The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-05-19

much larger force than we now have.
to capture the large strategic inland
towns.
Guerilla Warfare.
after we had captured them al
dispersed the armies, the forces
against US would adopt a system K
guerilla war. II IS easy 70 carry n
and difficult TO suppress in Sucn
country. The best expert estimate
force required by Us TO garrison the
necessary towns. Suerlli.
warfare and tranquillize IN the coun-
try is 400, 600 men. and i i said thar
this would take two or three years
and involve an expenditure Of $1,000
900 a day.
The wisest course for us To par
sue. if the duty is before us of sup
pressing anarchy in Mexico, would -
to blockade all the Mexican p>rts. be-
cause the military al tho
country is lot in lack Of hardy men.
but in lack of military supplies a 4
in lack of food provision If We could
be content to take the eaportS and
| blockade the count while We were
making reasonable preparations -ur
the task, then. when ready for action.
We could do the work at the least
cost of life and time and money.
But the public might grow irnpa-
tient with this counsel of prudence.
We would probably have to act quick
lv and possibly meet some painful
mishaps due to lack of preparation
The suppression of guerilla bands
would be drawn out. 1t would be =
dead pull which would wear the pa
tience of the nation and in which the
few lives lost in each little engage
ment would total large and would
grow less and less tolerable a. the
dreary contest went an.
Disease Worse Than Bullets.
Disease in that country would hin
our ranks more than bullets. Then
after having lost thousands of lives
and expended q treasure double that
which it has cost us to give 10 the
world the Panama Canal, We Would
have on our hands a hostile Mexican
people without any gratitude for oar
sacrifices. Our duty to them and to
ourselves would be to give them a
government, as secure as practicable
against a recurrence of anaFchistic
conditions and affor6ing them an OPP
| portunity for material and intellectual
progress.
The latter task would be even
more difficult than that OF the war
and the work of disqualification. l.
might take us years. Having entered
l upon the war from a sense of duty
and retaining control to make our
oIeCl1Fe, we Oulu ne ClldISed VIII
being land grabbers. Indeed after the
t burden of cost, many of our people
s would be anxious to annex part or al
: of the tranQuilliZed territory as ON
h pensation and in the interest of both
t peoples.
T THE Hateful consequences of war
It no one can anticipate. He who mul'
It tiplies the possible evil results is like
f ly to prove a prophet. In war. tn
cause of good and efficient civil gov
n eminent suffers corruption and vast
n follows in it's wake. In the burst o
n patriotic enthusiasm, the sordid poll
" tician finds his greatest opportunity
IS Let us pray then that our government
at Washington may escape this ire
mendouS task. Let us hope to Car
rama, il succeeding to control in Mex
leo with our aid and influence. viii
n bring about a condition of affairs. re
sponsibility for which will not entai
upon us burdensome consequences.
wv should take much satisfactio.
~ in some phases Of the situation doubt
full as others may be. The first i
: that the prospect OF war does 80
awaken general popular enthusiasm
" The people are determined to do thei
duty, should that duty involve a wa
= and to go into it with faces stern an
teeth set and to clean up the job a
: promptly as it can be done; but the
= have at present little enthusiasm 70
' 1t. May we not attribute this to thei
growing love of peace as we'll as [
the absence Of those souI-stirring is
n sues which arouse var like enthusd
Of asm?
lie The other good thing is the offe
e. OF mediation by the three great ia
re lions OF South Amrica and our prong
re acceptance. With the refusal Of on
O. OF the warning Mexican parties TO a,
ly cept mediation. and with the probabl
id oeTeat OF the other. it may be thu
the actual result OF the mediatiO
81 may not be what is hoped for il SIT
III the situation is 50 full Of possib'
1t quick changes hat one cam,
rophesy that the sincere effort
THESE mediatOrS may not
a Sood. But whatever may result. tt
nd offer of mediation and our ~acceptan,