Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1917-01-18
WHAT NEXT AND WHEN NEXT?

After months of paavering and dckering with Car
rama we are right where we were before it commenced
We are in the position of the dog that has just been
kicked and doesn't possess the nerve to bite back
General Carranza has officially and definitely refused
to ray the protocol signed by the American and Mexican
commissioners and by this act has again demonstrated the
Mexican contempt for everything American.
Kicked Just plain kicked again!
If the American people have pride left-if the hon
OF the country and the lives of people mean nothing
what about the American pocketbook? Even the most
wretch earth is sensitive to the welfare of his
purse
1t would be interesting to know just what this Mexi-
can asco is costing the country per day. With Pershng
and his twelve thousand men in Mexico with thousands
and thousands of National Guardsmen sucking their
thumbs on the border, with every available man in the
regular army doing police duty along the Rio Grande the
cost is piling away up into the millions.
The American taxpayer is putting up this money and
he gets nothing in return for it, He doesn't even gain the
respect of other countries and other peoples.
Two facts are self evident Cananza hasn't the pow
to take Villa if he would he hasn't the inclination to do
so he could Time has proven the truth of both of these
statements.
Another one Carranza hasn't the power to protect
American lives and American property in Mexico And
he wouldn't if could for Carranza is Mexican of Mexi
cans, as stubborn as mule and blind as bat to all
things save his own assninty
And yet we wheedle and dawdle and palaver
we keep an army on war footing at enormous ex-
pense to the taxpayers and yet not at war; We
haven't even an enemy at whom consistently point
gum Because neither congress nor our government Of
fcas seem willing to admit the fact that conditions exist
right in own back yard that would have started the
guns of other nations to bechng fire and lead years ago.
But one thing is evident, and from that we can not
escape The bills png up and we taxpayers have to
them. haUa 70 dou
and whack up.
General Pershng was sent into Mexico to capture a
notorious brgand who at least responsible for the
shooting up of an American town and the slaughter of
American citizens. By order of our government Perish
ings army cooped up in camp and not allowed to make
move while this same brigand has been swapping his
fingers at them and capturing towns under their noses and
making himself ruler of all northern Mexico
Great, isn't it, Mr.. Taxpayer?
We have had so many fool moves in connection with
Mexico that wondering what the next one will be
and when it will be.
The people of this country do not thirst for war with
Mexico but they do want justice and the time is coming
when they will demand it in no uncertain terms.
And, too the people becoming tired of paving tax
es for the purpose of keeping big army on the border
when that army has nothing more exciting to do than to
play baseball and leap frog.
We love peace as ardently any red blooded human
but we are rapidly coming to the conclusion that the only
thing left for us to do is to go into Mexico with gun in
one hand and scrub broom in the other.