New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-04-25
THE CONQUEST or MEXICO
1t Is Inevitable, Reader Argues, in
Consequence Of Wilson's Dlundering.

To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir: The conquest and annexation OF
Mexico. rapidly becoming more and mon
inevitable, will, without any doubt what
ever. be an ethical wrong. But history
results from the play OF cosmic force
and there can be little doubt that the
cosmic force which is finding expression
I'm the American people would have I'M
PEELED them sooner or later, and quite
irrespective of any possible attitude or
the American government, TO introduce
white mans rule among this semi-Indian
people ] lived in Mexico twelve years
! know the character OF the population
and. as well as any Northerner can, their
habits OF thought and the motives which
actuate their deeds. ! therefore know
what | say to be true when / say that
not only conquest but the ultimate an
nexation of the country is becoming more
and more inevitable with every utterance
from the White House, every additional
procrastination Of grapejuice statesman
ship. II is the habit Of pedagosues to in
terpret history as resulting from the VIII
OF rulers. but President Wilson is rapidly
being taught that this habit is mis-
take. Let us therefore hope he will come
TO sense OF reality in time TO save some
portion of the national honor.
Bismarck once said that II was not
nearly so important 10 be- politically right
as il was to have an object; i'm other
words, 10 possess purpose. Now, what
was the object, not of President Wilson,
but of the nation which had trusted him,
when Huerta overthrow and murdered
Madero? In the first place, TO look out
for its own; in the second TO so comport
itself that the national conscience should
have as little with which to reproach it
self as possible. The first object has
been. so far as all practical results go,
absolutely ignored; the attempt 10 achieve
the second has been vitated by stretching
the purity of our motives until they have
lost all relation to actual facts. For the
actual fact is that President Wilson has
attempted to handle a fifteenth century
situation in a twenty-tifth century way.
and hundred thousand OF his fellow
countrymen have been obliged TO bear
the expense of his scholars dream.
For the last year 1 have been in the
habit of forecasting President Wilson's
probable actions by thinking out what
would be the least practical. most stupid
thing for him 20 DO ! have forecast
rightly In the majority OF cases. but
must confess that my imagination was
insufclently bizarre 10 conceive his at
tempt to separate Huerta from the MeXi-
can people and yet seize Vera Cruz
without due notice to -combatants.
What Interpretation can the mothers and
fathers. the friends. the innumerable
sympathiZers. place upon the death OF
those boys. the cadets OF the Naval Col
lege. lighting with popguns against the
cannon of a mighty fleet? | cast no re-
Election upon our navy; II was stern ne
cessity FOR them. but | could not help
feeling of the most profound and humill-
ating shome when | read this morning
that those to whom we have intrusted
honor persisted In reterating that the
killing OF those boys was not In the
least palllated by being incident To u
state of war.
WILLIAM VAUGHAN PETIT
New York. April %, 1914