The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-05-19

difficult to suppress in such a country.
The best expert estimate of the force
required by us to garrison the neces-
sary towns, suppress guerrilla war
fare and tranquillize the country is
400, 600 men, and it is said, that this
would take two or three years and
involve an expenditure of $l,0O0,00o a
day.
THE wisest course for us to pur~
sue, if the duty is before us, of sup
pressing anarchy in Mexico, would be
to blockade all the Mexican ports be-
cause the military weakness Of the
country is in lack Of hardy men, but
in lack of military supplies and in lack
of food provision. If we could be con-
tent to take the seaports and blockade
the country while we were making
reasonable preparations for HI task,
then, when ready for action, we could
do the work at the least cost of life
and time and money. But h public
might grow impatient with this u
sci of prudence. We would probably
have to act quickly and possibly
meet some baneful mishaps due to lack
Of preparations. The suppression or
guerrilla bands would be drawn out.
It would be a dead pull which would
wear the patience of the nation and
in which the few lives lost in each
little engagement would total large
and would grow less and less toler~
able as the dreary contest went on.
Disease in that country would thin
our ranks more than bullets.
Then after having lost thousands Of
lives and expended a treasure double
that which it has cost us to give to
the world the Panama canal, we would
have on our hands a hostile Mexican
people, without any gratitude for our
sacrifices. Our duty to them n to
ourselves, would be to give them a
government, as secur as practicable
against a recurrence of ~anarchical
conditions and affording them an OPP
p%ortunity for material and intellectual
progress. The latter task would be
even more difficult than that of the
war, and the work of disqualification
1t might take us years. Having enter
ed upon the war from a sense of duty
and retaining control to make our
work effective, we. would be charged
with being lang %grabbers. Indeed, at"
ter the burden of cost many Of our
people would be anxious to annex part
or all the tranquillized territory as
compensation and in the interest OF
both peoples.
The fateful consequences Of war
no one can anticipate. He who multi
pics IuS pOSSiDlS SN4i 4SSui(5 - 44ASlS
to prove a prophet. In war, the cause
of good and efficient civil government
suffers. corruption and waste follow in
its wake.
} I'm the burst Of patriotic enthusi'
asm, the sordid politician finds hi:
greatest epoch. Let us pray then tina
our government at Washington may
escape this tremendous task. Let III
hope that Carranza, If succeeding t
.. control in Mexico with III aid anC
influence, will bring about a condition
= Of affairs, responsibility for which
, will not entail upon Us burdensom,
= consequences.
i I'VE should take much satisfaction
in some phases of the situation
: doubtful as others may be. The frs
. is that then prospect Of war doe
, not awaken general popular enthusi
asm.. The people are determined to d.
: their duty. should that duty involv,
: = war and to go into it with faces sterl
I and teeth set and to clean the job a
. promptly as 1t can be DONE; but the,
= have at present little enthusiasm 70
= it. May we not attribute this to thei
growing low of peace as we'll as t
= the absence of thise soul-stirring is