The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1916-08-24
TELLS OF CONDITIONS
SOUTH OF BORDER
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NUUlH UF DUnUEH
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body was placed in an automobile,
taken to the edge of the city and rid
died with bullets.
The Anti-Huerta Revolt
Immediately on learning of these
events we of the liberal and constitu-
tional parties, Catholic and protestant
alike, who had supported popular gov
eminent, sprang to arms to protect
our liberties against the new dictator.
We could no more accept him as our
president than the people of the
United States could have accepted
Wilkes Booth as their president if he
had sliced the government after his
assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The
case is exactly parallel and does not
admit of argument among people who
choose their executive officials by an
expression of the will of popular ma
jority. Il
Wilson's Great Soul
President Wilson came into Office
just at this time and his great soul
was Mortified at the idea that any man
should arise to place and power thru
the avenue Of assassination.
Recognition of such course would
lead to the absolute destruction of pop
ular sovereignty. Standing on that
sentence of your declaration of inde-
pendence, which says that 'the just
powers of governments are derived
from the consent of the governed" and
knowing that the Mexican people had
never had been consulted nor consent
ed to the elevation of the murderer,
Wilson set his face against Huerta and
determined that he must get out of
Mexico.
He seized the flag incident at Tam
pico as an excuse to occupy the port
of Vera Cruz and patrol the gulf coast
of the country. While Huerta was oc-
cupied with this interference with his
plans and could neither remunition his
army nor finance his military opera
lions, we gathered our force and
strengthened ourselves for the conflict
and, tho the murderer made great
resistance, we finally drove him from
the country.
Break With Villa
Confronted with the task of reerect-
ing popular government, we came to a
point of disagreement in our own coun-
ellis. The land question hopelessly di-
vided us and we were at swords points
over methods rather than our general
policies. We all agreed that the lands
must be re-converted as far as posi-
BILE and be redistributed to the people
under the provisions of the constitu.
ton of 1857.
Villas Mistake
He could not, or would not see the
justice of our contention, and the last
straw was added when we elected AL
varo Oregon to be minister of war, a
post which Villa coveted. Angered
beyond reason at our choice, he flung
out of the council, declaring that the
next time he saw us it would be upon
the battle field.
Three days after Huerta left Mexi-
co, Villa was collecting taxes in the
northern tier of states to finance his
campaign against us. In the campaign
that followed he demonstrated his
brilliant qualities as general. At no
time has he appeared to better advan-
tage on the field, but since we regard
ed the cause of liberty and democracy
more threatened than ever before (tho
Villa declared himself the champion of
these great causes), we steadfastly op-
posed him. Defeated often, we persis-
tently returned to the contest and fin
ally broke his strength. We drove him
into that desert section between FAC
oticos and Chihuahua (Chi-wa-wa) J,
where food was scarce and travel diff
ficult. The American administration
realizing Villas wrong medicines,
recognizing our solidarity to true lib
erty and democracy and supported