Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1913-02-18
NOT :: TO INTER
V||E||:NE UNLESS
COMPELLED
Congress Devoid Of Jingoism in Con-
sidering Mexican
Problem.
WOULD COST VERY HEAVILY
Protection of Business Interests Not
Worth Sacrificing
Lives.
WOULD COST VERY HEAVILY

Washington, D. c., Feb. 17.-Con
gress is not saying much about tn
Mexican situation these days, but i
\ is doing a great deal of thinking.
Like President Taft, the state de
partment and even the army ant
navy, members of congress are de
void Of jingoism when it comes t.
the Mexican difficulty.
One hears none of the sort of tall
in which Americans are accused O
indulging on occasions when troubl,
with some other nation is in sight
Everything in the nature of blustel
is practically silenced.
A few senators and members o.
the house have freely declared tina
the United States ought to inter
vene, and do so at once, but these
are in the minority. They are mer
who believe the destiny of the Unit.
ed States is to possess Mexico, and
that the sooner it is done the better
it will be for all concerned.
But this is not the prevailing
view. The closer congress gets up
against the Mexican proposition the
worse it looks, the more appalling
appear its difficulties.
The truth is that congress, as we'll
as the president, the army, the navy
and state departments have too
fresh in memory the years of fight
ing and loss of life in the Philip
pines They have too clear a recol-
lection of what it has cost to inter-
fere with conditions in Cuba to be at
all lighthearted about this business
Of ordering the army to cross the
Rio Grande.
!. Congress understands that it
would mean heavy loss of life, enor-
nous expense, untold trouble and
little return, even in the way Of
credit for brilliant feats of arms, if
America were to intervene, or, in
~ e. II /. F. y
other words, start war with Mexico.
True, the investments of American
fnanciers in mines, railroads and
the like would be multiplied in
value and the existence of such
Americans and foreigners as are in
Mexico would in the long run be
made much more secure. But, SO
far as the property interests are
concerned, congress has small relish
for sacrificing tens of thousands of
lives of young men to pull out Of
the fire the chestnuts of financial adj
venturers and spectators.
While all this is true, the main
tenance of the Monroe doctrine, the
protection of the lives of American
men and women in Mexico, the pro-
lection of the lives of foreigners; are
weighing so heavily in the scale
against other considerations that
there can be little question what
course congress is going to take in
the long run. 1t will do nothing if
one or the other of the Mexican lead
ers gets on top and has sufficient
authority to insure reasonable de-
gree of safety for the lives of nom
Mexicans in the republic. 1t will not
sanction a single warlike movement
Of troops to protect American prop
erty interests in Mexico, despite the
clamor, in some quarters.
The. general feeling is that Amer
leans have gone into Mexico at their
own risk so far as property is con-
cerned. But If Americans or for
eigners in Mexico are attacked in
any organized way by Mexicans, if
there. is any slaughter of Americans
or. foreigners other than such loss
of !. life as may be purely incidental
to the fighting between the warning
Mexican factions, the situation at
the capitol will change in twink
ling.
1t will not take a day to hurry
through measure authorizing armed
If the emergency arises
that really demands 1t. Because
congress is unwilling to start
trouble with Mexico it does not ar-l
que that it will not give word to
go to the limit If the need comes.
And. in addition, the existence of a
widespread sentiment in congress
that, while the United States doesn't
need Mexico, its fate will be to take
it over, in whole or in part, is al
factor that would count heavily
when the time for action comes.
He is below himself that is not