Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1915-12-24
Mr.. Wilson and Mexico. !

the Mexican problem IN hleE ad-
dress at Columbus, O., last FRI
day night, was not altogether
! lust to himself, nor fair TO those
who have criticized his Mexican
policy. when things were per
haps more debatable than they
are now," he said, 'about our
immediate neighbor to the south
of us. I do not know how many
men came to me and suggested
that the government of Mexico
should be altered as we thought
that it ought to be altered; hy1t|
beirg a subscriber to the
trine, of the Virginia bill ofHA "A,
/ could not agree with them
THE Mexicans may aot know what
to dosWiththeir own government.
lbnt that ia none oftour business,
land solong as. / have the power
to prevent it nobody shall "butt
IN" to alter it for them"
We do not question the state
ment that men urged the Presi-
dent to "alter" the government
lof Mexico as they thought it
fought to be altered" We do,
however, challenge the very plain
inference that Mr.. Wilson leaves
| I'd be drawn from his remarks. |
Readers who have not followed
the discussions of his Mexican
policy closely naturally would in
fer from what he said at Colum-
bus that the Washington govern
ment was forced to choose be-
tween two courses-the policy of
hands off" and forcible inter-
yention to set up "a government
| in Mexico to suit American ideas
and interests and that the lat
ter alternative was advocated by
the main body Of his critics.
That impression is, of course,
wholly mistaken.
No considerable or influential
body of American opinion coun-
seled the President to "butt in"
and alter the government of Mex
leo "as we thought it should bel
altered. 4 Many Americans, |
however, did believe and urge
that The United States should Il
yendar ~ Mevico and tc =
sty tue same uIsIiItvI csUcu eo4 y1o,s !,
that it rendered to Cuba. They
believed, and still believe, that
the Mexican majority should be
given free and fair opportunity
to set up the kind of government
that it wants by the means pre-
scribed in Mexico's own consti-
tuition. They urged an interven-
ton for this purpose which would
have served humanity and civil
lization as we'll as Mexico. The
precedent had been provided al
ready in Cuba's case where the
factional pickering and anarchy
which has drenched Mexico with
blood was averted by American
aid and a Cuban government by.
for and of the Cubans was set
up.
They believed that the toler-
ance of Mexico anarchy, of the
outrages upon foreigners, of the
progressive degeneration of war
fare between factions, invited
grave dangers of its own, AS it
turned out, the sudden and vio-
lent quarrel beyond the seas pre-
vented the European powers
from moving to protect and re-
dress the wrongs of their ma
tionals in Mexico. The interna-
tional complications invited by
the Mexican factionists' fragrant
breaches of treaty obligations and
civilized usage were thus avoid
ed or at least postponed. But
the prospect of the establishment
of Mexican government upon
the basis of the Mexican consti-
tuition remains, to our way OF
thinking, remote.
AS for "butting in" the Presi-
dent has found it necessary 70
"butt in" on the Mexican squab-
BILE more than once. The ascen-
dant faction in that troubled {
country owes its recent success
ses very largely to his "butting
in" His defense CT his Mexican !
policy, it may be hoped for his
own sake, will be based upon {
better and stronger grounds than l
the implication Of his Columbus {
address that its opponents were
urging something which most OF
them never dreamed Of urging,
and would not sanction. That j
sort of unfairness is apt to react {
to the injury of his own cause.
It may lead well-informed folks /
to the reflection that a genuinely l
sound and strong cause would be
provided with a much better de- 6
fense. -Times-Picyune. (
Garry to work with you of morning [