The Washington herald., 1916-07-22
SEEN AND HEARD
BY GEORGE MINER

stance, have just been given an account of the
real conditions there by highly reliable person
in position Of authority
Most OF the newspaper accounts that filter out
are badly distorted, for the simple reason that
at present there are no reliable newspaper cor
respondents in Mexico. The men who are there
are not correspondents in the pure sense of the
term. They are there for other reasons than
furnishing the American public with news and
in fact 1t is frequently to their interests to send
out distorted statements, if not actual fakes.
The stories sent from the border are, Of
course, all hearsay matters several times removed.
BY the time a story percolates through half
dozen different people from Mexico City to FL
Paso 1t gets pretty we'll twisted
Four months ago Villa was practically elimi-
mated as an antagonist Of the constitutionalist
government. Zapata was the big problem Car
rama had to contend with. Zapata controlled
most of the southwest of the country. His troops
were hghting at times within nine miles OF Mexico
City. Bands of his raiders harrassed the rail-
way between Mexico City and Vera Cruz every
few days. He was firmly intrenched in Morelos
and Oaxaca. The latter state was really an IN
dependent republic, printing its own money and
with pretty good-seized army, the remnants
Of Diaz's old federal army. This army was, of
course, in addition to the thousands of Zapata's
bloodthlrsty brigands and raiders.
Carranza and Gen. Gonzales, the military gov
ernor Of Mexico City, took counsel together and
agreed that the most important thing to do
TO squelch Zapata. Gonzales organized careful
and elaborate campaign at that end He spent
days at it, in his house out in the suburbs, not
coming to the city once. | have been there
when he has had consultations with his officers
beginning at 10 in the morning and lasting until
midnight.
At last everything was ready, the troops
gathered and Gonzales was about to start to
crush Zapata when the Columbus incident oc-
Cured Then in twinklng the attention of the
whole republic transferred to the north, to
Villa and to the American forces. Every for
got Zapata. Carranza had not more than 10000
in the north and about $1,000 with him at
Queretaro. The rest Gonzales had concentrated
in the southwest and around Mexico City to oper-
ate against Zapata.
Everybody knows the lamentable incidents
that happened in the north afterward and nearly
brought to war
The chase OF Villa by the American troops
brought him into prominence again. 1t was the
best advertising he could get and his quickest
way Of swelling his army and gathering his fol-
lowers together again. They focked to him from
all sides, until he has fairly good-szed
force under his command. At the time OF the
Columbus raid he really down and out He
probably couldn't muster more than a hundred
men. He has several thousand for those
Indians in the north all worship him. Never
they treated as we'll as when Villa was in control
there and they haven't forgotten it. He looted
and stole millions and spent most Of it in buying
food and drink and munitions for his men. Never
had they been we'll provided for They had
all they wanted Of the best food in the country,
the best rifles and unlimited ammunition. Also,
they could get drunk and stay drunk, and nobody
to say them nay.
Then when Oregon licked Villa out OF his
boots most of Villas soldiers forced to go
over to join the Carranza army. 1t never oc-
Cured to them not to be soldiers for somebody
After FIVE years OF marauding they had no
stomach to go back to the farms and prosac hard
work. However, they found life in Carranza's 5
army very different. All they got was their two
pesos day-about cents in money-and
no chance to loot. Neither Carranza, Oregon
nor Gonzales will stand for that, whatever other
offenses they may commit
So that Villa is in the saddle again
thanks to the Columbus raid and the American
punitive exPedtion-I imagine there will be
wholesale desertions from Carranza's army back
to Villas again. For that matter, Carranza ad-
mits that lot Of them have gone already,
anu tHdl Is WHY nc is nuTrylnS OOregOn from
his duties as minister OF war to take command
OF the northern army. Obrcgon is personally
very popular with the troops. If any man can
hold them against Villas influence Obregon is
the man. Also Obregon hates Villa with a hate
past all understanding. Villa cost him his right
Meanwhile the Zapata campaign was carried
out to the letter, but everybody was 50 inter-
csted in what was going on in the north that no
attention paid to it,
Gonzales went for Zapata tooth and nail and
thrashed him out of his stronghold in Morelos
actually cleared the state of his bands and has
pretty nearly got Oaxaca pacifed as well. Five
months ago, that seemed an impossible task
while the subjugation of Villa was considered
already accomplished.
Now things are just reversed Zapata is elirni-
mated, but Villa is looming very big. All of
which goes to prove that if it isn't one thing it's
another in Mexico