The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-06-04
THE WEST AND THE
WAR WITH MEXICO
Present Relations With Mexico Give
Occasion for "A Warning Against
Dangerous Imperialism.

University Of Chicago.
our Very critical relations with
Mexico at the present time may lend
some interest and timelness 10 a
study of the West and n war with
Mexico. Thoughtful men everywhere
feel hat the next four years may
bring upon US a repetition OF the I'M
perialism Of 1898 or even Of 1e4o, and
there is reason to fear that the pres
cnt conflicts in the republic to the
south of US may give an American
President the opportunity to avoid
pressing difficulties at home by In
volving the country in a policy OF ag-
grandizement abroad. Such was the
case In 1898, and such occasions have
been the most fruitful causes OF wars
from time immemorial. One natural
ly recalls the AuStro-Prusslan con-
tiict Of 1866 and the Franco-Prussian
war Of 1870. We are in the midst
Of most pressing internal difficulties
and public men OF today who cannot
control the economic forces around
them, or grapple with imper1ous
tariff problems are but human, and
they are not above following in the
footsteps Of Polk or Mckinley, or, to
mention greater names, Bismarck and
Napoleon.
In such a contingency the attitude
of the West will hardly be less. i'm
portant than it was seventy years
ago., though l am inclined to think
that It's point Of view will be entire
~ Inconsistent with its earlier his
tory and hat it will ave reversed
roles with the East where human
rights are matters Of less concern
than they were when James K. Polk
was President. Now it is the North
a S n the South which look with
longing eyes toward the rich mines
and "teeming harbors' Of a Mexico
in American hands, while the West
thinks less Of national aggrandize-
ment and fears that human rights
are not SO certain as they were once
supposed to be.
h West has decided more than
once what the national course should
be. In 1900 1t was Western votes
that put Thomas Jefferson In the
Presidents chair; and Andrew Jack
son was the GIFT Of the mississippi
States" to the country. And COM
ing more directly to our theme, it
was the West and the South which
put their heads together at Baltimore
in May, 1914, and worked out the
e Of the Remuneration Of
Texas and the reoccupation of Ore
gon," the "all-of-Texas. all-of-Ore-
gon." "noW-or-never idea which
won the election against the great
SbAy III loACA " PoAANy VA III
p%erialism which all the bloodshed Of
the Civil Wal scarcely checked.
jackson had planned that his
friend. Van Buren,, should succeed
him and that his next best friend,
Benton. should follow in the presi-
dency, each having eight years, but
no more, which would have taken
care Of the country until 1882, when,
doubtless, some other man, equal to
the great occasion would arise
There came a little hitch in 1840 and
Van Buren, failed OF a re-election; the
Wings came to power. Western
Democrats felt that the mistake had
been with the New York President
and they set themselves to the ASK
Of retrieving their error. The Balti-
more convention was the scene OF
their anxious e~ndeavors. The Texas.
Oregon program, known to be popu.
lar in all the West and South, wa:
their appeal, regardless Of the almos
certain war with both England ant
Mexico that would follow. And the
one man they did no van was Jack
son favorite, Van Buren,. A way
was found to relieve the party Of tn
disagreeable load and James K. Polk
a Westerner, was put at the head O.
the revolutionary ticket Half of tn,
men from Ohio, all Of those from
Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois joined
h eager Virginians and member
from the lower South in this worl
which looked directly to war. TIL
architect of this most fruitful al
lance was Robert James Walker. o
Mississippi. the most ~resourcetul poll
tician of his time, a manipulation o
men and the interests quite a
masterful In his day as was Mari
Hanna in 1896. An able leader O
the Senate. he was spoken Of 70
the Nice-PfeSidency in early 1914
and he replied to one OF the publ
calls of this character in a letter o.
Tex and Oregon which attained tn
widest circulation of any pamphle
of the day. In this remarkable pape
Walker said, Its no Un~ion-dissolv
ing spirit that animates the West i
this campaign for Texas and Oregon.
Indeed, the whole pamphlet was
western appeal which the author MAD
in the most plausible language pos
Sible.
Pretending the closest friendshi
for Won P,1rnn hn nIrn h. locc