Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-05-13
brigandage than Of sedition, have &C.
CURED and are occurring all over Mex.

spontaneously as the terror of the
law which Diaz welded is relaxed
The most important of them thus far
is that headed by Zapata in Morelos'
Unlike Orozco, these revolutionists
or banditti have IL possible, less sense
of international than of national re.
sponsibility. Their enterprises which
have been promoted, and indeed made
possible by the impotency of the Ma.
dero government have for their pur'
pose plumber, with at most trace OF
politics. Since they 60 in no fear of
their own government, 1t would be
futile to expect them to 60 in fear of
| any other. President Taft's notiflca-
ton of April Is that our government
expects and must demand that Amer.
lean life in Mexico be justly and ade'
quately protected and that it will hold
Mexico responsible therefor is fully
warranted by the situation. But it
must seem mere mockery to the
nominal government of Mexico, which
has shown itself helpless to prevent
or to avenge outrages on foreigners,
| and which has not the power implied
by the responsibility to which We
have thus announced our intention of
holding it.
Fortunately for the Madero govern
ment the outrages thus far committed
upon foreigners in defiance of it
have not been committed upon Amer
leans. If they had been our patience
would have been before this as COM
pletely exhausted in respect of the
nominal government of Mxico as it
was fourteen years ago in respect of
the nominal government Of Cuba.
But the presidents solemn warning
to Mexico against any infringements
of american" rights ignores that we
ourselves have responsibilities for
outrages upon foreigners in Mexico
other than Americans. We have as.
sumed these responsibilities by pro.
claiming the Monroe Doctrine, which
virtually prohibits European govern.
ments from effectually interfering to
protect their own respective nationals
in an American republic. The mas.
sacre in Mexico of several hundreds
of helpless and unoffending Cinnamon
was a crime against humanity which
it is true that the inhibitions of the
Monroe Doctrine would not operate
to prevent China from avenging if the
Chinese government were not as pre-
carious and helpless as the Mexican
The repeated atrocities committed in
Mexico upon the Spaniards, for whom
the hereditary hatred of the Mexican
is so bitter, the present government
of Spain would doubtless be impQfent
to punish even If there were no Mon
roe Doctrine. But the atrocious out
rage at Cadevonga, so atrocious as to
be indescribable in print in it's detail,
was committd upon German subjects.
Germany would be both willing and
able to inflict condign penalties for
it if we and our Monroe Doctrine did
not stand in the way A power which
capitalized two murdered missionar-
les into a port, naval station and
commercial settlement in China would
know how to avenge itself advantag-
eously upon Mexico.
Since We in effect forbid other ma
tons to do with respect to their ma
tionals what We announce our inten-
ton of doing with respect to our own
it seems that they have the right to
hold us to some of the responsibility
to which we mean to hold Mexico,
and that our protection should be ex-
tended to all foreigners. Since in re-
spect to Europe we in effect assume a
protectorate over Mexico our protec-
torate must involve obligations as
we'll as privileges. Doubtless we
have greater interest than any other
power in what Senator Lodge des-
cribes as the burning house next
door," But that fact does not justify
US in ignoring the rights and interests
Of neighbors further removed The
Monroe Doctrine cannot be pleaded in
defence Of a national attitude of the
dog in the manger, which will neither
act nor let others act. A continuance
of the present anarchial condition of
Mexico threatens to make that atti-
tude on our part at once more I'M
mistakable and more untenable.
NOTED WORKER
The visit of DR.. Bracken of St, Paul,