St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1916-06-28
Wilson Condemns Himself.

wilson Condemns Himself.
In his note to Gen. Carranza said
in part
For three years the Mexican re-
public has been torn with civil strife;
the lives Of Americans and other
aliens have been sacrificed; vast prop
critics developed by American capital
and enterprise have been DESTROYED
or rendered productive; bandits
have been permitted to roam at will
through the territory contiguous to
the United States and to seize with
out punishment or without effective
attempt at punishment the property
OF Americans. while the lives OF citi-
zens of the United States, who ven
tured to remain in Mexican territory
or TO return there to protect their in
terests, have been taken, in some cases
barbariously taken, and the murder
ers have neither been apprehended
nor brought to justice. 1t would be
difficult to find in the ANIMAL of the
history of Mexico conditions more de-
plorable than those which have ex-
listed there during these recent years
Of Civil War.
1t would be tedious to recount in
stance after instance, outrage after
outrage, atrocity after atrocity, to H.
lustrate the true nature and extent Of
the widespread conditions of lawless-
ness and violence which have prevail
ed. During the past nine months in
particular, the frontier of the United
States along the lower Rio Grande
has been thrown into a state of con-
slant apprehension and turmoil be-
IF
Ions into American territion and dep
relations and murders on American
soil by Mexican bandits, who have
taken the lives and destroyed the
property of American citizens, some
times carrying American citizens
across the international boundary
with the booty seized. American gar
risons have been attacked at night
American soldiers killed and their
equipment and horses stolen and de-
stroyed and American trains wrecked
and plundered. The attacks on
Brownsville. Red House Ferry, Pro-
greso postoffice and Las Pelades, all
occurring during September last, are
typical. In these attacks on Ameri-
can territory Carranzista adherents
and even Carranzista soldiers took
part in the looting. burning and kill
ing. Not only were these murders
characterized by ruthless brutality;
but uncivilized acts of mutilation were
perpetrated. Representations were
made to Gen. Carranze and he was
emphatically requested to stop these
reprehensible acts in a section which
he has long claimed to be under the
complete domination of his authority.
Notwithstanding these representations
and the promise of Gen. Nafarrete
m oil
tional boundary, in the following
upon United States troops at the same
month Of October a passenger train
was wrecked by bandits and several
persons killed, seven miles north of
Brownsville, and an attack was made
place several days later. Since these
attacks, leaders of the bandits we'll
known both to Mexican civil and mill
northern Mexico
tary authorities, as we'll as to Ameri-
can officers, have been enjoying with
impunity the liberty of the towns Of
Depredations upon American per-
sons and property within Mexican
jurisdiction have been still more num-
erous. This government has repeat
edly requested in the strongest terms
that the de facto government safe
guard the lives and homes of Ameri
can citizens and furnish the protec-
ton which international obligation
imposes TO American interests in the
northern states Of Tamaulipas, Neuvo
Leon, Coahuila, chihuahua, and Son
ora. and also in the states to the south.
For example, on January 3rd, troops
were requested to punish the bands
OF outlaws which looted the Cusi min
ing property so miles west Of Chi
huahua, but no effective results came
from this request"
All Of these outrages perpetrated on
the American people and the Presi-
dent of the United States has not
checked them in the least nor pun
ished one of the perpetrators. Can
there be any severer or more effective
condemnation of Pres Wilson than
his own recital of these unpublished
crimes and insults to the American
government? There could be one
more severe and humiliating, and that
is a recital that would give the num-
Der OF American citizens murdered,
the amount of American property de-
stroyed and the number of appeals
to the American government for pro-
lection that have been unheeded. 1t
is a terribly black chapter OF Ameri-
can history that the boys of Vermont
and other states will be asked to eff
face with their life blood in military
service.