The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-11-28
THE MEXICAN PROBLEM

Difficult and puzzling as is the Mex
lean problem, it could have been
more readily solved by President Will
son if it were not for the fact that
the provisional government of Huerta
has been recognized by twenty-six
nations, including Great Britain.
This fact has helped to turn Huer-
tas head, and make him defiant. But
President Wilson has gone too far to
turn back The policy he is pursuing
is meeting with the approval OF the
most conservatively progressive
thinkers of the country. and marks
new and We hope a more salutary
epoch in the worlds diplomacy
President Wilson started out on the
assumption that the Huerta govern
ment was not a government de jure-
resorting to the language of diploma
cy-because it was initiated by crime
and founded on crime, through treach-
cry and cold-blooded assassination :;
that it was not a de facto government,
because being incapable of perform
ing the most elemental functions of
government.
Along this line the Outlook com
ments nicely as follows:
Intervention by one nation in the
domestic affairs of another should
never be undertaken, if it can be
avoided, and because in this particu-
lar case Intervention might arouse
againGt us the hostility of all Latin
America, there remained TO our gov
eminent the policy of isolation This
was to refuse moral support to an i'm
moral and incompetent government,
to prevent the shipment from the
United States of munitions of war to
any of the Mexican factions, and to
advise Americans to leave Mexico be-
cause the country was in a condition
Of anarchy, with no government able
to assume governmental functions"
In this policy of President Wilson'S
we have the good will and hearty sup
port of the enlightened nations of the
earth, and of the conservative and
enlightened thought of the citizens of
our own country. We have not in
volved our nation in a needless and
expensive war, and every day We
have evidences of the weakening and
crumbling away of the Huerta ma
chine. 1t is inevitable-it is written
upon the arch of destiny-that he
must come to terms and plead for
peaceful intervention And with the
cordial help and approval of other ma
tions there will be established in Mex
leo a stable government that will
mean more for the peace and pros
perity and the honor and glory of
the Mexican people than was ever
known before.
Suppose that a different policy had
been pursued: suppose that we had
adopted the policy of armed inter
vention," what would have been the
result?
It would have been like the inter
vention in the average family row
the husband and wife and alhthe chill
dren would have sunk their difference
es and jumped upon the invaders
the foreign foe. The Huerta and the
Carranza forces would have Joined
hands and our American soldiers
would have been ambushed from
mountain Businesses and other hiding
places, and we would have had turned
loose upon us a pandora box OF evils.
We have troubles enough of our
own without taking upon ourselves
those of neighboring nations.
We cannot too often nor too highly
commend President Wilson for his
policy of financial starvation" and
heroic isolation"
Never did schoolmaster perform a
better task