The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-01-29
The Folly of 1t.

President Wilson's announcement
made on Monday to the Senate commit
tee on foreign affairs that he intends TO
lift the embargo against the expectation
OF war munitions to Mexico adds an ele-
ment of inconsistency to policy al
ready befogged. His motives in this
suggested move are too deep for the or
binary student of Mexican affairs.
! After Mr.. Bryan's beautiful talks on
universal peace it is fair to suppose that
peace in Mexico is desired by the admin
! istration. But whatever there is of
tranquility south of the Rio Gfande is
due to Huerta. The states controlled
by the federal government are compar-
atiyely quiet, while those dominated by
the rebels are in constant turmoil. A
free and unrestricted supply of arms at
Juarez viii not only make peace in Mex
leo very remote possibility but will
open the way TO an invasion of the
South that will reck of bloodshed and
atrocity.
The so-called Constitutionalists claim
that with proper equipment they could
march successfully on Mexico City.
Probably they could. The rebels OF the
North have men enough and money
enough. A soldier of the revoIutionist
type can be out-ftted to-day with SER
viceable rifle and 80 rounds of ammu-
milton for a very small price. The Ban
nermans of New York will do it at "a
hours notice at five dollars per head
Furnish Pancho Villa with unlimited
arms and he will burl horde of hungry
bandits on the cities of the South with
in month. Assuming that Huerta
should be ousted, what justification can
there be for bringing about his fall
through the agency OF such scoundrel
as Villa?
1t is all very we'll to say that the
Sehoolmaster Carranza is the head of
the Constitutionalist movement; but his
leadership is only nominal. Villa is the
man. He virtually owns the great state
OF Chihuahua to-day, is undisputed mon
arch of all he surveys. He has much of
the military genius of Napoleon, but
he is dangerous and has no place in mod
ern civilization. furnishing Villa, es-
sentially barbarian. with arms will
carry this country another step toward
Intervention, an emergency we are anx-
ious to avoid.
If the rebels of the North, with the
help OF the United States, should move
VIGOROUSLY on Mexico City, Huerta
would probably retire in favor of De La
Barra and take the field himself. That
course has been suggested by him as
possible. What an embarrassing position
Mr.. Wilson would find himself in then!
De La Barra would have to be reeog-
nized. He is a thoroughly sound and
able man. But he is of the old aristo-
cratic eientifco crowd, and the rebels
would fight him as vigorously as they
have opposed Huerta. The United States
would then be in the anomalous posi-
tion of furnishing arms to the rebels
while under the moral necessity of rec
ognizing the government. Whereupon
another of those quick illogical shifts,
which make our diplomacy the laughing
stock of Europe, would be in order.
Furnishing arms to the CONSTITUTIONAL
lists win put the cap-sheaf on the folly
OF refusing to recognize Huerta. If we
are not careful we shall be drawn into |
What a crime il would be |
for our soldiers to be shot down with |
rifles which came from this side of the |
border.-Boston Herald