Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 January 1917 — THEN AND NOW. [ARTICLE]

THEN AND NOW.

We remember when a boy with what pride we read in our history of the-United State’s reply by our Ambassador Fickney to Tripoli when she demanded that we pay her tribute as the price of our unmolested use of the seas, “Thousands for defense but not one vein for" tribute/’ sounded patriotic to us then. In contrast to that we quote be.ow from an editorial in a recent issue of the Indianapolis Star: “One night last week, according to a dispatch from San Antonio, the body of Corporal John H. Stuart, Company G, Ninth-United States Infantry; was found on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande with his tihroatr-rat: • “Why he was there, or why or by whom he was murdered is not related, but as the story goes, Carranza’s troops refused to deliver the body to the American authorities until payment of SIOO had been made. When this was refused, they lowered the price to $75 and then to SSO. Word "was sent to Washington' and the War Department authorized Gen. Funston to pay the SSO, which was done arid the body thereupon was duly delivered. “Probably under existing military rules the murdered corporal had no right to be on Mexican ground, but his murder would seem to call for some investigation, since we are not supposed to be at war with Carranza. Also it would seem that our troops., should have a right to cross the Rio Grande to recover the body of this ■ comrade. ' ’ “The incident is another illustration of the remarkable rules that regulate our army-at the border. Gen. Pershing is sent into Mexico to get Villa dead or alive and is not permitted to act. Gen. Funston is ,put in charge of the border and mu%t humbly pay, in the name of the United Stateg, for the return, by the undoubted murderers, of a slaughtered trooper, and no questions -asked. These be sfrange times for Americans sui*ly.