The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1948-01-01
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George Creel, champion Of many
causes and chairman Of the United
States Committee on Public Infor-
nation in World War |, has writ
ten a great book, "Rebel at Large"
in which his admitted violence Of
adherence or opposition runs riot.
Mr.. Creel did magnificent job
as head of the USCPI during the
first world war. He tried to find a
spot into which to fit in the second
one, but like many another, there
was no place for him.
A portion of the book deals with
Mexico and reveals facts that will
be new to many. Also and no doubt
of necessity, there are important
facts not revealed. Perhaps they
are unimportant, but they are. In
any event, they belong in the his
tory of our relations with Mexico.
Mr.. Creel pays deserved tribute
to Robert H. Murray, then attach
ed to our State Department in Mex
leo. Mr. Murray was an understand
ing person. He was Of great value.
But there was another Murray
whose service was of prehaps even
greater value, though not so visible
to the general public. His name
was John Murray.
John Murray had been a printer.
Somehow he had a little money.
Also, somehow he had acquired
tuberculosis. Nervous by nature
and likewise evangelical by nature,
he could not bring himself to take
the treatment that might have
cured him. So, it became his GUS
tom to rest for perhaps half year
and then for the other half year
to plunge into what interested him.
Mexico interested him and from
the first days of the Mexican revo-
luton, in 1910 John Murray found
things to do. He talked about the
evils of the old regime. He helped
free refugee Mexicans from prisons
in Texas and Arizona. Based In
Los Angeles, John Murray made
forays to whatever spot seemed the
one where he could help most. He
spent his own money and asked
in return only the chance to serve.
In the early days of World War
l, before our entry, John Murray
did a job that started the making
of the history of real MexicanU.
S. friendship. He took to Samuel
Gompers a set of facts that clinch-
ed a decision.
To find something back of the
revolution that we don't know
about, Murray had gone to Vera
Cruz. There he found young labor
"La Casa del Obrero
headed by a mystic, but
a brave one. 1t was a syndicalist
naturally, because its
only knowledge of organization and
philosophy came from Old Spain.
But it seemed to know where the
ground was and how to get its feet
we'll planted thereon.
The startling thing that John
Murray found was a formal signed
contract between that labor move
nent and the chiefs of the political
revolution. 1t was signed for the
government by Rafael
Iubaron Capmanay, provisional sec
'etary of state. 1t recognized "mu-
uality Of aims" between the unions
md the revolutionary provisional
government. Upon a successful out
ome, the government was to do
specified things. And the
lnions were to provide certain
lumber Of regiments, which they
lid.
John Murray brought back at
ested copies of that contract and
ook it to Samuel Gompers and
rom that minute Samuel Gompers'
hart was clear. 1t laid the foun-
Iation for amazing achievement
fter we entered the war.
When we entered the war Mr.. {
iompers started a drive to unite
he working people of the two coun-
ries and John Murray continued to [
erve. On the Mexican border, {
with Canuto Vargas, lat
+ to become labor attache of the J
Iexican Embassy in Washington,
page paper was published in Eng G
sh and Spanish and sent by the G
thousands upon thousands into {
Iexico, through labor channels. t
hat job did as much as any single f