Venustiano Carranza

“ One hears about the autocratic rule of various states; one learns how governors and generals hold up foreign business interests, and about the inability of the central government to enforce its orders; one reads in the newspapers about the street fights and military duels; and one imagines that the whole community has nothing more to do. This is where one's imagination is not a safe prophet.
To-day the United States and the Allies are watching Mexico through a microscope. They delayed official recognition of Don Venustiano Carranza as president of the Republic. ”

“ Mexico City wears an awful aspect and the awfulness is accentuated by the contrast between the dark, filthy patios, in which the starving peons huddle and the palaces built by the 'Cientificos' of the Diaz régime where the Carrancista officials now hold obscene orgy. Carranza himself has chosen the magnificent residence at 95 Paseo de la Reforma as his private residence. Each general has his own picked troop to guard his residence and a military band to entertain him. ”

“ In all probability the first cause of Carranza’s arrest was the jealousy of Valdes, Archbishop of Seville, the inquisitor-general. He was, like all the chief inquisitors, a Dominican, and during the many years he had been at the head of the Holy Office had become intolerably overbearing and ambitious. Carranza, on the other hand, was a much younger man (fifty-five) , and had, after several years’ absence from Spain, been suddenly lifted from the position of a simple friar to that of Primate of Spain, the holder of the richest ecclesiastical benefice in the world. ”

“ This, of course, means that the public revenues are being so fully absorbed by the grafting officers of the army which keeps Carranza in power, that little is left for popular education. The failure of the Carranza régime to live up to its promises is emphasized by the fact that its declared annual income is 46,000,000 pesos larger than was that of the Diaz administration.
Propaganda publications maintained in Washington by the Carranza government assure the public in almost every number that peaceful conditions throughout all the territory of Mexico are nearly or quite restored. ”

“ It rose triumphant in spite of the persistent enmity of influential foreigners, and the unfriendly meddling of foreign governments.
Carranza personally was never a military hero nor a brilliant orator; he is advanced in years; he wears whiskers; he was connected with the old regime. These circumstances would invalidate any theory that the present government achieved success on the personality of its leader. Why, then, did it succeed over Huerta, Villa, Felix Diaz, Zapata, and all the rest? ”

“ Carranza left his prison on the 5th of December, 1566, after seven years, three months, and fourteen days' captivity, which he had passed in two rooms, from which he could see neither the country nor the street, and without conversing with any persons but his two domestics, and his two advocates. He was not permitted to name an administrator to his archbishopric according to the commands of the Pope: the reason given for this was, that his holiness did not know that an administrator had been already appointed by the king, and that Paul IV. had confirmed the nomination. ”

“ Enraged at this favor shown to his rival, Villa determined deliberately to provoke American intervention by a murderous raid on a town in New Mexico in March, 1916. When the United States dispatched an expedition to avenge the outrage, Carranza protested energetically against its violation of Mexican territory and demanded its withdrawal. Several clashes, in fact, occurred between American soldiers and Carranzistas. ”

“ In all the world no government recognized as even semi-civilized imposes upon religion such burdens as those under which it now rests in that portion of Mexico subject to the new constitution which has resulted as the perfect fruit of the Carranza movement. ”

“ Carranza, in his defence, dwelt on his exertions in Flanders to check this traffic, but though he was told of barrels full of a forged letter of Philip II and of a papal bull, at the Frankfort fair for shipment to Spain, and of shops in Medina del Campo and Málaga to which heretic books were sent, the net results of his energy show how little substratum of fact there was in all this. [1190] The career of Julian Hernández proves that men who took their lives in their hands might occasionally bring in a few books, but his fate was not encouraging. ”

“ Hearing Anastasio's voice, Valderrama was convinced that the prisoners had been set at liberty. A few moments later, he was joined by Venancio and Demetrio.
"Heard the news?" Venancio asked gravely.
"No."
"It's very serious. A terrible mess! Villa was beaten at Celaya by Obregon and Carranza is winning all along the line! We're done for!"
Valderrama's gesture was disdainful and solemn as an emperor's. "Villa? Obregon? Carranza? What's the difference? I love the revolution like a volcano in eruption; I love the volcano because it's a volcano, the revolution because it's the revolution! ”

“ Among many things which are disgraceful to the writers, is the advice given to the king, not to permit Carranza to return to Spain, and, above all, not to suffer him to govern his see even after the lapse of the suspension; their envy and animosity making them suppose, that it would be a disgrace to the diocese of Toledo to be governed by a man who had been prosecuted by the Inquisition: they said that it would be better for the king to request the Pope to induce Carranza to give up his diocese and accept a pension, that some person might be placed in his see more worthy to occupy it ”

“ The only reference to similar enterprises which have been established by Americans in Mexico that will be found in the propagandist literature issued by the Carranza party takes the form of denunciation of the foreigners who have established these little centres of industry and production as robbers of the Mexican people. ”

“ One of the bitterest and most mendacious of these denunciations appears in a somewhat portentous volume by DeLara and Pinchon published in New York under the title of "The Mexican People: Their Struggle for Freedom" a few months after the Carranza revolution began. In a chapter entitled "The Railways" are some statements which we quote as examples of the kind of propaganda circulated by the Carrancistas. The italics appear as in the book:
"Not a dollar of American capital has been expended anywhere or at any time in the building of Mexican railroads. ”

“ Upon arriving at the latter named place, the corporation representative being without money and being unable to comply with the demand of general Carranza, the latter proceeded to destroy the plant at Agujita and would have succeeded, as in the case of Lampacitos but for the fact that his troops were frightened away before the destruction was completed by the rumoured approach of Huerta's forces. ”

“ He is a newspaper man of experience, a trained observer, familiar by years of life in Mexico with the people of the country and the conditions which prevail. His character is so high that I am convinced that he is entitled to the fullest credence. He says:
"According to newspapers, entirely friendly to the Carranza administration, literally thousands of government employees have been dismissed, including not only clerks in the government departments but school teachers and railway men as the railways of the country are being operated by the government. ”

“ The condition of the apostles and a religious life, do not differ from the common state of Christians.
The declarations of the witnesses do not prove that Carranza ever uttered any of these propositions, and from this censures we may perceive that he only advanced in writing some which led the censurers to suppose that he professed those and many others, since he was not obliged to abjure several hundred propositions which had been censured, or the seventy-two which were qualified as heretical. ”

“ One of the worst features of the Carranza constitution is that, not having been enacted by a constitutional convention representing either all of the national territory or all the people of the nation, it will be a perpetual and very just incitement to revolution on the ground that it was not adopted by and does not represent the will of the Mexican people. ”

“ But when Carranza entered the capital, he was to find himself handicapped by the opposition of a remarkable and desperate man—a man who before had practically been one of his henchmen. This was the famous bandit-soldier Villa, a native of Guerrero, in whose mountains he had been wont to lurk in true guerilla manner. Soon he got into touch with Zapata, and this alliance was more than Carranza could face. They quickly gained command over the country immediately surrounding Mexico city, and this they conscientiously looted. ”

“ Alpizcueta was doubtless a very learned man, and told the king many truths; but he did not understand the character of that prince, for the letter he wrote to the Pope, on the 15th of April, shows that he had become even more unjust than the judges. Persuaded that Carranza was an heretic, he resolved to show the world that if he knew how to reward merit, he also knew how to punish his creatures.
He therefore resolved to demand permission of the Pope to conclude the trial in Spain. ”

“ In addition to that, we have, as we now must know, by every encouragement and assistance that we have given the Carranza element, to that extent assisted in delivering the unfortunate masses of Mexico into the hands of the class which is now, as it always has been, their worst enemy. In a well-meant effort to serve these unfortunate people we have actually assisted in imposing famine and death upon thousands of them. ”

“ There are hatred, jealousy, suspicion, graft, intrigue and the baneful influence of "relatives" who have been appointed to office. Patriotism, sincerity, good-will, faith, honesty and confidence are lacking. But despite all these national elements the Carranza party is the strongest one in Mexico, and there are, I repeat, on the horizon no other parties or leaders who could summon the support which is being given to President Carranza. As I have just said, the government has been seeking the friendship of the nations of Latin and Central America. ”

“ This privation of air and exercise produced in the archbishop a tertian fever, which weakened him considerably, but the inquisitors had not sufficient humanity to remove him to a more suitable place. They dreaded that he would appeal to the Pope, or the king, on whom however it would not have had any effect, as Valdés had contrived to persuade him, in some private conversations, that Carranza was really an heretic, and that all that he had done in England and Flanders was intended to conceal his opinions. ”

“ When the king left England to go to Brussels, Carranza remained with the queen, to whom he was useful in supporting the Catholic doctrine in the universities, and arranging other affairs of the greatest importance. He revised, by the order of Cardinal Pole, the canons which had been decreed by a national council, and caused several obstinate heretics to be punished, particularly Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Martin Bucer; his zeal often exposed him to great danger.
In 1557 he went to Flanders, where he caused all books infected with the heresy of Luther to be burnt. ”

“ No people who have any correct conception of democracy could for a moment contemplate the possession of such arbitrary power, from the exercise of which no appeal is provided, by any member of its government.
The pledge regarding religious toleration, contained in the letter of Mr. Arredondo to the Secretary of State already quoted, will be recalled. That pledge was undoubtedly accepted as satisfactory by our Secretary of State and by our President when, following its receipt, he recognized the Carranza power as the de facto government of Mexico. ”

“ Quail, who had no faith in Venancio, requested the man to pull a tooth out. Blondie purchased a black seed from a certain fruit which protected the possessor from lightning or any other catastrophe. Anastasio Montanez purchased a prayer to Christ Our Lord upon the Cross, and, folding it carefully, stuck it into his shirt with a pious gesture.
"As sure as there's a God in heaven," Natera said, "this mess hasn't blown over yet. Now it's Villa fighting Carranza."
Without answering him, his eyes fixed in a stare, Demetrio demanded a further explanation. ”

“ Furthermore, although Carranza's administration has been recognized as the de facto government of Mexico by this country since October 9, 1915, and as the de jure government for a year, no step has been taken to pay the indemnities due foreigners for damage done by the revolutionists, but the damage and destruction of those properties have continued to the present time and are now proceeding. ”

“ In addition 43 Americans, whose names are not given, are known to have been killed at different places in Mexico. In this number of 43 are included the thirteen American soldiers and two officers killed at Carrizal by Carranza soldiers, June 18, 1916. ”

“ On the 5th of May, Donna Catherine de Castilla, who was a prisoner of the holy office, declared that she believed the archbishop to be a Lutheran; but repenting, she retracted her declaration, and said that she knew that Carranza had maintained to Don Carlos de Seso, her husband, that he committed a fatal error in denying the existence of purgatory. She persisted in her recantation. ”