Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-07-24
VILLA DARES NOT
GIVE UP HIS ROLE
ASBAND|T CHIEF
Afraid to Disband Army, as 1t
Would Be Virtual
Suicide.
BY HERBERT COREY.

BY HERBERT COREY.
Ell PASO. Tex. July 19.-"Pancho
wants to quit being a bandit" said
villas friend. But how can he quit?
To quit would be just the same as
committing suicide. His hide would
be drying on the fence within ten
days after he had disbanded his army"
Nothing in the whole Mexican stu
alton is more hopelessly fourteenth
century than tie Villa complication.
The leaders on both sides are gov
effled by code Of ethics that passed
out OF fashion along with rapiers and
trunk hose. Ransom. bribery and
! assassination are among it's common
places. No one seems to hate any
one else-particularly- the bust
ness in hand is too eminently matter
OF fact to be complicated by emotion.
No one particularly trusts any one
else.
Business Mnn Villas Agent.
very respectable and well liked
business man here is acting as inter
mediary between Villa and the pres
cnt administration. Senior Elias Tor
res has been spoken of as the inter
! rnediary. but Senior Torres is what
person addicted to horse racing
would call an added starter" He
saw chance to get piece of the
him was about ready to go into the
oven. But he returned from a visit
to the Villa country unsuccessful
Villa did not offer to trade through
him.
The intermediary is an American
n, one seems to have asked him to be
an intermediary. He is type of
the live-wire American business man
who can see an opportunity before it
gets above the horizon. He knew
that villa wants to quit being a ban
dit. in consideration of fat sum of
goiden pesos-say a million or SOTO
him in hand. well and duly paid He
knows that the Mexican government
would leap at the chance to buy Villa
Off for a million pesos or SO. 1t only
remained to fix the terms.
villa Stands Well with People.
So he has been on the phone inter
mittently during the past week. That
may seem surprising. villa. it is well
understood. Is a bandit, and bandits
are not supposed to be possessed of
the telephone and mailing privileges.
But the fact is that villa, as bandit.
stands about as well with most people
who know him as do the duly consti-
tuted authorities. This isn't a sur
reptitious rap at the de la Huer,a
administration or Obregon. Only the
Carranzista authorities, who were the
last authorities of record in Mexico
before Obregon gained control. treat
ed their victims quite as unpleasantly
as Villa did. The principal difference
was that Villas word was worth one
hundred cents on the dollar.
Sure, I'll quit" is Villas statement
Il want to quit All | ask is to be
shown how can quit safely"
Villa knows perfectly well that he
can be killed safely. ~c word of
honor given by the present admin
istration would bind a succeeding adj
ministratioh. 1t might not even bind
the present administration. That is
not the way the game is played in
spots on it. When he promises pro-
lection and is paid for it he delivers
the goods. but there is many man
dead in the Mexican sands who would
be alive today If Villa had played
fair. His ungovernable temper has
made him break many a compact
Obregon himself is alive today be-
cause he was able to kid Villa out
of murder.
Ordered Obregon shot.
Oregon had visited Villas camp as
an erissary from Carran1a. That was
back in the days when Obregon was as
anti-American as Carranza himself and
long before the clash of the two ambi-
tons had forced Obre6on to see his duty
as patriot in a new light Villa had
assured Obregon of safe conduct. and
the big man from Sonora had ridden
ever suggested that Obregon is anything
less than 100 per cent brave. The two
could not agree on terms. Villa fell into
one of his black RACES:
Take him out and shoot him. he
yelled.
You can do that of course. said
Obregon, calmly. But it will not be to
your credit
Villa reflected and assented. But it
was not because the deed itself was dis
honorable, but because others would call
1t dishonorable Now he declines to put
himself in the power of Oregon and de
la Huerta and Gales. for he reasons
they would kill him with the best will
in the world just as soon as they can
get an assassin in shooting distance.
That offer Of 100000 pesos for Villa.
dead or alive, which was made some
time ago. still sticks in his craw. 1t still
stands, too. and the man who can bring
In his head can cash it-perhaps. Cen
tlemen proposing to go out on expedi-
tons to kin villa are advised to make
sure that the 100000 pesos are put in
safe hands before they go to the ex-
pense of hiring mules.
why villa Wants an Army.
Il will quit" villa has said. 'if l
am paid enough and IL am permitted
to maintain an army sufficiently large
to protect myself"
That is the true meaning of his in
sistence on being made military gov
ernor Of Chihuahua. That would en-
able him to keep up his band of Willis
tas in being. The state would pay
them some money and convinced
populace would pay the rest or Villa
would be presented with some excel
lent reasons why lot. But If Villa
were to attempt to keep up his army
out of the amount to be paid him by
the state for coming in and being
good-well it costs money to keep
up a private army. And the first day
the army missed it's pay some patriot
might take a shot at his gallant
leader.
I'VE will necer consent to make
villa military governor Of Chihuahua"
Oregon has said.
That isn't to be wondered at. either.
villa as military governor OF the rich
as independent as a hog on ice. Any
time that the federal government dis
pleased him he could tstart a rebel
lion, in which case the federal gov
eminent would be none the better off
for the million or more pesos that
might be paid villa for kneeling at
the mercy seat More than that, villa
as a more or less hunted bandit in the
mountains-the emphasis rests on the
"Iess'' in that sentences not much
more than an annoyance TO the red
eral government. But Villa as the
head Of the military resources of Chi
huarua might well furnish the full
crmm from which the present admin
istration might upset.
Has Little Chance to Quit.
So there you are. Villa wants to
ouit: the administration wants him to
quit. He demands a price-say one
Wilton golden pesos-and the admin
io willing nav Rnt q