Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-10
Why Mexicans Revolt

Of the State Of Nuevo Leon, which is in.
but not of, the North. The other was
Pascual Ortiz Rubi, labor sympathizer
like Gales and Portes Gil.
The new party set day for con-
vention-last Saturday. The agarians Of
the North had withdrawn from their
contact with the party and there was
| already open talk of revolution. Aaron
Saenz as a candidate, however, was not
entirely unacceptable to the Northerners.
Gales did not wish to preside at the
party convention and resigned as its
president. With Gen. Manuel Perez
Trevino in the chair, the party met last
Saturday at Queretaro. Saenz had
toured the Northern and some other
| states in the interest of his can
didacy and expected the nomination.
Withdrawal From Convention.
He remained at the convention less
than a day, then withdrew himself and
his delegates. 1t was evident that the
| party was to 60 into the can 0aign
headed by Rubi, a labor sympath ger.
Next day Sonora and Vera Cruz fell
| TO the rebels without shot,
How long the rebellion had been
actually planned, it is, of course, i'm
possible for any one but the rebels to
| say. At any rate, Gales and his party
made a perfect occasion for its start
The governor Of Sonora, Maj. Gen.
Fausto Topete. Is brother of that
Ricardo Topete who indicted Morones
for the death Of Obregon in the Cham
Der Of Deputies. The leader Of the
of the revolt was the same Francisco
Manzo who had hunted Morones
through Mexico City with a truck filled
with soldiers on the day Of Obregon's
assassination.
There are two other brothers in the
revolutionary forces, the Aguirres, SOL
diers. Maj. Gen. Aguirre has been in
command Of the troops in the state
of Vera Cruz for several years Among
those troops is a battalion of Yaqui
Indians. indomitable fighters, and other
Northern units upon which he may
rely implicitly
Gales had somewhat anticipated the
revolutionary intentions Of Aguirre, but
the soldier had by fraudulent reports
Of troop movements in the state and
the reasons for them misled his former
chief. The coup in Vera Cruz as in
Sonora was bloodless and a complete
success on the first day.
Escobar's Part Uncertain.
What part Mai Gen. Jose Gonzale
Escobar played In the preparations for
the revolution have not come to light
He Is military governor OF Coahuila,
Mexican states having civil as well as
military governors.
On Sunday when the revolt broke
out the government announced that
rebellion was confined to Sonora and
Vera Cruz. On Monday the selection
Of Gen. Escobar to be chief Of the
revolutionary forces in the field was
announced by the rebels. His state Of
Coahuila joined the rebellion. On
Tuesday Escobar. following the old, old
plan for attacking Mexico City, cap
tured Monterey, in Nuevo Leon, which
adjoinS Coahuila, the strategic point
controlling rail communication from
Mexico City with the Eastern United
States. Chihuahua was reported taken
the same day, which cut the central
rail line to this country. Sonora Is the
third gateway, and 1t had fallen the
first day. The north had cut OF the
capital from Its rail communications to
To consider the chiefs of the rival
forces now IS military leaders rather
than as politicians.
Before he entered the cabinet of
President Obregon, Plutarco Elias Gales
was o general Of division-what we call
q major general-the highest rank any
man may hold In the Mexican army.
He had never been supreme leader. In
q country where most campaigns de-
pend for success upon tactics based on
rapid action, Gales was known for his
tenacity, which means that he had not
displayed 80 much dash as other COM.
manders. He had, perhaps for that
reason, perhaps for the reason that he
subordinate. Attack Is the method
followed in Mexican fighting. Defenses
are seldom spectacular. There has never
been q Mexican Verdun.
Gales Famous Operation.
In view Of these things, therefore. 1t
| is revealing that Gales most famous
operation was the gallant defense Of
Naco against Francisco villa.
The battle lines which Gales person.
ally holds face those of Maj. Gen. Jose
Ganzalo Escobar, the first strategist, the
most opportune tactician in Mexico,
now that Obregon is dead and Enrique
Estrada an exile In the United States.
Escobar Is about 48 years old. OF a
wealthy old land-owning Coahuila fam
| lily, he took to the army early. He first
distinguished himself in 1918 at the
battles OF Santa Rosa and Santa Maria,
when, as . major, he led a battalion
under Obregon In the revolt Of Car
rama against HuertA. In 1919 Escobar
| received i've wounds when he led the
attack on Ciudad Juarez, which villa
held.
The first time he was given q free
hand he won with a handful Of troops
the deciding battle Of the De Ia Huerta
revolution In 1924-the great battle OF
Octolan. At that time Estrada was at
lacking, Escobar defending the govern
ment and the capital. Escobar's head
quarters were at 1rapuata, where Gales
had established the headquarters for
the seat Of the governments present
northern campaign.
Irapuata is about 100 miles from
/ Mexico City. Octolan, on the Ocotal
River, is few miles to the west. Es-
trada held a line along the west bank
OF the Ocotal on both sides Of rail-
road running from Irapuata. Escobar
in Irapuata had only about 1000 men
and faced q superior general and q
greatly superior force.
Assistance From Obregon.
Oregon, then President, and his min
lister Of war, Gen. Amaro, came to Es-
cobar's assistance with 5000 Of the best
troops in the Republic and with much
material and artillery. News Of this
was disseminated by Escobar and Es-
trada.
There was hard lighting at that time
on the Vera Cruz front, 200 miles away
and troops were needed. In darkness:
Obregon and Arlaro withdrew with the
troops and elaborate equipment the,
had ostentatiousiy brought with them
leaving Escobar to hold Irapuata II III
\ could with his original handful.
Escobar is professional soldier whit
has never sought to be anything else
He Is a soldier in the Mexican tradi.
ton, which bases its tactics on tn,
military maxim that the best defense