MEXICAN BANDITS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12755, 26 September 1919, Page 3

MEXICAN BANDITS.

AN UNSETTLED COUNTRY, FIFTY ROBBER LEADERS. The o'vcrthro'vr of the Carranza Govornment of -Mexico is possible, but not probable because of the lack of cohesion among the various revolutionary leadere, and because of lack of organisation m their individual forces, in the opinion ot 1 olycarpo Montojo, member of the Chamber of Deputies of Salvador who ms been travelling for fcvo months m b ? haJf of the plan to unite all the Central American Eepnhlies m one organisation, to bo known as the Central American Confederacy. iAr sa.Vs that the Government ? + 4i Xl / 0 J K ln t aTOUr of this union, hut that the majority of the people., especially in the northern States of Mexico, are opposed to it, or H eTO - hjii ? lL in 18 Of the ‘ 6tai f Mexico.” said the Salvadorean deputy, “ but to say that the revolutionists are in control of anv one State m not true- All the State’capiIf +i, an S j U tb ® are in the hands ot the Federal Government, and in sevf™L v itx: ' s v ?Ilch w Sonora, Nuevo J-eon. Yucatan and Hidalgo, there is no sign ~f revolutionary movement, rhere ore at least fifty rebel leadere, ha of whom are little better than bandits and have only a, few hundred men t] lZ y £ rpato a great deal ot trouble for the Government by making travel unsafe, by keeping out foreign Hnn ta F j! n l V the remind tion of both foreign and native indus-

three important leaders. “ For some reason which I have not t b sf“ ascertain, though I have traveUod in every state of Mexico with5 a5,t \ alf "- voar -- Government troops do not seem able to clear out •base rebel bands, no matter how small of in T -f Government has control of all the railroads and all the waterways, yet wit.TTthese advantages. Government troops-^have not had one clemoJ°+u att c w,t]l any rebel force in more than a. month. a FC three ; revolohonary leaders, each one of whom apS^rnf 1 " 15 independently of the j' ■. I,' I fhey could or would combine, doiiotlcss Giey could take Mexico City not "Ti/ 1 * oarranM " Government (.] • ’ Gmv arc unable to suppress their personal ambitions sufficiently to unite under one leader. Thcv are I rancisco Villa, who is operating with hni lp< CB u the l? t ’ ates of CbUinatma. Coahmla. Tamanhpas (north), Zacatecas San Lms Potosi, and the northern part of Smaloa ; Felix Diaz who is moving slowly through Chi sums! Tabasco Oaxaca Morelos, Guerrero, Tlax, ol lf> ycr Veracruz, and a part of the State of Alcxicd. m which is located the federal capital; Higinio Aguilar who is committing raids and other depredations m southern Tamaulipas. northern Veracruz, and all along the gulf coast, while minor bands arc onoratmg under various loaders in Puebla Agtiascalientes, and two or three other central States. misrule in LOWER CALIFORNIA. Loner which is under control of Governor Esteban Cantu is virtual y separated from the Mexican I'ederal Government, and is being conducted solely for the benefit of those m power Gambling, drunkenness and vice ot all kinds is returning tremendous revenues at Mexicali aud Tia •Juana, while the pearl fisheries at La, laz and the lumber and mining industries ot Lower California have been taxed almost out of existence. President Carranza, however, seems to' be doincr nothing to remedy this condition. Cantu has never declared himself in rebellion and has never offered battle to Carranza ; lie simply ignores the Federal Government. and operates the entire peninsula at Ins own discretion. He should be the most easily suppressed of all the opponents of the Federal Government. “ A new and strong man has appeared in Mexico, however, who mav be the ‘man on horseback’ for’ whom Mexico has been waiting so long. He is General Plntarcho Elias Calks, who made such a reputation in establishing peace and absolute prohibition in the State of Sonora, of which he was Governor for four years, having been called to Mexico to become Minister of Commerce and Industry in Mav. He wilt be one of the six candidates for the Presidency at the elections this fall- The others will be General Alvaro Obregon, Luis Cabrera, Felix Palavicini, General Pablo Gonzales, Minister of War. and Oandido Aguilar, who is now in the United States attempting to have Mexico admitted to the League of Nations. Whoever is elected, I am convinced that there will be five revolutions against him within a week after he tabes office.”