The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1911-05-12

. so-Slyleu provisional governor OF
chihuahua" has openly established
his Office at Ell Paso, Texas, and there
from issued his orders and carried on
warlike correspondence across the
frontier; while insurrectionary chiefs
in other localities on American terri
tory, were actively plotting against
the established government of Mex
leo.
1T is not necessary that we should
consider the merits of the controversy
nj Mexico, to pass judgment upon the
condition of affairs on our southern
border. Every patriotic American cit
izen who has regard for the honor of
his country and its reputation among
the nations of the earth must deplore
these events, and inquire whether
there is not remedy for them. am
satisfied that there has been sincere
desire on the part of the president
and his cabinet to enforce a strict OBJ
servance of our neutrality laws. am
so certain that a similar spirit has
existed on the part of the local au-
thorities, either federal or state, along
the frontier, where the popular senti-
ment seems to be largely on the side
of the insurrectionists. But whether
or not the neutrality laws have been
strictly enforced, it is plain to any
student of our history who has given
attention to the subject that they are
antiquated and are in great need Of
revision and enlargement
Our first neutrality act was passed
during Washington's first administra-
ton, and they were put into their pres
ent shape in 1918. At the time of
their enactment they marked a great
advance in international law and prac-
tice, and gained for our country much
credit. But they have proved to be
too limited in their scope. At that
time our land frontier both on the
north and the south was very sparsely
settled. Our intercourse with foreign
nations was then almost entirely by
sea, and an examinatio nof our neu-
trality code shows that it applies
chiefly to maritime matters. The
great development of our population
both on the Mexican and Canadian bor-
der requires a re-examination of the
neutrality laws by our legislative and
executive departments.
"The attention of congress has been
repeatedly called to this subject, and
that body has been urged to the adop-
tion Of stricter measures to enable the
executive to more fully discharge it's
international duties of neutrality. Fol
lowing the embarrassments on our
southern border attending the indie.
pendence of Texas, and on our north.
ern frontier by the Canadian rebellion
in 1888 President VanBuren in a spe-
cial message laid before congress the
defective character of orr neutrality
laws, and asked that these laws be
thoroughly revised and enlarged in
order ito vest in the executive fu,l
power to prevent injuries being in
flicted upon eighboring ration3 by the
unauthorized and unlawful acts of tie
citizens of the United States Jr other
persons who may be within our juli
diction and subject 10 our control"
And later in his administration he le-
peated these concentrations The
Fenian plotting in our territory and
the raids into Canada led President
Arthur in 1884 to urge again upon
congress 'thn prompt and thorough
treatment of the aue5ti3a which" he
said, intimately concerns the mai t.onal
honor"
Notwithstanding these urgent ap-
peals to congress, the neutrality laws
of 1878 remain unaltered with all the
defects pointed out by successive pres
idents. The fact that defective legis-
tion from discharging. its international
obligations was made very clear after
or civil war, when our government
announced to that of Great Britain
that no sovereign power can rightfully
plead the defects of its own domestic
penal statutes as justification or ex-
tentuation of an international wrong
to another sovereign power, and the
Geneva arbitration tribunal confirmed
this principle by inflicting upon Great
Britain a penalty of $15,500J00 be-
cause of it's defective legislation and
neglect of its international duty. Great
Britain recognized the justice of our
complaint, made a thorough revision
OF her laws, and now stands at the
front of the nation in her neutrality
legislation. Unless we follow her ex-
ample, we shall continue to expose