Arizona republican., 1911-05-10

ton for them"
 As to Mexico, the government of
 that country has reason to be thank
 ful to fortune that the president of
 the United States today is Taft in-
 stead of a Buchanan When President
 Buchanan, in 1860, transmitted
 his annual message to con
 gress. conditions in Mexico closely
 approXimated the. conditions of today.
 Juarez was president, and in control
 of the greater part of Mexican terri
 tory, while Miramon, claiming to be
 provisional president" as does Ma
 dero now, was supported by sundry
 bands of insurrectos who overran
 wide areas, destroyed property and
 murdered foreigners. The property
 destroyed by Miramon's followers was
 insignificant, however, in comparison
 with the value of the property which
 has been destroyed by Madero's bands.
 The latest estimates from Mexico
 place the value of foreign property
 destroyed-most of it owned by Amer
 icans-at tens of millions. Detailing
 the situation of that day, President Buchanan said:
 The time had arrived, in my opin-
 ion, when this government was bound
 to exert its power to avenge and re- dress the wrongs of our citizens, and to afford them protection in Mexico. The interposing obstacle was that the portion of the country under the sway of Miramon could not be reached without passing over territory under the jurisdiction of the constitutional Under these circum- stances, I deemed it my duty to recommend to congress, in my last an nual message, the employment of a sufficient military force to penetrate into the interior, where the govern ment of Miramon was to be found, with, or. if need be, without the con sent of the Juarez government though it was not doubted that this consent could be obtained. Never have l had a clearer conviction on any subject than of the justice, as well as wis dom. of such a policy. No other alter native was left, except the entire abandonment of our fellow citizens who had gone to Mexico under the faith of treaties, to the systematic in- justice, cruelty, and oppression of government" = Congress did not act upon the pres idents recommendations, because of the unsettled conditions in our own country which quickly developed into the civil war.
 4 year later Secretary Seward, un- der instruction from President Lin coin, wrote to our minister to Mexico, | him to advise the Mexican government that the United States or some foreign nation would be com pemed to intervene if conditions did not mend.
 Returning for a moment to the Buchanan administration, President Buchanan not only recommended in- in Mexico. but actually l urged congress to establish a protec- torate over the northern portions of and Sonora. What would l the Mexican government say today if l President Taft should make such a 1 Speaking of the 1 inability of the Mexican authorities to prevent marauders from invading 1 American territory, he said:
 "A state of anarchy and violence | prevails throughout that distant from | tier The laws are d dead letter. and l life and property wholly insecure. For this reason the settlement of Ari- | zona is arrested, whilst it is of great | importance that a chain of inhabitants | should extend all along its southern border sufficient for their own pro- tection and that of the United States | mail passing to and from California. Well founded apprehensions are now that the Indians and wandering Mexicans equally lawless, | may break up the important stage | and postal communications recently | between our Atlantic and | Pacific possessions. This passes very near 10 the Mexican boundary | the whole length of Arizo- na. I can imagine no possible remedy | for these evils. and no mode of re- storing law and order on that remote | and unsettled frontier, but for the | of the United States to | assume a temporary protectorate over the northern portions of Chihuahua | and Sonora. and to establish military ! posts within the same-and this earnestly recommend to congress-
 As we have said. congress did not act, because the coming of our own ,ivil war had diverted public atten- ton from affairs in Mexico.
 Senator Stone therefore suggested | nothing new or novel when he yes- .erday urged congress to authorize the | president to intervene in Mexico. ] Happily the Americar people are not likely to accept the Missouri senator | IS a leader instead of President Taft, md intervention will be the very last l