The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1914-05-07
ouR MEXICAN POLICY VS.. TIE
MONROE DOCTRINE.


means to be fair and to discuss the
vitai poInts with due consideration oi
The facts and with the utmost regard
for the chief executive of this nation
and his secretary of state we can
NOT but believe however. that the pres
ent situation in Mexico and the con-
tempt i'm which we-.the Gringoes -
are held is largely due to the fact that
we have undertaken to dictate to a
proud. sensitive. ignorant and revenge
full people in the conduct of their in
ternal affairs. which was really none
of our business, and that our course !
has been so shifting and vacillating and |
lacking in vigor and persistence, as |
to give those people a wrong impress
sion of us and our real purpose and
intention toward them. This has led
them in their ignorance to look upon
us with contempt and treat our citi-
zens with disrespect and violence, while
showing due respect to the citizens OF
other nations which have established
a reputation for protecting their sub
iects and resenting insults offered them
even at the point of the gun and bay
met.
President Wilson added a new fea-
ture to the Monroe doctrine. one that
has never been raised or attempted to
be enforced by any previous president
of this country when he undertook to
regulate the internal affairs of Mexi-
co and arbitrarily insist upon that coun-
try adopting his plans for both the
election and removal of the head of
that nation He even went further
than this and stated that certain lead
ers in that country who were objec
tionable to him, should not be allowed
to run for the presidency even If the
election was called according to the
plans which he, an outsider. had formu-
lated This is the most dangerous pol
icy ever adopted by any nation and
If persisted in will embroil our gov
eminent in trouble with every Latin
American country on the continent In
the course of time, and will earn us
their undying enmity when enforced
No self-respecting people will submit
to such dictation and unsolicited inter-
meddling with their personal affairs,
and they should not be forced to re-
sent such encroachments upon their
personal and national rights by a ma
ton which prides itself on it's own lib
erty and independence, and annually
celebrates the winning of that indepen-
dence from the mother country, with
great jubilation and display of red
lights and pyrotechnics.
The Monroe doctrine never contem-
plated such an act on the part of this
government toward a weaker sister re-
public when formulated by its orig
nators, Adams, jefferson and Monroe
but was intended solely as a protec-
ton to the weaker nations of this
continent from aggression from strong
err outside nations and their possible
conquest and overthrow by the same
and not a menace. 1t is what
might be termed a self assumed pro-
tectorate on our part, for the coun-
tries which are supposed to be bene-
fitted thereby never asked us to assume
the big brother role, and some of then
have resented it, claiming that we hat
Interior motives in so doing, and woult
: eventually undertake to extend oul
authority over them and make then
more less subject to our wishes an6
dictations. But never until now has
there been any substantial grounds fol-
. such a claim. How else can the atti-
tude which our national administration
has assumed in the case of Mexico APP
pear to those people and all the Other
, Latin American countries to the soutf
of them? The leading journals o.
every nation on the old continent are
openly criticising our action and i'm
pugning our motives in the Mexican
: affair, as well as condemning the vacil
; lating and unintelligible policy o
Messrs. Wilson and Bryan. So we as 6
nation. are losing prestige on both con
tinents and the administration is re-
ceiving the severe criticism of the
press of this country without regard
J to politics and is losing the confidenc,
; of the people in its ability to handle
; the problem.
This is not in the least surprising
when we consider that, while protest
ing our peaceable and friendly inten
tions. we have issued ultimatums which
! meant nothing less than war If enforc.
J ed. and then have failed to enforce
J our demands in an open and honorable
way. but have sought to gain our enc
by trying to influence the money loan
, ing nations to shut off their suppl,
of funds. and have connived with ant
aided and abetted the rebel bandit
I in their warfare upon the only recog
nizable government in existence In tbs
battle torn country. We have cen
tered our eI1ortS upon the overthrow
of one man, while we have let the ban
dit leaders ride over the country rough
shod. looting, burning, confiscating ant
; killing our own and other citizens, anc
: have supplied them with arms to make
them more effective in their work We
have submitted to all kinds of slight.
and insults from Villa and Carranza
but will brook nothing from Huerta
the mark of our enmity. Lastly we
took Vera Cruz because "our flag was
insulted,' and after stirring up the
| animosity and revengeful spirit of tn,
bloodthirsty natives we suspend fur
5 Their hostilities, and leave our unpro-
tected citizens who have been unable
to make their escape from the country
to lie in prisons or be murdered. Will,
We let representatives from three Other
semi-civilized countries tell us wheth-
er we are right or wrong and whether
We should stop and apologize to Huer-
TIA or should go ahead and compel Huer.
ia to apologize to u.s. In the mean.