The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-03-05
--- $500
THE ALTERNATIVE POLICY,

Chicago Tribune: What Mexican pol
icy do the foreign and domestic critics
of President Wilson offer as a substi-
tute for what they condemn as weak
and indefinite? What do our own con
~gressional wiseacres propose shall be
done? The critics are yoluble. but
they are long On phrases and short on
specifications. .
The alternative to the American pol
icy now being pursued is war. This
alternative may be considered COM
~placently abroad. IT would be our war.
The United States would a the bill,
Americans have not been blind to
the possibility that the alternative may
have to be chosen. Americans with
financiel interests in Mexico have been
hot to have 1t adopted.
War means not only the preliminary
military operations against the armed
forces Of Mexico. It means the occu-
patton and pacifying OF the country.
It means the policing of the land, the
restoration. and maintenance Of order.
1t virtually means the subjugation Of
an ignorant and frequently barbarous
people. One more easily f~oresees how
an American army may enter Mexico
than how 1t would come out again. Re-
tention seems the unacceptable conse-
quence of invasion. It is a strange
optimism which guides the opinion
ItIdt We ul4BnL GHLST, punish Jl9
wicked, cast down the villains, rescue
the good, control the establishment Of
a just and humane government, give
the new president of Mexico a kindly
pat on the head and march out again,
returning a peaceful land to a CRATE
full and orderly people.
When optimism presents this picture
1t become grotesque' Mexico either
must work out it's own salvation or
the United States must take control.
It would not be easy to persuade a ma
ton that had paid a large price to
give tranquility to a neighbor to march
out, leaving disorder to start again,
and later be required to do the work
all over.
To adopt the alternative, it is sug-
gested, need not require wal by in
vasion, but war by demonstration. To
close the ports. Of Mexico and to
threaten it with punishment If aggres-
sion against foreigners continued
would bring MeXicans to a quick halt?
Possibly it might if Mexico had a gov
eminent which controlled the country.
a. government which might be in
f1uenced by fear Of consequences.
D~epredations Of which complaint is
made are not committed in parts of
Mexico where the government is strong
enough to preserve order. And where
it is not strong enough, demonstra-
tons such as that proposed would
have only the effect of putting the
lives a dninterests Of foreigners in
greater peril.
Recognize Huerta then; and
strengthen the government? That
would be an act Of qualification which
the American administration could not
consider, and. moreover, the United
States cannot strengthen Huerta now
except by alliance with him, a thing
to which neither Americans nor Max
icons would agree.
|, The only reasonable alternative. to
the policy the president has adopted
is one which contemplates war as it's
second step. First would. be a demand
that the armed bands of Mexicans
ceaes operations and that Huerta re-
sign, The next. would be to back UP
the demand. s.s, ,.rao -, ma
American procedure has been. greatly
embarrassed by the recent acts Of
Villa. 1Carranza cannot punish him.
Villa, hardly will punish himself: If
the United States is to punish him he
must be caught. To attempt to do so
means not only invasion but action
against the Mexican forces, which
have been encouraged as the most
promising instruments by which Mex