The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1913-10-30
COMMON SENSE ON
THE MEXICAN SITUATION
HuERTA SHOWS CLEARER UN.
DERsTANDiNc OF MEXICO
THAN WILSON.
portland Oregonian)

All good Americans will echo the
wish Of President Wilson that the
whole American hemisphere be the
home Of free, self governed people and
that nowhere any government endure
which is stained by blood or supported
by anything but the consent Of the
governed Doubtless he had In mind
the so-called republic Of Mexico, where
a military dictator was preparing for
a farcical election. in which large
proportion Of the people refuse to take
part and the result of which they will
contest by force Of arms
| Part Of Huerta's preparation consist
ed In pledging the candidates for
President to abide by the result ana
to support the successful man: or II
none of them received the required
majority, to support him (Huerta)
until another election can be held.
Having imprisoned many members of
congress and dissolved that body,
Huerta has destroyed the only body
authorized to declare the result Hav-
| ing an army at his back and having
shown his readiness to use 1t, Huer.a
is In position to seat any man he
chooses as president, to overturn the
popular verdict, or the pretense at
one. In any case he can remain die
! tator; for guns rule in Mexico, no,
| ballots.
Huerta frankly defends his pro-
ceedings on the ground of public ne
cessity, and his defense shows clear
err understanding of the people and
the situation with which he has to
deal than have any steps taken or
words spoken 40 far by Mr., Wilson,
He says:
From the standpoint Of representa-
tive government, where the masses
have right to. and do express their
opinions at the polls, Mexico never
has had a government by the people.
In the sense in which there is a de-
mocracy In Great Britain, Germany,
France and the United States, there
is not and has never been demccra-
| cy in Mexico.
"The best government Mexico has
ever had has been a government by
the few, and 1t will be long time be-
fore Mexico is able to have any o,her
kind Of government It will require
many years to bring the country to
point where millions of men will be
able to go to the polls and cast a
ballot and abide by the result Of that
ballot.
what the people of the whole NO i'd
want for Mexico is not that 1t shall
have government fashioned on the
lines of the government Of England,
the United States, Germany and
France, but a government adapted 10
the needs OF the people OF Mexico,
satisfactory to the people OF Mexico
and able TO maintain the peace OF The
country and protect the vast interest
which foreign nations have at stake
in the country"
Huerta's opinion is shared by a
very large proportion of people In
this and other free countries AS Mr.
Wilson differs with Huerta and re-
fuses to recognize the latter's GOV
eminent, the logical thing for him to
do Is to endeavor to establish the kind
lof government he thinks Mexico
should have. That means interven-
ton. Not being prepared for that
step and rightly believing that the
nation would not approve 1t, he should
recognize the only government Mex
leo now has and encourage its chief
In bringing 1t into harmony with the
Wilson ideal.
Were the United States to inter-
vene, pacify the country and hold an
election according to our ideals under
the guard of our soldiers, there is no
ground to hope that the government
we establish would endure Freedom
which comes from without lacks the
first essential of permanence. Puppct
republics are shortlived as puppet
monarchies. Democratic institutions
spring from the spirit and determine
ton of the people themselves and are
established only by much bloodshed
The longer the struggle, the surer
their permanence. That is the history
Of Switzerland, Of England and OF the
United States, whose struggle for lib
erty was but the continuance In new
field Of that which the English had
maintained A nation Is educated for
liberty by internal strife. Wearied and
exhausted by the efforts Of rival die
tators to win supreme power by force
Mexico may finally settle down to the
methods of genuine popular election
pursued in the United States.
Natural Gas Production and Con.