Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-06-20

Lower California, lying off the
beaten track Of the tourist is best
known by it, relation to the not infre-
quent Japanese American war see
mares. Magdalena bay and Turtle bay
are familiar names To everybody who
reads the news. They have often
sounded IN the halls of congress. in
a speech on the arbitration traties,
Senator Lodge said this:
suppose some great eastern power
should directly or indirectly take pos
session of a harbor on the west coast
of Mexico for the purpose of making
II a naval station and a place OF arms.
| am using no. imagination in suggest
ing such case 1t is not very long
since an Indirect movement was be-
gun. aud it Is apparently still on foot,
TO obtain possession for foreign
power of Magdalena bay, so | may
fairly suppose that such case may
arise. II It did we should imme-
diately intervene We should declare
that this was a violation of our con-
slant policy known as the Monroe
Doctrine The nation seeking the
station on the coast OF Mexico would
then say, Very well, let us take this
TO arbitration. We could not help
ourselves. for under the terms of the
treaty either party to dispute can
bring the other before the high COM
mission of inquiry, and the Monroe
doctrine would then be submitted
to them hy us as a bar to the arhi-
trability of the question:
Now If only Lower California We're
owned by the United States, how diff
ferent the situation would be! No
I..s IA "a
uality as that which Senator Lodge so
seriously discusses, No more Magda-
lena bay incidents of the kind that
breed or foster war scares. And
what a relief
The Money Mould Come in Handy,
The transfer Of title would doubt
less prove of considerable advantage
TO this country and If some man or
group Of men should appear in Mex
lean affairs whom our government
might feel DISPOSED to aid in the es-
adjustment Of peace and order the pur-
chase prize of the territory would he
a literally material contribution to-
ward that end. Mexico has not been
served by Lower California, The ter
ritory remains practically undevel-
oped, MeXicos need is for the devel-
onment of peace and prosperity in the
rest OF the country.
The proposition that the United
States should acquire Lower Calir
fornia is not new, except as the cir
cumstances are new. From the begin
ming Of the Mexican war up to the
present time the annexation of the pc
ninsula has been periodically agitat-
ed Twice Lower California was in
the possession OF Americans and twice
it was given back TO Mexico.
Much Of the advantage from an
nexation would accrue TO the people of
three southwestern states--New Mexs-
leo. Arizona and California. What they
think about il in that region was ex-
pressed a few years ago by a Califor-
MIA writer as follows. When our war
with Mexico closed in the forties with
the treaty of Guadalupe Hiass.i.so. and
we acquired the states OF California,
northern Arizona. Colorado, Utah and
Nevada, and confirmed our possession
OF Texas, cur peace commissioners al
lowed themselves to be outgeneraled
automatically in several important
particulars our expansion stopped
Just at the point where, after having
gone SO far. II should have gone
farther, The cardinal error of the
commissioners and the Polk adminis-
tration was the failure to appreciate
the great Importance of access TO the
sea. They overlooked American ac
cess To and rights OF navigation upon
the Gulf OF California. the arm Of the
Pacific that extends up the Mexican
coast between the Mexican state II