The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1915-01-27
HENRY TO WOODROW.

| Henry Watterson in the Louisville
| Courier-Journal: 1t is when the presi-
dent reaches Mexico that he appears
really, and may not add without dis
respect, hopelessly at sea regret
THAT ! must here part company with
Thin. He is and he has been from the
beginning, wholly wrong.
Mr., President, it is your business
to protect Americans and American
interests everywhere. not less in Mex
i leo than in Turkey or Timbuctoo. Your
attitude is most disinterested. 1t is
lofty to degree. It may be human
lily fed from earth and gone to heay-
en-. But it is not craftsmanship.
What have we to do with the lib
erty and happiness OF foreign PEG.
lple? Shall we not stand by our own?
The president is carried away by his
eloquence. The comparison OF the
European peoples with the peoples Of
Mexico is contradicted alike by his
toric and physiological truth, and his
reference to the nations Of Europe is
lsingularly maladroit.
Soon or late they will require of US
an accounting. They will say to us
either protect the lives and property
OF our citizens in Mexico or let down
the bars OF the Monroe doctrine so
that we may do it ourselves-a most
reasonable proposition. But for the
war they would have already done it.
The restoration of order in Mexico
tdoes not inevitably mean war with
| Mexico. When Huerta stepped down
and out Funston, had he been pre-
pared for the event, could have gone
to the City of Mexico without firing a
gun, and, from that vantage, we could
have said to Villa, Sapata; Carranza,
and company, we don't want your
land and don't mean to rob you of
anything, but by the eternal, you have
got to behave yourselves" That is
what Old Hickory whom the president
cites approyingiy, would have said and
have done. Otherwise Why was Fun
ston at Vera Cruz at all? Why was
the feet at Tampico?
| All, Woodrow Woodrow, my son,
you might go farther and fare worse
than take hint now and then from
the editorials Of the daily newspapers.
They may not be always wise, but they
make a fair average of public opinion.
And, bark We, Woodrow, whether
you know what you are talking about,
or not, there will come time when
you or another in power will have to
do something else than smear dabs of
goose grease over the situation in
Mexico, trolling pretty platitudes at
Washington and playing freeze out
upon the Rio Grande: time when
watchful waiting, having exhausted
both itself and the nations patience,
the very humanity you extol viii COM
pei our interposition.
| You speak verconfidently-one of
the very few defects OF your intel
llectual makeup-and with needless
defiance, an evidence of weakness.
love peace and hate war as much as
you do But we have not yet attained
the millennium. There are still duties
strong and hard to do-even death
dealing alternatives-which precepts
will not down; which require the de-
cisive will and the mailed hand.
You might have spared your coun-
trymen the threat to ''emigrate." They
know a trick worth two of that. Nor,
may l not say it without offense, are
you quite sincere in holding your place
so lightly? 1t fits you exceedingly
we'll. There is every likelihood of
your retaining it, not for two, but for
six years more. No democrat will
stand against you and don't think any
republican can. But, bless you, boy,
flor you are boy yet, you are not, ex-
cept as boy, either omniscient or ON
| nipotent. As to Mexico you will find