The copper era and Morenci leader., 1913-08-01
HON. MARK SMITH IS
PROM|NENTF|GURE
IN THE MEXICAN
SITUATION
Arizona Senator Is Member of Sen
ate Committee On Foreign Reia-
tions Now Dealing With
Situation.
cRTTIclsEs APATHY
OF OUR GOVERNMENT.
Cites Incidents of Lack of Respect
of Mexicans For American
T-y Citizenship, Il


.TAQ Citizenship,
Hon Marcus A. Smith, Senator
from Arizona, is a prominent figure
in the consideration of the situation
in Mexico. The Senator from Ari
zona is one of the members of the
Senate Committee on Foreign Rela-
tions, which committee is in daily
consultation with the President re-
garding the policy to be pursued to-
ward the end of securing permanent
peace in Mexico.
Ever since Mark Smith entered
the Senate he has devoted his time
towards securing a solution of the
deplorable condition which exists
just across the border. from Arizona.
The Senator from Arizona introduced
the first resolution in Arizona calling
upon the State Department to furnish
Congress with a detailed report of
the number of American lives lost,
the amount of property damages SuS-
tanned by Americans, and what steps
had been taken to secure satisfaction
for same. The Senator from Ari-
zona also wanted to know from the
department what guarantee Mexico
could give for the safety of American
lives and property and what steps the
department had taken to, secure
safety of American citizens in for
eign countries.
On June 26th, while the Senate had
under consideration Senate Joint
Resolution 43 to repeal the joint
resolution of March 14th, 1912, .au-
thorizing the President to prohibit
the expectation of arms, etc, Mark
Smith addressed the Senate, and
from his speech on that occasion we
take the following extracts:
fhr to
justice to my place on this floor as
well as to the just sentiment of
those who sent me here, that I share
fully their opinions in regard to our
previous course in the Mexican i'm
broglio, and 1 share the shame they
feel when l see the course our gov
ernment pursued in failure to prompt
ly and adequately act in protection
of the lives and property of our citi-
ZenS doing business in Mexico and
at the invitation of that Republic and
under the double guaranty of its law
and the treaty obligations which sub
sist between that Republic and ours.
Both the laws of Mexico and the
treaty with us demanded fair and
decent treatment of our citizens
domiciled within her borders. This
has not been accorded by Mexico
1t should have been enforced by the
United States. This could have
been done in the first place by our
Government assuming it's ancient,
time-honored, and proper attitude, by
open proclamation, that the United
States stood ready to protect its
citizens on any inch of the globe, and
that all force necessary would be
used for that purpose.
Instead of that Mr.. Taft warned
by proclamation, all citizens of the
United States domiciled in Mexico
to offer no resistance to any outrage
but to peacefully get out of that coun- |
try. This was tantamount to an
invitation to Mexico to drive them |
out if the Americans failed to follow
the advice of our President. Mexico
accepted that invitation, acted on it,
and, against every precedent of in
ternational law, against every die
tate of justice, against every senti-
ment of modern civilization that Re
public proceeded to drive our peo-
pie like 1ocks of sheep from their
homes, their business, and their last
dollar of hard-earned property. The
homes they left behind were destroy
ed, their crops ruined, and penniless,
hungry and almost naked, they stood '
on their native soil, the objects of F.;
and the slight beneficiaries of our I
charity. These people
needed no charity from our Govern {
ment; they deserved and should have I
had it's protection. No better citi- {
zenship ever left our land or returned I
10 it under such degradation. :
Since the advent of Madero and
he usual revolution attending any
accession to power in that country
,ur citizens have been appealing to {
he executive branch of our Govern /
nent for that protection guaranteed !
oy every civilized nation to its citi- {
zens, but their cry has been unheed- ]
I'd, and, as the Senator from Massa- :
,husetts (Mr. LODGE has we'll said, {
there has been a lack of even any {
,ort of energetic diplomacy" c
THAT our Government has often
.equested the Mexicans to cease their 3
aggressions has been the most war
ike. bristling, dangerous statement +
ret made, so far as L have been able \
@ hear or see. 1 am not now crit i
cizing the present administration t
or it has inherited these difficulties Z
md mistakes; but l make bold to a
suggest that the time has come for r
energetic and, if need be, drastic {
measures to secure the lives and v
property and peace of our people in c
Mexico.
THE Democratic party long ago
wrote glorious history in defense of