Ogden Standard-Examiner | 1920-04-11 | Page 1 | Sonora Quits Republic of Mexico

ege v v w w v v v g 4 I jH ISGNORA QUITS REPUBLIC OF MEXICO I 'seBops j Secession of Sonera Brought j About By Dispatch of i . Federal Soldiers CHARGE PLOT TO HARM OBREGON Southern Pacific in Mexico Seized and Strikers Sent j Back to Work NO GALES. Sonora. April 10. The, state of Sonora withdrew from the re-! public of Mexico today. The atatc ; congress at Hermosillo iii a secret session which lasted .all night, voted, according to reports reaching here, to resist with armed forces any attempt, of the Carranza government of Mex-, ico to send troops into the state. The action of Sonora was brought ; about by President Car ran za order- ( ing federal troops sent into the state. t When the plan to end Mexican fed-' crals into Sojj.ora 'became, known, state ' .authorities said' the Ca,Vraha,,tropps I would bclroc't with 'arirted force's and ' civil war would result.. Prejldcn t ) (ntivfPcomnby Gov-! ernor - Adolfo de La litiarta to ex-plain ex-plain the reason for the contemplated i invasion of Sonora. ; Break With Carrajia Carranza replied that If t.roops were ordered into Sonora it was for the ; general welfare of the country. The reply did not satisfy Governor de la Huerta and other state leaders. The state executive, in announcing the break with the Carranza government. I said: .'.'.' "In view of the replies of President j Carranza, to the governor and congress con-gress of the state of Sonora it was de-) cided to suspend relations with the ; central government until such time J as the causes leading to- tho determl- j nation had ceased to exist." I Against Obregon j Sonora political leaders declared j President Carranm planned to sot up j a military dictatorship in Sonora and take over the state government. Ho! was openly accused of plotting the maneuver to harm the presidential I candidacy of General Alvaro Obregon. I wlioso home Is here. Yesterday Sonora seized tho South- j edn Pacific de Mexico, an American-! owned railroad whoso, employes had J been on strike, and put all the strikers j back to work with a guaranty of their J demands. The federal government i had threatened this action yesterday1 but the Sonora government oper-ated oper-ated by soldiers If the strikers and I railroad officials could not agree to j a settlement and gel trains running. - i CUSTOMS HOC-SK SKIZED DOUGLAS. Ariz.. April 10. The Customs house at Agua Prieta, across ths; line from Douglas, was seized late today in the name of tho Sonora state government and tonight armed men ' are guarding the building. The im-1 migration office and the postpffice also have been taken over by atate authorities. The employes of the customs office and of the other federal departments have declared their loyalty to the state government. Orders have been issued to arrest and imprison Jose M. A. Tostodo, federal customs inspector, in-spector, in charge, should he attempt to return to Agua Prieta. He left for Mexico City two weeks ago, and a telegram from him this morning stated he would return home tonight by way of El Paso and Douglas. All able-bodied men in Agua Prieta between tho ages of IS and 60 have been organized into state militia and they arc ready on short notice to assemble as-semble to protect the town against Invading forces. General J. M. Pino, lieutenant governor of Sonora, when General P. Ellas Calles was governor is In command of theso men and tonight to-night in answer to a telephone Inquiry In-quiry ho said ho had 2000 men at his call, Aith plenty of amis and ammunition, ammu-nition, and he declared it would be impossible for a Carranza force to capturo the town unless federal troops were permitted to comp through the United States, and he did not believe such a request would be granted. Trenches have been dug on the eastern, western and southern outskirts out-skirts of the town and there are 200. militiamen on watch In them tonight.