New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-24
THE SITUATION IN MEXICO
President Wilson Censured for Aid
ing in Bringing on Chaos.

To the Editor Of The Tribune
Sir: By all the indications in the press
President Wilson is going to recognize Cen
eral Carranza as President of Mexico. This
is the frution of three years of "watchful
waiting'-or By whatever terms the wilson
policy or lack Of policy may be identified. 1t
has rot been an inert policy at all times.
Some of its features have been strikingly ag-
gressive The prompt refusal to recognize
Huerta given by President Wilson's inaugural
was a most aggressive act II destroyed the
Government of Mexico. 1t did it by annihilat-
inc Nexicos financial credit. Diaz left $685.
100000 in the treasury. Madero and his
"patriots" dissipated it. Huerta found the
treasury empty lie could only maintain hls
government by borrowing, as governments 10
the world over; as England and France are
irving to do to-day. These expect to borrow
billion dollars on pure credit Destroy that
credit and where would they be?
That is precisely what President Wilson's
stated refusal to recognize Huerta did to
Mexico.
Ordinarily non-recognition is not so vital
matter It is the Monroe Doctrine that
governments recognized his government
Huerta could borrow no money unless the
United States said, by recognizing him, that
his government was the government OF Mex
leo. which as a matter of fact it actually was.
Bands of savage bandits masquersding az
Observation-Disclosures" and using Carranza 5
name as stalking horse were all that dis
puted the reality of the Huerta government.
1t had behind it ell the substantial people,
all the intelligent people, of Mexico. These are
now murdered, or exiled, and their properties,
most of them with titles three hundred or
more years old, have oeen confiscated by
horse thieves, road agents and other crooks.
While by non-recognition President Wilson
hamstrung the government of Mexico he
aided every band Of outlaws by letting them
supply themselves with arms which they paid
for by looting banks, stores and mines, and
by every shocking form of extortion, cheating
and robbery. Their governments" did not
have to borrow money. At the stsrt-off their
bluff" went with the American press and
people. but the records in Washington now
fully show that Carranza, Villa, Zapata and
their ik. while pretending to set up patriotic
governments, were merely looters and bandits
or blinds" for hooters and bandits This is
especially true of Carranza, whose army
never fought even a skirmish.
The bandit bands who gave him pretended
allegiance kept up the farce till he wanted
the larger part OF the loot taken by Villa and
some others.
Then they rebelled and headed CELEBRATING
armies" Of their own. Zapata, for example,
ackn owledged allegiance to Madero and then
10 Carranza but never ceased fighting against
them. jus. as he has fought against every
chief since Diaz.
Carrarzas strongest man. Oregon, a
leader OF wild Yaqui Indians. now feels his
oats" and will surely rebel the moment Car
rama should attempt to maintain anything
like an orderly government with effective
courts TO pass on confiscations and other mat
tiers Interfering with loot So with oil the
other leaders.
There is not character and intelligence
enough left IN Mexico to-day 10 form a stable
government. Her people are PROSTATE, starry
! ing. Fifteen millions of them are at the
mercy % 10000 savages.
The land question, which was to be solved
By constitutional" success, is chaos. Urbino
was murdered by Villa the other day for not
paying over share of the product Of no
less than forty haclendas ne had conrscated
for himself dispossessing doubtless forty
"ciertifcos," each of whom owned too much
land"
This awful mess is wholly OF President
Wilson's creation. He has had control in his
hands from the day he took office.
He alone put out Huerta, who at least could
have preserved order, and failed to replace
him with anything better than the "hope that
her leaders Of concert and energy" would in
some way straighten matters out. Nothing
| OF the kind has occurred Only chaos. de-