New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-10
No More "Service of Mankind
in Mexico.

Til. more the President explains his Mexican
rol,cv the thicker is the muddle he makes OF It,
The latest explanation, given out at Indianapolis
on Friday. differs absolutely from every JUSTIN
cation offered before Formerly the President
was busv inventing excuses for having gone INTO
Mexico. Now he turns in his tracks and seeks
only an excuse for getting out and staying out
How ironica in the mouth of the statesman
who ostracized Huerta and who went into Mexico
nroclaiu,ing his intention 70 serve mankind ana
n give the land back 20 the landless these eau
tious phrases Of unconcern and detachment
sound
p. 10 rone Of ny business, and Il IS none OF
-- how they the MeXicans 90 aSou .o rrT
p determining their own form OF government .- o
.,N is theirs The government IS theirs
cr,r. if they can get it and God speed them mem
..r- is thcirs And so far as my influence
rIa { am President nobody snail interfere
The startling news to John Lind and the
,ther cmissarics who spent their time IN MEXICO
no, looking after the interests Of Americans
there. whose lives and property we're endangered
nv lawlessness and disorder. but solely in trying
n irpose the Presidents will on contenders IN
the struggle for local supremacy
The original Wilson policy interfered unblush-
;,c,v with the liberty Of the MeXicans TO deter
mine their own form Of government. 1t was
political and personal boycott, based on moral
scruple Mr. Wilson refused to recognize Huerta
PC dc facto President because Huerta had OBJ
,s;nod Office as the result Of Madero's deposition
and murder. For more than year the admin
istration exerted diplomatic pressure Of every
sort 10 drive Huerta out of power 1t lent moral
and material aid to the CarTanza-Nilla revoiu-
..,nists. even removing for their benefit the en-
barge on the expectation Of munitions of war
across the Rio Grande.
When the Tampico incident brought about a
clash with Huerta a Vera Cruz was seized, the
President agreed at the Niagara Falls confer
ence TO drop the issue of reparation if only
Huerta would abdicate. His policy was still to
shape the internal affairs Of Mexico and TO re-
Mace one ruler by another. In his speech at the
Brooklyn navy yard he tried to justify his in
teryenton by saying that he had gone into Mexico
with no less sweeping warrant than to serve
humanity. Later he explained that the mission
Of the United States was to see that the great
Mexican landed estates were broken up and pos
session Of the land was restored to the sub
merged poems.
That futile programme has now faded out.
Huerta having been deposed, Mexico has passed
into the throes Of a new civil war. Anarchy still
afHicts the country and suffering is more vide
spread that ever. But the President has wearled
of his projects Of political and economic regen-
Grafton. He has washed his bands of service
or mankind" across the Rio Grande. HIS only
desire is 10 get out of the country, and he seeks
I, cover his departure by arguing that the Mex
leans have perfect right to go on determining
their own form Of government by cutting one
another's threats.
II Europe can indulge in riot of blood-letting
saws Mr.. Wilson, why shouldn't Mexico be al
lowed to do the same? If another President Is
murdered and a new blood usurper comes
into office. that will not interest him. Huerta
must 90: Huerta has gone. Those were the be-
all and end-all Of Mr.. Wilson's craftsmanship
As an arena for the exercise Of moral suaslon
and political guidance Mexico has now been
blotted off Mr.. Wilson's map.
Il is well that the old utilities should have
gone by the board. But it will hardly be suf
Gent for the President TO replace them with the
cold-booded attitude of mere observer of blood
letting across the border. There are Legitimate
American interests in Mexico 70 be protected, as
well as interests Of other nationals, toward whom
we are bound to assume guardianship under
our own Interpretation Of the Monroe Doctrine
We have a duty which cannot be fulfilled merely
by giving the Mexicans free hand to hight ou'
their own political quarrels. When he takes W
the historic duty Of safeguarding Americans anc
holding Mexico TO the performance of her recog
nized international obligations, the President vii
have approached for the first time the true solu
ton of the Mexican problem.