PAGE TWO
THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, AUGUST 8, 1913.
I ID INVASION NOT EASY,
OPINION OF ARMY
i
EXPERTS I
Would Probably Cost United
States $500,000,000 and
50,000 Soldiers.
THERE was u time when the gen
eral staff of the United States
army did think an Invasion of
Mexico an easy matter. It was
thought then that a certain phenomen
al military success, which landed the
American troops In Mexico City before
tho world had thought It possible, could
be repeated at pleasure. Today a dif
ferent view prevails In tho war depart
ment. To it is duo the flue control of
tho governmental temper.
Three years ago everybody would
have laughed at the statement that It
.would take 200,000 men to Invade Mex
ico effectively, WTltes George Albert
Schrelner in tho New York Evening
Tost. It was the habit then to assume
that a company of Texas rangers could
cross tho UIo Grande and subdue tho
entire republic Just as fast as their
mounts could cover it. Tho Mexican
army was then known as a most un
Boldlerly aggregate of hombres who
had discarded tho rags of tho peniten
tiary for tho cheap cotton trousers,
gaudy tunics and headpieces of the ar
my. In u way this impression is yet
held, though tho continuous Insurrec
tions and revolutions of tho last two
years have modified It in at least one
Important respect
Mexican Can Fight.
It is admitted today that the Mexi
can can fight when lie has a mind to
do this. But something is likely to bo
overlooked here. The incessant tur
moil has made soldiers out of Mexicans
by American Press Association.
AMERICAN OFFICElt SIGUTIKO RAPID riltE
GUN OP TiTE NOW IN SERVICE IN THE
Ainrr.
who formerly were not soldiers. In tho
states of Nuevo Leon, Coahulla, Tain
nullpas, Chihuahua and elsewhere thero
has eoino into an existence fighting ma
terial that is highly respected by all
who know it los fuergos auxlllarcs, a
sort of mounted police, under state su
pervision, that would be heard from
most disagreeably in case of interven
tion. Tho men forming this contingent are
probably superior to nnything tho re
public has in its military establish
ment The first demons'tratlon of this
was given when, though recruited
from tho rural population in the in
surrection districts, they refused to ad
here to any but the do facto govern
ment. Like the regular army, this in
stitution recognizes nothing but el go
bieruo. What individual happens to
be president docs not matter. The
auxlllarcs of Nuevo Leon haunted
General Reyes until ho thought It well
to surrender, in spito of tho fact that
this old rebel had hoped to win them
over to his side, as, according to all
precedents south of tho Rio Grande,
ho had good reason to hope.
Strong National Spirit.
A word must bo Bald here for tho re
maining human elements that would
tako up arms. Even tho most preju
diced must admit that tho Mexican, no
matter what his station in life, Is
war.uly attached to his country his
republlca. So great is this love of
country that only tho supply of arms
could limit tho number that would go
into the field in caso of an invasion.
Since this is estimated at over a mil
lion stands of rifles, thero would bo
no dearth la that direction. In a
united Mexico, moreover, there would
be uo lack of ammunition for a long
time. Tho republic not nlono has ac
quired large stores of artillery and
small arms ammunition, but it has also
tho mechanical equipment to manufac
ture these in caso an inevitable block
ndo should make tho Importation of
JUiem Impossible,
Tho Mexican army would conflno Its
efforts to the most trying sort of war
ware guerrilla, a sort of military op
eration to which their kinsmen in
Spain gave tho name and with which
tho Mexicans themselves nro fully ac
quainted. To an army organized llko
that of tho United States this is very
disastrous until such timo as tho nec
essary modifications aromnde. Great
Britain, to meet similar conditions in
South Africa, had to convert her In-
Army of 250,000 Men Neces
sary to Invade Mexico
Effectively.
fantry into mounted Infantry, the de
sideratum being greater mobility, but
tho change Involved was a slow and
trying one and led to tho great protrac
tion of the campaign. Tho United
States would have to meet the same
problem before It could hope for suc
cess, but the British Infantryman at
least know how to handle his rifle
The American militiaman and volun
teer would have to be taught even
that.
Initial Success Important.
In modern warfare, though this has
been -badly overrated, tho initial suc
cess Is everything. With this natural
ly goes a great degree of mobility. It
Is as necessary to penetrate well into
the country Invaded as to win big en
gagements With this in view, the
1913, by American Press Association.
UENEIlAIi VICTOniANO HUEItTA.
general staff of the United States army
has recently revised its plan of attack
As late us the mobilization of tho "ma
neuver division" In 1011, In some quar
ters the opinion was hold that an inva
sion from tho north was Indispensable,
though secondary to tho main move
ment from Vera Cruz and an advance
from Tamplco. It is still somewhat
fashlonablo to seize capitals, though in
tho light of recent experiences It does
not always serve any particular pur
pose. The present plan of the war
department provides for a concentra
tion upou Vern Cruz and tho enpltnl.
Vera Cruz offers the best opportu
nity as a base for tho main attack
upon Mexico City. Tho distance to bo
traversed is not very great 204 miles
by tho best' route. Thero would bo no
difficulty lauding at that point a force
sufficiently largo to penetrato to the
capital in time. But thero are consid
erations of terrain that make opera
tions from this point difficult At Ja
lapa, but eighty-two miles from the
coast, the country has already risen
to an altitude of 4,010 feet, or nearly
fifty-seven feet to the mile. Beyond
Jalapa and until Puebla Is reached tho
country is every bit as difficult
125,000 Men Needed.
It Is doubtful whether Mexico City
could bo taken via Vera Cruz with less
than 125,000 men. The only hope of
the officer in charge of these operations
would Ho in the superiority of num
bersthe possibility that an extended
front, or lino of attack, would develop
weak spots in tho defensive tactics of
tho Mexicans, Individual courage is
a sadly futile thing in a terrain such
as this, and tho fortune of war gen
erally is with tho man behind tho
boulder up on tho hill. It is almost
unnecessary to have seen panting In
fantrymen scale heights to understand
this.
Mexico City might bo taken via Vera
Cruz in six weeks If no severe reverses
had been suffered. Seven miles per
day with tho country to be carried is
no mean performance.
Needless to say, tho railroad to the
capital could not bo used by tho invad
ing forces, and Buch is the territory
which the lino traverses that in many
places It could bo put out of commis
sion -for months. Tho lino between
Mexico City and Vera Cruz Is as dim
cult a ploco of railroad engineering as
can bo found. Tho same is truo of
most of tho other railroads operating
east and southeast of tho capital. Es
tlmatlng tho cost of military operations
nt $2 per diem for each man employ,
ed, we find that the talcing of tho Mex
lean capital, outside of tho mobillza
tlon expenditure and cost of equip
ment would amount to 512,000,000.
Reverses Possible.
It must be borno In mind, however,
that tho caso as hero presented does
not discount oven a single serious re
verse. With tho Mexicans hard to dis
lodge, tho invading army might find
itself checkmated to such nn extent
that weeks would bo consumed In the
carrying of points of strategical ira
portnnce. It must be remembered here
that tho American army would fight
uphill from the moment It set! fqot on
Mcxicon soil and that every military
crest would bo a point of vantage for
tho Mexicans. Most of tho fighting
would occur in tho dcfllcs between tho
cscncpmcnt wnlls. With fanatical
Mexican soldiery holding tho height1?,
this would become bloody work In
deed.
The diversion movement upon Tam
plco would have little value, except It
sustained an invasion across the lower
courses of the Ulo Graudo. Strate
gically Tamplco Is hardly on the
map, and the American military sphere
to be established there would extend
to tho north rather than to the west
and south. Tho country's topography
determines that
But with Mexico City taken and with
tho torritory toward tho coast cleared
the pacification of Mexico would not
yet have commenced. To all intents
and purposes that part of the republic
Is as tranquil today as it ever has
been or probably ever will bo.
Capture of Capital.
To what extent would tho taking oi'
tho capital Influence the Mexicans Is
now tho quewtlon to bo considered. To
be sure, when the Germans had taken
Paris In 1S71 the backbone of all re
slstance had been broken. There are
many Instances of this sort of history,
but in' this respect tho City of Mexico
means so ntue to uiu -Mexicans cnai
such a result could not bo hoped for.
The pacification of Mexlc for thnt
could be the only reasonable objective
of intervention would have to bo car
riod into the most remote parts of the
republic. In that would Uo the diffi
culty.
There is the hope, of course, that the
saner element of Mexico would by that
time realize thnt law and order were all
the American army demanded. But
tills Is merely a hope, not well sup
ported by tho country's antecedents
One has to know tho tntlmato hlRtory
of political Mexico, from Hidalgo and
Juarez down, to understand how little
Justification there Is for such u conclu
slon. Tho Mexican is not above de
by American Press Association.
TTPICAI. MEXICAN SOLDIERS.
mandlng that before he would treat
with the invader for his own good
there would have to be a complete
evacuation. Naturally to this tho
United States government could not
consent Interminable guerrilla war-
faro would bo tho consequence.
An Unpleasant Picture.
With bases established at Vera Cruz,
tho City of Mexico and Tamplco, mil
itary operations in tho republic would
be less. difficult But1 before tho coun
try could bo swept clean of roving
guerrillas and order established the
American army would havo to be great
ly augmented. Nothing short of 250,
000 men would be needed for this
work, entailing nn expenditure of at
least $500,000 per day. or $182,500,000
In a year.
The claim made now and then that
it would tako from ten to fifteen years
to subdue Mexico la very extravagnnt
of course. Yet the task might stretch
over three to four years easily enough.
Tills Is hardly a bright picture, but
it Is tho best that can bo given of tho
subject Probably tho cost of pacifi
cation would bo not n cent loss than
$500X0)000, and casualties could not
bo expected to number less than 50,000
men killed and Invalided.
Thoeo who may have been unable to
understand tho Inaction of the govern
ment can rest assured that the 'magni
tude of tho pacification of Mexico Is
fully appreciated by tho war depart
ment Intervention In Mexico might
become n retreat or a Job badly done.
Miss Loulso Todd, of Lake Como,
will enter tho West SIdo hospital,
Scranton, to become a nurse.
The neighbors of a certain ama
teur farmer on Straw Hill havo been
having considerable fun at his ex
pense tho past few days. Ho had a
small meadow to mow and had only
one horse. Ho engaged a mowing
machine and a neighbor to drive and
then ho got into the harness and
helped tho horse -pull the machine,
making an assistant of himself to
the other horse. Sidney Enterprise.
The first load of cauliflower for
the 1913 season was taken to the
Margaretvllle depot on Monday.
Cauliflower is bringing an excellent
price at present and the local grow
ers out-distance tho Long Island
raisers In the matter of an early
crop. Cauliflower raising has be
come a very important industry in
Dunraven and New Kingston.
Downsvlllo News.
EVEX CURES ULCERS.
Remarkable Results from Skin Rem
edy Thnt Costs Almost Notldng.
No matter how bad a sore or ulcer
afflicts you, It is believed that Ho
kara, the pure skin healer, will euro
it, but if it doesn't cure, the pur
chase price will bo refunded.
Pell, the druggist, tho locall agent
for Hokara, who has sold hundreds
of packages, says ho has to find any
form of wound or disease affecting
tho skin that Hokara does not heal,
and its relief comes so quickly that
those who try It are simply delighted
with it.
Pimples, eczema, blackheads, acne,
barber's itch, and nil skin troubles
ore quickly relieved by applying this
simple skin healer and tissue build
er. It contains no grease or acids,
and Is cleanly to use.
Pell's drug store is selling a large
package of Hokara for 25c.
LEGAL BLANKo ror sale at Th
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Leases, Judgment Notes, Warrantee
Deeds, Bonds. Transcripts, Sum
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bor Claim Deeds. Commitments, Ex
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blanks.
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HONESDALE, PA.
AUGUST, 21-27
Surveyors are going over the Bo
vlna, New York State road again. It
is stated that the purpose is to ascer
tain if tho contractor removed tho
number of yards of dirt claimed, etc.
With the original survey costing 5900
a mile, this will bring the amount to
over $1,000 a mile for the survey.
Dyfed, the Welsh poet laureate,
has been granted a pension of 5250
per annum by the British govern
ment. He was recently entertained
by the Welsh Americans of Scran
ton. He and Bev. D. W. Jenkins, of
this place, wrote for the same pub
lication years ago in Wales. Forest
City News.
The D. & H. company must pay
$33,G34 to Shoemaker estate in Lu
zerne county for small sizes of coal
mined since 187S according to an
opinion handed down by Judge
Strauss of tho Luzerne court.
Clyde Pratt, a member of the
Nicholson Bod and Gun club won
first prize in tho amateur events
held by the United Sportsmen at
Scranton with a score of 130 out of
150 shots.
Susquehanna borough council
awarded the contract for the paving
of Main and Front streets of that
town to W. E. Bennett, of Lanesboro
for the sum of 521.4C7.
The
itJ)
of the estates of your minor chil
dren. It , has the very best facilities
for the profitable and wise invest
ment and re investment of the princi
pal! and accrued income -The Scranton Trust Co.
510 Spruce Street.
Minute "Movies
. of the News
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MAKES BODY TRANSPARENT.
German Scientist Finds Strange Fluid
Which May Obviate Dissection.
A now method of giving medical stu
dents Instruction which. It la said, will
largely obvlato tho necessity of dissec
tion wlD bo put Into practice at the
Hahnemann Medical College In Phlla
dolphin at tho beginning of the next
term. Physicians and surgeons con
nectod with tho department of anat
omy are now perfecting tho process,
which originated through tho recent
discovery by a German scientist of a
fluid by tho use of which tho human
body can bo rendered transparent
Tho fluid, which is composed of sev
oral oils, tarns tho flesh into a sort of
transparent Jolly when Injected, en
abling the student to study tho veins,
muscloa and bones far better, It la
asserted, than If they resorted to tho
tllssectlng knife. It Is said to bo ono
of tho most vnlnablo discoveries In
raedlriu science of late years.
Cherry pies in Chicago were found to
bo made of watermelon pulp.
Entlro church congregation of 800 In
Milwaukee has been formally placed
under arrest on a charge of illegal
liquor selling.
One thousand Kansas churches have
been abandoned because of automo
biles, It was declared at a conference
of ministers there.
Woman in Sandyston township, N.
J., felt something bite her at night
and found a copperhead snako two
feet long In her bed.
Policemen havo been placed on tho
Northwestern University campus, in
Chicago, to keep students and co-eds
from promenading together.
In a barber's chair when called to
preside over tho senate. Senator Clark
hurried to the rostrum and from the
Republican side appeared clean shav
en, whllo thoso on the Democratic side
saw a day's growth of beard.
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