Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-05-29

and most AmericaniZed story of his
ideas, but only went back to the time
that Carranza began to show signs
of coming to the front-and his SYM
pathies were with Carranza.
"Carranza is mighty good man."
said the Mexican, "and if the best
people of Mexico would all come to
his assistance, I believe he would
soon prove himself man that could
be entirely depended upon. Carran-
"a is not a quick thinker, neither is
he quick actor, but after he has
given any matter serious considera-
ton, he has to be shown that he is
in the wrong-and almost invariably
proves that he is in the right. He
is a good man to his friends, and the
reason you hear so much about his
being a butcher is because extreme
measures are necessary in many cas-
es with which he has to contend. He
met with a troop of Villistas that
could only be taken care of by killing
and has been known to torture them
in trying to get valuable knowledge
from them-and upon certain occa-
sions has allowed his men to torture
the enemy numerically"
''On the other hand" continued
the Mexican, 81 have studied the his
tory of the United States to some ex-
tent and have also talked the matter
over with men who served in the
civil war, and I find that there was
considerable lawlessness, thievery,
murder in some cases, and other acts
that were not commendable, that
were committed by American SOL
diers. OF course, you Americans have
either forgotten that or have never
heard of it. l will admit that the
people of the United States are far
in advance of the Mexicans, so far
as education and ambition are con-
cerned, and it is also an admitted
fact that education has great deal
to do with the removal of savagery
and banditry.
"Carranza is for the poor people
of Mexico. He wants to remove all
traces of banditry. He wants, and
is trying to get to be, the controlling
factor in Mexico, and when he does.
Mexico will progress more rapidly
I want to say that if Carranza gets
to be a power, that some of the for
eign interests will know it in a
short time. That is one of the
things" said my informer. "that
is causing so much dissatisfaction
in our country. A rich foreign cor
poration comes in and buys mine,
an oil field, or even large ranch.
They put men to work on small
salary and where they pay out hun
bred dollars they eXpect-and In
many cases make a million dollars
profit. Even the ignorant working
man soon sees where he is a tool in
the hands of the foreigner and you
know that cuts the average man to
the quick. | am positive" continued
he, "that foreign corporations have
paid sums of money to natural and
native outlaws, to cause disturb
ance that would intimidate the pros
pective purchaser of property in that
vicinity. This gives the large con-
Germs an opportunity of holding their
vast estates intact, as we'll as to keep
the speculator from infringing upon
what they would call their rights.
You cannot conscientiously blame
my people for raising a row when
such things are countenanced, and
those are the very things Villa has
been doing for the foreign popula-
ton. Villa is ravisher Of women
so strongly that he allows and even
encourages his men to take all the
liberties they may desire with the
women who are so unfortunate as to
cross their path. He is a bandit and
murderer and is the originator of
many degrading adventures that are
laid at the door of his enemy-Car-
rama. You have undoubtedly heard
of the planted mines of dynamite
that had been laid in several of the
border towns and how the mines
were to be fired simultaneously.
banks were to be robbed and toll
taken from all those who ventured
out while this plan was being car
ried out. Magazine readers prob
ably read novel pertaining to this
last fall, which was founded on the
facts that are here mentioned by my
Mexican friend.-F. o. S. That plan
was frustrated by officers, but had
it been carried out, Villa would have
been one of the respected men of
do TN,