever, these men cannot be removed rom their present posts until they are re- Eeved by troops drawn from other de- partments and hurried to the border.
 s'Transportation of the relief patrols is not an easy matter. Many of the troops consist of scattered detachments that have to be consolidated, sometimes after difficult marches, before they can be sent southward
 .'Concentration and transportation of troops is not all of our problems, how ever. We are going to march into country that will afford us little or no forage The commissary must be ade- ouately supplied.
 "A Villa follower can live on little or rcthing An American soldier must be we'll fed if he is to give good service.
 we won't gain anything by haste. To send an inadequate force insufficiently rrepared. after Villa, would hinder ana not hasten matters
 Regarding the course the campaign will take, General Funston said:
 .There will be more than one expe- ditionary force, although I am not at liberty to say how many or from what points they will start. They may make simultaneous entries into Mexico or they may all leave from the same point or they may depart from different points.
 UP TO COMMANDER
 ..All this will be left to the discretion of the expeditionary commander. who will have complete charge of all the forces in the field do not believe in swivel chair campaigning.
 "Necessariiy the campaign will develop new situations and the disposal of the troops is contingent upon these develop n,ents. I may at intervals visit the field forces.
 "Of course. the expedition will not await the arrival at the border of all the troops now being dispatched rom other departmental stations. 1t VIII De gotten under way just as soon as pos sible and, as other troops arrive, they will he sent forward as endorsements. ..El Paso naturally will be the base of supplies for our army. Fl Paso Will he supplied through Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio.
 The general explained that the first aero squadron and the regular scouts or the army would not do all of the scout ing duty for the expedition.
 i've are hiring civilian scouts, ne said. .'who are familiar with every foot of the territory we will penetrate-Amer- jeans who have been working down III that country for years.
 It is the generals expectation that the aero squadron will be of great service.
 "Of course, the flyers have seen duty down on the border he said. "but they could not accomplish much for thickets and stretches of bushes make observa- lions difficult Out in the open mesas of the territory we will traverse, how eyer. the boys will render great assist ance.'
 FIGHT TO DEATH
 Advance duty service in the small de- tachments that are thrown out by ar mics as feelers for the enemy. will be inc most hazardous work the American soldiers will encounter, General Funston believes.
 .Villistas will at times surprise these scouting parties'' he said. Tn ordinary warfare our men might, if hopelessiy outnumbered and resistance was futiie surrender with safety. To surrender tc the Vilistas, however, would be worse than suicide Villas men will kill every American they can lay hands on. Every encounter with them means a fight to the death for our men
 It has been decided that the first aero