Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-04-10
Mexican Policy

/ have great admiration and respect
I for President Wilson. He is scholar
! iy, able, sincere,-a man Of high ideas
and of unimpeachable integrity He
/ has lofty conception of the duties
Of his Office and I have no doubt he
is true patriot. He is my President
and yours. Rut however much one
may admire the individual and respect
the office, no one but the blindest
! partisan or one who has given the
matter no thought, can have the
slightest respect for the foreign policy
of his stration--especially in
| Mexico. Indeed it can't be properly
called policy at all, because it is
unintellisible and aimless. Coming
from the clustered halls of Prince
ton University it was shocking to the
President to think that man should
be chief magistrate of a nation when
he was suspected OF completely in an
ASA ssination. That Huerta was an
accessory to the murder of his prede-
cessor, Madero, was charged, but new
er established. That he was suspect
ed and probably guilty was enough
for the President. He turned his face
against him and announced that he
must lay down his ''usurped author
ity." Then and there he lost his
greatest opportunity to establish some
kind of order in Mexico and save
thousands Of lives and countless treas
uTe. WHAT is the alternative? The
crowd next in line and the only one
in sight is the hand of cut-throats
and ravishers led by Carranza and
Villa masqueradipg under the banner
Of constitutionalists. This is the znur-
derous hand that On horseback with
lassos tears apart 200 inoffensive Chi
nese merchants; that causes 40 wo-
men to gather in a church and COM
NIT suicide rather than await their
coming: that burns up a train load
ef people in q tunnel; murders Brit
ish subject for standing up for his
rights and commits unspeakable atroc-
tiles at every opportunity. 1t was even
to furnish weapons TO such as these
that the embargo on arms from this
country was taken off by the Presi-
dent--arms that may be used in the
murder of Benton; arms that may yet
be used against our own soldiers. Cit
liens Of this and other countries re-
tically without protection. Their prop
erty has been lost and they have been
forced to flee for their lives. 1t will
take a generation to reestablish the
prestige and power of this country
in the minds of the decent people liv-
ing in Mexico.
Amateur Foreign Policy.
Meanwhile the Democratic admins
tration with its amateur foreign poll
cy and its secretary of state running
a lecture bureau, adopts what it calls
a policy of ''Watchful Waiting" What
are we waiting for? If Huerta wins
out and continues to maintain his
"Usurped Authority" the administra-
ton waves him aside as a suspected
political criminal. If the Villa cut
threats prevail with the aid of our
ammunition and indirect support,
they cannot hope to be recognized if
the same test is to be applied.
During this "Watchful Waiting"
process of the administration lives and
property of our own and other citi-
zens are being destroyed. We have
told all other nations to keep hands
off and we are responsible for the
safety and rights of their subjects.
England and other countries have act
ed with extraordinary forbearance.
They have been what l call mighty
decent, but the limit must be reached
some time. What does this policy
lead to? What else but Intervention
the greatest calamity that could posi-
bly, occur I was told by a military
man of experience that it would take
ten years for us to pacify that coun-
try by force of arms. The guerilla
fighting, which would result in north
ern Mexico, would last indefinitely and
would be heartbreaking in it's cost and
lack of result.
The lives of the whole Mexican ar
my on both sides are otLworth that
of one clear-eyed soldier boy from the
United States.
If Mr.. Bryan had not been so busy
with his private business he might
have found out and advised the Presi-
dent that this country has no right to
say who shall be the ruler of any
other nation, but only who is. We
cannot choose rulers for other indie
pendent nations any more than they
can for us and we shouldn't try to,
and when we say to the de facto rul-
er Of Mexico, as the President has,
that he must lay down his authority
because we cannot recognize him, and
when we permit arms to be furnished
to the section of bandits opposing
him, we are selecting ruler of for
eign country. contrary to the princi-
pies of international law and the
usage Of nations.
None of Our Business.
We have no right to object to the
character of individuals chosen as