The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-09-18
Mexico, Santo Domingo, Nicaragua

mCAlSo, Sduto oOn4uSuy NlCo1 dS ud
1t appears that the criticism of Senol
Didapp, the representative of the Mex
ican revolutionists in Washington, and
former Mexican Consul General tc
Spain, Turkey, and later a: Norfolk
Va, is pretty we'll founded when, in
his public utterances, he criticises Sec
rotary Knox's dollar diplomacy
which he maintains is making a mess
of it in all Pan-American affairs, espe-
cially so in Mexico and Nicaragua.
AS regards the former, Senior Didapp
says that, unable to protect American
lives and property by showing a firm
attitude toward Madero, the department.
has been forced to the expedient of as
sisting the Mexican government by al
lowing Mexican troops to cross Amer
lean territory In their attempt to get
closer to the revolutionists. This, adds
the senior, under the rules of interna-
tional law, is equivalent to a declara-
ton of war against the revolutionists
on the part of the United States.
While The Herald believes that he is
wrong in this contention, because the
Mexican revolutionists are not yet rec
ognized as belligerents by the Powers,
yet it is queer way of unfolding the
laws of neutrality. If this is oonsid-
cred fair on the part of the United
States, then it would hardly be a
greater violation of neutrality TO throw
a few brigades of United States regu-
lars across the Rio Grande for the pur-
pose Of reinforcing the Madero
armies.
II would seem, therefore, that there
is some ground for the contention of
Senior Didapp that our government al
ready has interviewed" when it allowed
Mexican troops to cross American soil
on their way to attack the revolution
lists
Secretary Knox, while away on a
mission which an Assistant Secretary
could well have fulfilled, leaves Pan
American affairs in a badly muddled
condition. and the question may be per-
mitted what good his recent trip to
Central America has accomplished. His
peace efforts have made dismal fail
ure OF preserving the peace in MICA
ragua.
The object of our proposed treaty
with that country has been to authorize
the executive branch of the United
States government, with the consent of
Congress, to intervene in Nicaragua, as
it did in Santo Domingo in the alleged
interest of the protection of American
lives and property and the maintenance
of public order. We know what that
has meant to the Dominicans. Neither
was property protected nor order main
tanned. The natives were overawed by
the aid of the American forces. All
debts OF that republic, since the year
one of its existence, were combined
into bonds, and these exchanged for
pieces of paper called Dominican
American guaranteed national bonds"
These bonds have the interest guaran-
teed by the United States, but not the
principal, by the collection of customs
moneys.
If seriously looked into it will be
found that Americans hold large blocks
of the old debts of Nicaragua. The
State Department had such an easy
time in the Senate in the Dominican
Intervention deal that it also may have
given assurances to Nicaraguan profess
sionai patriots with bundles of old
scrip. But the Senate baked, be-
cause, were the United States to side
with one faction against another, it
would make it quite uncomfortable for
American industrial expansionists.
1t looks to The Herald that, when
the smoke has cleared away, the United
States will be found collecting Mica
raguan customs duties in the in
terest of American pioneers. This
is known as 'Dawsonizing the Mon
roe Doctrine" for it avoids annex
ing the republics, while it obliterates
them from the map as international fac
tors of discord. Despite the fact that the
Senate has, refused to sanction the
grabbing of -neighboring republics
custom-house, it would seem that those
interested in the possibilities of spoil
possess sufficient power to have the
State Department spread United States
marines over Nicaragua interior towns.
This is apparently evidenced by the
fact. quite palpable, that battalion of
American marines had been dispatched
to Granada, which is not on the line of
communication between Washington
and Minister Weitzel, in order to res