Arizona republican., 1920-02-07
BELOW LINE IS HOPELESS
 DECLARES HOWZE
Border Army Commander Sees No Future for Mexi- co Under Mexicans - Tells of Years of Murder and Destruction
Republican A. ?. Leased Wirel

Republican A. ?. Leased Wirel
 FL PASO, Texas, Feb. 6.-Condi- tions were described as "intolerable' by General Robert Lee Howze, com mander of the Fl Paso district, when he testified today before the senate subcommittee Investigating the MeNf- can situation.
 Briefly and without palliation he eN- pressed the opinion that affairs in that country had grown steadily worse in the past 10 years, and that left solely in the control of the Mexicans," the future of that country was hopeless.
 The appearance of General Howze was with the approval Of the war de partment. When summoned as a wit ness he declared his willingness % testify, but asked that he be given time to secure permission of the war de- Dartment The authority was received early today and he was placed before the committee late in the afternoon Ills publicly made statement was sup piemented by one made in executive session at which it is known he gav, Senators Fall and Smith his suggestion s-s to the attitude the American gov ernment should assume in dealing with Mexico The character of his sug sestion was not made public.
 The conclusions Of General Howe '. ere contained in short statement D." read to the committee. but it's presen- tation was preceded by a summary Of the reports he had gathered of Ameri- can casualties attributable to MeXicans since 1917. It accounted for II killed ana r wounded. Following is General Howze's statement Of his conclusions.
 off and on during the last four years I have had peculiar advantages in being able to see and to know the things so far as concerns Americans anG foreign owned property. which have happened this side Of the Rio Grande and in Mexico.
 Conditions Intolerable"
 T will not undertake to describe them-they are too numerous and all ready well known. My conclusions ought to be sufficient. The intolerable which have covered a period Of nearly 10 years have continually grown worse. and 1 am convinced th" aEex or shamefulness and horror. as viewed from the American conception of justice and decency, was reached last fall, a condition which still exists.
 "rhe Mexican government during this 10 years of critical time has never as far as l can determine, done one genuinely friendly thing towards our government. On tfie other hand, the Mexican government. or its people has done no end of dfscourteous contemp- tuous and offensive things of large i'm portance toward our government and our people.
 "The result has been an increased estrangement and an increased hatred against the people of the United States. There are no end of reports showing that Americans are being murdered or being captured and released on pay ment of ransom. Foreign owned prop critics are being confiscated or prac- tically destroyed. Mexican bands are horrible crimes and in isolated places continue to make raids upon the persons and property of American citizens located on our side of the border.
 Murder and Destruction Everywhere
 Everywhere in Mexico. as far as can he observed, there is lack of progress Murder. rapine and destruction prevail From our point of view there is no evidence of constructive statesmanship. We who closely observe. believe tho future of Mexico, so far as it affects us. is utterly hopeless if left solely in the control Of Mexicans.'
 Colonel Francis Glover, General FIowze's chief of staff also was d wit ness. He was asked regarding the fighting in Juarez on June 15-16. 1913 when Villas men captured the city and a situation created that resulted iu American troops crossing the interna- .ional boundary. Colonel Glover testi- fled that the bullets which fell in Fl Paso were from both Mexican armies but that the majority were those fireu by Carranza soldiers. He explained he manner in which he had arrived 1t that conclusion during the fighting. He and others exposed themselves at he headquarters of the Eighty -second field artillery on the American side Reports had reached him that the MeXicanS were sniping at that point. He ordered his men to watch for the 'ifle flashes and then fall. The flashe- were seen. and above their heads as hey sank to the ground the bullets struck the walls above them. They were fired by d group of Villas men. rhe shots from CarranZa $ men came. le said, as d result of an attack so possible for a great majority of tho bullets fired not to have landed in El oaso.
 They Were All Alike
 The entry of American troops into Iuarez appeared to be welcomed bv he Carranza garrison. Colonel Glove estified. He also added that some diff :ulty was experienced by the Amerf- ans in differentiating between the two orces. The CarranZistas, he said, ex- ,lained that they could be told from he Villistas because they wore the letr eg of their trousers rolled up above he knee. Tn the heat of the fight ng, however" the colonel added. "I hinl< many of them. allowed Stheir 'reeches leg to slip down."
 Echoes of the Carrizal fight were leard by the committee from General Iowze and George Turner one of the legro troopers who participated in the fight and who carried Capt Boyd fa ally wounded, out of the firing line The negro told the committee of the 'rutal treatment accorded him and the thers who were taken prisoners by he Mexicans. They were stripped of very shed of clothing, half starved md subjected to both mental ana physical forms of 'third degree" methods for nine days, when they were elivered to the Americans at the in- ernational bridge between Juarez and ,l Paso.
 Women Joined in Attacks
 An interesting feature or his testi- 1OnY was his statement that q rnrnf,or