The Washington times., 1913-11-08
PRESIDENT WILSON'S WAR AGAINST
HUERTA.


Huerta persists in his dictatorship of Mexico Presi
dent Wilson is going to make war against him. Un
der our Constitution only Congress can declare war
out the Chief Executives mere announcement Of
policies can be tantamount in declaring war; his
program can actually create and conduct war.
Commanding battleship to lombard a Mexican
port, landing sailors and marines to act on Mexican
soil, throwing troops across the boundary line for
police and other purposes could bring the actual
condition of war-war that has to be waged-wth.
out any vote of Congress declaring war.
Yet if at the start President Wilson should dc
none of those things he could still make war
against Huerta and, therefore, so long as Hue.ta
represents what Mexican government there is
against Mexico. He could do this by aiding and
abetting some political movement and military revo
luton by Mexicans within Mexico.
The United States Government, aiming to make
an end of Huertas dictatorship need not stop short
with its mere permission to Carranza or to anybody
else fighting Huerta to import arms and munitions
from this country Perhaps the United States Gov
ernment cannot stop there. 1t might very well be-
probably it would be, that the United States would
have to encourage" in way or another the de-
livery to Carranza of abundant supplies of every
thing needed by such revolutionary army to over
throw Huerta. 1t night be that arrangements would
have to be made for such supplies to be sold % Car
ranza on indefinite credit or lent to him, or even
given to him. II might be that such things would
have to be because, with President Wilson deter
mined to put Huerta out the alternative would be d.
rect Intervention equivalent no man can doubt, to
war-by the fleets and armies of the United States.
And in all likelihood President Wilson could
make war against Huerta no less successfully and
surely more cheaply through Carranza and other
evolutionary leaders than with our own ships and
cur own troops.
If Carranza were on the job il would suffice, from
the immediate point of view of this Government that
Huerta be disposed of, and, from the more remote
point of view, that hereafter, or LATER law
full government be set up in Mexico and the country
put in social, industrial and financial order
If the United States Government were on the
Job it would not suffice merely to throw Huerta
out - something which could be very easily and
quickly done-and then to let order work itself out
Of chaos best il mi ght.> We should need to make
ourselves responsible for the protection of lives and
Tor the preservation of property throughout the whole
country down there.
We should need to guard nation We should
need police millions of miles of desert waste and
mountain fastness, well beaten paths of cities
towns and hamets and farm lands. We should need
70 reconstruct railroads.. we ShOulQ neeQ to reopen
mines and restore abandoned industries We should
need to feed great populations that must remain
in want and misery until they could be assured Of
the restored opportunity to make their livings-to
make their livings without fear of being raded pill
LACED, and butchered by Huerta bandits.
We say Huerta bandits because the first refuge
and the dearest ambition of the remnants of scat
tered army in Mexico invariably will be the life and
the lot of marauders, thieves, and bandits. From
one enc OF Mexico to the other the country is in
tested with groups of bandits calling themselves
armies-revolutionary armies. Wherever the people
are not under the protection of superior forces,
whether government troops or other bandits, they
are robbed tortured, and murdered.
For all that sort of thing the United States
Government would assume direct and immediate re-
sponsibility If went into Mexico bringing either
var or Intervention American sentiment couldn't
tolerate conditions that would not excite great horror
e revolutionary leader of Mexico were working out