New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-04-21
Force To Be Used Not Against
Mexico but Against Huerta'


President Wilson's message on Mexico 10 Will"
,,or,ross il expected to respond with grant u
authority 10 use the armed forces OF lne 'iN''N
s,..o, 90 orv extent which may be deemed neces-
-. - soc,ro renaration from General HuertS' was
striking IN It's self-rcstrant Its centra' 'ue'
that which The Tribune expressed yesterday HUI"
ing when the news came Of the maj rupture WIN
Huerta. We said then;
That 1.-THE use OF military force 10 Coi"p.' ,1 nn,
rl,apce with our demand for salu'ei w." -.
necessarily mean war with Mexico shoo =
-. =, visu, We are dealing with an lnui'iuu"'
poi''' " .,r,od cover rather than with the hcau
""o w W. have never recognized Huerta as
-, pros,dent of the Mexican Republic we uo NO.
bold the Mexican people as whoie respC t
he irsolent and dictatorial attitude y i''e p pi-
NJ the Mexican population is IN arms "ea &C.. &c =
and another large part submits 10 HIS ''''
choice Of evils. . .. ,r bring
ing pressure on Mexico by seizng OF o'oC
nc I'll vanish Even if he should declare val
49, declaration would bind only himscI anu ''''
mat -. Nothing would be less
dsirabla at the present moment tndh al iuO'
49,. 90 tIuerta's attitude and fortunes with 'he az
,ituda and fortunes Of the Mexican people,
r,o Presidents message paraphrased that reason'
- 81. v,ov "a IN ours, It is premature 10
talk about war between the uni'eu "'''e'
.,o porrblic of Mexico resulting from the applica
,,on o. pressure upon the Huerta government
Until q appears that the people OF Mexico are
behind Huerta in his refusal 10 maAe "u'd'
ronaration for the Tampco incident we snou'u n''
.s.u,,s that onr rupture with him requires us 10
,ora measures affecting the whole OF Mexico
rhoro is M warrant at present for treating Nor'n'
ern Mexico as hostile territory. IL mas '"'0"H
uuarta's yoke 1t should not he held accoun'ao''
for his diplomacy. If the Constituhonahsts snou'u
30 loft free TO occupy saltillo and Monterey and 10
ao,.o northern ports on the Cuff and Mazauan
and Guaymss on the Pacific the commerce u
Mexico would have an outlet and an inlet throus"
ports under anti-Huertista Jurisdiction
similarly in the south the states OF fucatan'
T,basco Chiapas and Campeche could be cut OH
.., tho rost ~ the country by occupying the line
~ the Tebuantepec railroad In those states tnere
g.; little or no interest in Huertas cause, and they
would probably not object seriously 10 severance
- choir relations with the capital. If the Ichuan-
fence line were kept open foreign commerce across
i, would not be disturbed and foreign countries
would have less cause TO complain OF the closing
~ tho norris whose trade might contribute to the sup
port Of Huerta's dictatorship.
FINALLY. there remains the recourse of promoting
the ousting Of Huerta by some other leader VINO
will work IN harmony with the United states III
restoring order and something like constitutional
government. II we to undertake police duty
in Mexico with view to Kidding that country Of n
domestic and international trouble maker the prob
lem before US will be exactly the as # has been
for the last thirteen months That problem is not to
conquer humliate or punish the Mexican people 1t
is to discover and sustain In Mexico stable regime,
with which the United States may cooperate in
protecting the lives and the s1Oco.OOoOOO property
interests Of Americans IN Mexico and the lives and
property of other foreigners.
The Wilson administration sadly misjudged this
problem when il was one OF diplomacy, pure and
simple. Having failed with the diplomatic method
II has had to turn TO the method Of police interven
ton Ii is positive relief that the fstuous policy
of "watchfu waiting has been abandoned and
that more promising policy Of intelligent action
has been adopted. The country will stand behind
the President in his effort TO smooth out an
intolerahle situation in Mexico and will wish him
far greater that his rocking chair dipo.
matte problem has become a more urgent dlplo-
matte military one.