Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1919-09-11
THE MEXICAN MOBILIZATION

THE MEXICAN MOBILIZATION
The war department is preparing
extensive plans for military opera
lions that appear to be connected
with Mexico. Specifically, at least
the plans represent greater mob
oliZation than has ever been con-
templated for Mexico's benefit since
Watchful Waiting became our ma
tional policy-or alibi. Great guam
titles of material of all sorts-guns
pontoons, ammunition and general
suppies--have been ordered to the
border. Engineers are making de-
tailed maps of the forts of the Rio
Grande and of the passes and can
yons beyond Intelligence officers
are collecting every kind of data
that would be of value to American
commanders across the border.
Questionaires have been mailed to
thousands of reserve officers to as
certain their immediate availability
for field service. And so it goes.
Every branch of the general staff is
active to the same end.
What ii all means is known only
to the president and the secretary Of
war They are authorizing the ex-
penditures of the millions that are
being added to the Watchful Wait
ing account few years ago such
apparently portentous developments
would have alarmed us TO say the
least. but it is rather difficult to get
alarmed now over the international
cancer, considering past. experience.
Maybe it is all the basis of little
bluff that is expected to have tre-
mendous effect upon Carranza when
troops in large numbers are mobol-
lied and marched up and down the
border. Or maybe when General
Pershing returns the president in
tends to request him to start after
Villa again or maybe ii means real
business. tt
While it is futile to attempt to
forecast the result, it would be inter-
esting, nevertheless to know just
what prompted the mobilization at
this time. Conditions are no worse
now than they have been for the
last few years, although of course
the truth has recently been filtering
across the border, and the country
has begun to see through the cam
| ourflage that the white house and
| the state department have maintain
ed so successfully. If We had only
one guess. it would be that the pres
ident decided 10 get ready for action
when Senator Lodge appointed Sen
ator Fall, Senator Brandagee, and
| Senator Marcus A. Smith to make an
| investigation into the Mexican stu
/ alton. Because. OF course. tbs
| president knows that these gentle
! men cannot Re humbugged. and he
| knows also that when they begin to
uncover the truth the country will
| be shocked at the crime that has
been committed not only against our
own people. but against the decent
Mexicans as we'll. by subjecting them
to the operations of a ruthless ban
ditry which his administration was
solely responsible for placing in
power.
And there is the little matter of
pitiless publicity that must be ac-
counted for. When the truth, final
" energies, great many people who
have accepted statefents inspired
from Washington will no doubt de-
mand an accounting from the au-
thors.
OF course all this represents mere
ly a guess concerning the reasons
that caused our great military activ-
titles at this time. We may be alto
Rether wrong. Probably the presi-
dent wants the truth to come out.
and probably he has no intention of
blanketing the record by making a
great show of military activity.
Meanwhile. CarranZa's term is about
20 expire. and unless all information
is in error. he will get out or be
kicked out bv some other worthy pa
triot of similar type.
In this connection. we have been
informed, in a roundabout manner.
that General Pablo Gonzales has dis
patched a commission to Washing
ton to plead his cause as the ideal
rejuvenator of Mexico. The COM
mission we are informed. is compos-
ed of an American named Simpson.
the generals attorney. Mendivil,
and Frezieres. formerly Mexican
Consul General at San Antonio.
These gentlemen are well suDDlied
with money. Just whv a candidate
for the presidency of Mexico. whose
suffrage is supposed to be elective,
should oDen campaign Headquarters
in Washington is a phase of inter-
national politics which We cannot
fathom.
A good deal will probably be heard
of the virtues of General Gonzales
within the next few months. For
the present II is sufficient to state
that before he became general
in the army of the Mexican uplifters
he was an impecunious miller. and
today his income rs assessed on a
valuation of $1O.O00.00 At pres
ent we have not the SPACE in which
90 present the detailed statement Of
his remarkable financial activities
during his military career. We shall
so later.-Harvey's Weekly