The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-08-31
FIGHTING AGAINST HISTORY.

FIGHTING AGAINST HISTORY.
1t was inevitable that the interfer.
ence which President Wilson proposed
in the internal affairs of Mexico should
be rejected, as it was at first by Presi
dent Huerta; for the proposal that
President Wilson made in this respect
| is directly contrary to all the traditions
of American diplomacy. and contrary to
the spirit Of American relations with
foreign powers, from the time Of Wash
ington onward. President Washington
In his Farewell Address said: "The
great rule Of conduct for US, In regard
TO foreign nations Is, in extending our
commercial relations, to have with
them as little political connection as
possible. So far as we have already
formed engagements, let them be full
filled with perfect good faith. Here
let us STOP"
| Jefferson, also, declared a doctrine
which has been standard in American
foreign relations ever since, when he
said' "Peace, commerce, and honest
friendship with all nations, entangling
| alliances with none''
Professor John Bassett Moore, who is
| supposed to be the adviser of the State
Department, but whose advice apparent
ly has not been followed in what we
have proposed toward Mexico, is proba-
bly, our best living diplomatic authori
ty. He has been employed impartially
by recent administrations as adviser,
and often as an official; and he is the
author Of the most notable work on di-
plomncy that has ever been produced in
America. Tracing the trend of Ameri-
oan diplomacy from the first, Mr.
Moore says in his standard work,
american Diplomacy-Its Spirit and
Achievements, as follows,
Among the rules of conduct prescribed
for the United States by the statesmen
who formulated its foreign policy, none
was conceived TO be more fundamental
or more distinctively American than that
which forbade Intervention in the polit-
lcal affairs Of other countries :.
European struggles that had marked the
attempts OF nations to control one an
other g political destiny, the sta atesmen Of
America, believing that they had diff
ferent mission to perform, planted them
selves upon the principle Of equality OF
nations as eNpounded by Grotius and
other masters OF international law, This
pinciple was expressed with peculiar
felicity and force by Vattel. who de-
clared that nations inherited from ma
ture "the same obligations and rights"
respect produce any difference, and that
q small republic" was mot less
sovereign, state than the most powerful
tersely phrased by Chief Justice Mar
shall. in his celebrated affirmation; mo
principle Is more universally aclenowl-
tions. Russia and Geneva have equal
rights. And as the Declara Of In
dependence proclaimed life. liberty: and
the pursuit of happiness to- be In
the founders OF the American Republic
scribed the Same rights to men In their
aggregate political capacity independ-
ent nations.
And Mr.. Moore clinches this with the
statement: "In word, the United
States maintained that the true test of
governments 8 title to recognition is
not the theoretical Legitimacy Of it's
origin. but the fact Of it's existence as
the apparent exponent Of the popular
WILL
There, can be no doubt that the re.
fusal of President Wilson to recognize
the Huerta government has produced
more i'll win against Americans among
the Mexican people than anything that
has occurred In the present generation
1t is undoubtedly true, further, that IT
haa bul doc
throughout the Latin American republics
Of anything that has ever been done by
an administration Of the United
States, by creating and fostering
the opinion that the United States
desires to extend it's supervision and
control over all of the countries Of
Central and South America For, dis
guise it as we may under protestations !
of friendship and amicable regard, |
there is no question but that the ulti
mate effect of President Wilson IS treat. |
ment of the Huerta government has
been, and must necessarily be. AN as. |
sertion Of the right of this country TO |
supervise the establishment Of govern
ments in Mexico. and perhaps in other
Latin American republics, and to deter
mine for ourselves and from our own
standpoints whether these governments |
are legal and proper Or not. But this
is, in effect, 10 declare our supervision
over all these countries and that is
precisely what is resented by these
Latin-American republics, and must con-
tinue to be resented as long as they