The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1914-03-20
REGARDS WAR WITH
MEXICO AS SILLY
Tavenner Upholds President Wilson
in His Method of Handling Mexi-
can Situation Urged by Few
WOULD MEAN LIVES OF MANY
Fighting Only in North End of Coun-
try While Other Portions are Pro-
crossing at Rapid Rate

From Congressman C.. H. Tavenner.
Washington, March 2G-The SYM
pathy and moral support of the Amer
lean people ought to go out to Presi-
dent Wilson at this time as never
before. The President is making a
brave fight to keep the United States
in such a position that there need be
no bloody end to the Mexican situa-
tion. For one of the few times in
history a great nation has adopted a
foreign policy of morality instead Of
expediency, and although the sneers
and jeers of foreign countries are be-
ing echoed by unpatiotic citizens Of
the United States, President Wilson
is still courageously following the
path he set out for himself.
There is no question now that
there is a concerted attempt within
the United States to force war with
Mexico. 1t is unfortunately true
that this attempt has it's spokesman
in the House and in the Senate. And
unless American workingmen, who
after all must fight the battles in any
possible war, leaving the jingoes safe
ly at home to continue their agita-
tions, indicate enthusiastically that
they will not fight these battles, then
the United States is likely to be
plunged into bloody catastrophe.
How silly and foolish such war
would be is indicated in certain Mexi-
can statistics recently made public by
the Pan American Union in Washing
ton. We are told by the interven-
tiOnists that Mexico is tottering to
ruin, and that in the choas likely to
result, all American investments in
Mexico will be wiped out. There
fore, we should intervene now and
save what is left.
But now look at the figures of
ruin. In spite Of three successive
revolutions Mexico's trade with the
United States in the fiscal year just
closed was far greater than it was in
1904, or ten years ago. In ten-year
period American imports in Mexico
increased from $45,922,O00 to $48,-
052.00O. But exports, which deter
mine the real prosperity of a coun-
try, increased from Mexico to the
United States in ten years from $43,-
$4,000 to $S1,S77,OOO, or nearly
double. And this in the year when
Mexican business was alleged to be
virtually paralyzed.
AS a matter of fact, of course, the
real truth is that Mexican prosperity
has not been much harmed by the re-
volutions. The fighting has been
principally in the northern fringe of
States. The rest of the country has
been booming, while all the princi-
pal seaports have been doing a nor
NAL business. There has of course,
undoubtedly been some depression of
the Mexican currency due to the un-
certainty of the future.
But the secret of the outcry for war
lies in the fact that the fighting is
in the northern part of Mexico, in
which locality few American mil
lionaires own property; there the
American oil Investments are placed:
and there American capitalists have
been buying gold and silver, a lu-
crative profession which has been
ended by the continual fighting.
These lost dividends are large
part of the inspiration of the war
movement. To regain these divi-
dends a number of so-called patrio-
tic gentlemen would willingly sacri-
flee 100000 lives-not their own
lives, or the lives of their families
and friends, but the lives of American
workingmen who must engage in this