The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-05-12
Wilson, Villa ct al.

Editorial in Life: THANK
Heaven, we have a president in
whose loyalty and character. in
whose sincerity Of purpose we can
trust absolutely. I trust him in
this emergency. I have differed
with him on questions of policy
and shall doubtless differ with
him again. Men raised in different
environments and associations
must differ, but I have confidence
in the character and purpose of
the president.
H is my president and I shall
stand with hin in his leadership"
So Mr.. Root at the banquet of the
American Society of International Law
on April rs. Happily the president
does not lack backing in his difficult
labors, but such words are welcome to
all of US. All manner of men and
some women have been saying all
manner of things about our Mexican
troubles, and differences on questions
Of policy abound as Mr.. Root suggests,
but the mind Of the country, with neg
ligible exceptions, is all for backing up
the president in whatever he has to do.
People differ with him on questions of
policy, but there are few left but have
confidence in his character and pur-
pose; few that doubt in present per-
piexitieS, that no matter how bad a
scrape we may be getting into, he will
prove fully competent to do his part
to pull US through. We are all getting
to know him, and at least he is not a
| president about whom there is much
fear that he will be hard when he
should be soft, or soft when he should
be hard.
AS to policy. including the refusal to
recognize Huerta, u neighbor. The
Globe seemed to get it about right
sons attitude is toward democratic
ideals and 1t is not difficult to make a
correct guess as to whether or not he
Is a critic Of the president"
People who have felt that the most
to be hoped for from a government Of
Mexico was the protection of the prop
erty of foreign owners and The com
pulsion Of a sort of order by an au-
tocrat, have favored "Huerta as being
the likeliest means to that end in
sight. People whose faith or hopes
have been stronger and who have
wanted more than that for Mexico and
believed it possible to get more, have
felt as President Wilson did, that
nothing to help rivet Huerta on to the
Mexicans ought to be lone.
AS for Villa, in spite Of Senator
Lodges warnings and the Reproductions
Of all the wise, we feel, for our own
part, a hazardous and doubtless repre-
hensibIe disposition to warm to that
| unruIy fighter. 1t seems he car fight.
| The real objection to Huerta is not
| that he is a ~treacherous criminal, but
| that he is a backward-looker. The
main attraction about Villa, in spite
Of all they say about his prodigious
| indiscretions of department., is that he
| seems to be a forward LOCKER. Among
| all the Mexicans in sight he is the
| only one that looks to have real bounce
in him. About the only choice we have
in Mexicans is a choice of illusions.
Is it not ~pardonable, in circumstances
in which so few consoling ~hallucina-
tions can be found, to imagine for a
moment that the Lord has picked up
Villa. out of one of Dumas novels to
be a means of grace to Huerta n a
| help to Mexico and to us?
He may be dead or in our hair be-
| fore these words reach any readers,
but certainly, at this writing, there is
q little passing comfort in the thought
thai in spite of M Lodge, and even
Mr.. Root, we have not insisted yet in
including Villa and his men among the
Mexicans we feel a call to fight. We
are often reminded just now that you
can do anything with bayonets but sit