The Donaldsonville chief., 1914-03-28
Mr., WILSON'S POLICY Of
" NATCHFUL WAITING"
Deplorable Results Of American Governments At
titude Of Inaction--Lack Of Firmness in Dealing
with Mexican Belligerents Responsible for Spread
of Lawlessness and Anarchy
BY ROBERT S. VIcKERs, Donaldsonville, La.

[ d
thirteen years in the republic of
Mexico, I have been an interested
| observer of recent events in that
country and of the results Of
President Wilson's policy Of watch
ful waiting"
It is practically the same policy
| followed by Mr.. Taft during the last
| two years OF his administration,
when the destruction of American
| lives and property and outrages to
| American citizens We're met only
with notes, protests and ultlmatums
from our State Department to the
government OF Mexico, all of which
were more OR less courteously ac-
knoWledged, but in. no wise needed.
| Toward the end, Mr.. Taft gave as
| excuse for his inaction his desire
to leave the incoming administration
free to adopt a policy OF its own.
In due time, Mr.. Wilson an
nounced there would be no inter
vention, but that the policy of this
government would be one Of watch
| tul waiting
This policy" if one can dignity by
| the name of policy such incompre-
| hensible inaction in the face of the
| murder of our citizens, the destruc-
| ton of millions OF dollars OF prop
erty and the flouting of our nation
al honor. has now been in force
| one year. Whether it has proved a
| success, depends on the point of
/ n cfrot RI nf no
t1ence it makes the story OF Job pale
into insignificance. AS an exhibition
| Of turning the left cheek when they
smite you on the right, it even ap-
proaches the forebearanee taught
py the gentle Nazarene. # it was
intended to give a model lesson in
developing the foregoing virtues, it
| has indeed been a shining and con-
| spicuous success.
But If it was designed, as any
| policy worthy of the name and of a
great nation should be designed, to
protect the lives and property and
nonor Of American citizens who went
TO Mexico in good faith, relying on
| the promised protection Of the Mex
lean government, and on the tradi-
tiona1 policy of our government to
make the just rights of American eiti-
zens respected in any part of the
globe; If it was designed for this
purpose, together with q humane
desire to end the barbarous warfare
| that has devastated that country for
the last three years, then it has
been an inglorious failure.
Conditions that even by Mr.. VIII
ginning Of his term as intolerable,
| have steadily grown worse, and life
and property are more insecure than
ever. The number of Americans
murdered, of which the State De-
partment has record, now passes two
hundred, while the unrecorded deaths
are probably as many more. The
number OF other foreigners killed
has also continued to grow, while the
roll of Mexican dead now mounts high
| in the thousands. The property loss,
which has reached the hundreds of
| millions, is incalculable and irrepar-
able.
The net results, then, of this do
nothing policy which MIR. Wilson al
literatively terms "Watchful wait
ing are the continued destruction
| of American and other foreign lives
and property, the increasing fierce
ness and saVagery Of the struggle,
the spread of laWlessness and an
archy, the steady loss of American
prestige due to our many unheeded
| protests and lack of firmness, and
the steady growth of anti-American
sentiment caused by the sWatchfuf'
| but irritating attitude of our govern
ment, which, despite Mr.. Wilson's
continued protests of friendship and
disinterestedness is regarded by
| the Mexican government and people
at large as hostile and threatening.
| Mr. Wilson declares that SO far
there is nothing in the Mexican sit
uation to Justify intervention or any
change in his policy.
| What, then, will justify interven-
| ton or change in his policy? is
The waiting for a wholesale massacre
/ of American and other foreigners
Can he not see that his present in
action simply invites such a catas-
| trophe by permitting Mexico to
! drift b1indIy but with deadly GER
tainty down the road OF Iawlessness
and anarchy, and on to ruin and de-
struction?
It cannot be gainsaid that this
| country stands in a different rela-
ton to Mexico and the other Latin
American republics from that which
| it bears to other countries. If we
have not actually assumed protec-
| torate over those countries by our
enforcement of the Monroe doctrine,
we have at least made them and
| treated them as proteges. That the
Mexican situation is distinctly our
| problem, is recognized by all the
great powers, who have carefully re-
Trained from taking any action that
might embarrass this government IL
finding solution. This relation
that obtains between the United
States and the Latin-Ameriean re
pubIics, therefore, entails mutual oh
legations and responsibilities; on the
part OF the latter, to respect ane
protect the rights Of foreign citizens
dwelling in their midst, and in gen
eraI to observe the customs ane
usages of civilized nations; On TIT
| part of the former, to safeguard tht
territory and political institutions o
those countries from foreign en-
eroachment, and at the same tim
compel them to live up to the obi
III I. =.