Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-07-21
FROM CALIFORNIA
Sentiment of CalifOrnians Regarding
Woodrow Wilson and His Admins
tratiOn, AS Gathered by An Ohio
Man-Recent History of Mexican
Situation.
By c. J. Thompson, of Defiance, o.

l have spent four months in Cali
fornia getting acquainted with it's
4limate. it's people; their mode of
business and lines of thought of late
frequent letters have reached me
from Ohio asking me to portray the
sentiment of the State, as near as l
can gauge it, regarding Woodrow
Wilson and his Mexican policies. From
observation, talks, interviews and
close watch of the leading journals of
the state, am enabled to compile the
following, for much of which I am
under obligations to the courtesy of
the Los Angeles Times.
Californians are loyal to the Ameri-
can Republic. They, as we'll as Ohio
ans, regard it the duty of every
American to support the President in
dealing with foreign nations, but they
lind it exceeding difficult to stand by
a man who, like Mr.. Wilson, does not
stand by himself; who "watchfully
waits" on Monday and bluffs on Tues
day and backs down on Wednesday.
The history of our dealings with
Mexico during the last three years
has been a record Of blunder and of
backing up on the part of the nation
al administration. The violation of in
ternational law by refusing to recogs
nize Huerta, the unauthorized capture
of Vera Cruz at loss of twenty of
our brave boys, the withdrawal from
Vera Cruz without obtaining what
was demanded from Mexico, the re-
fusal to protect the lives and pro-
perty of Americans in Mexico, the
direction to American citizens in
Mexico to abandon their property and
leave the country, the demand for a
salute of twenty-one guns to our flag
as an apology for arrest and incar-
ceration of a party of our sailors, the
cheerful acquiescense in Mexico's re-
fusal to either apologize or salute, the
belated recognition of Carranza as
President de facto, the supplying of
Villa with arms. and munitions, the
permission to Carranza to send his
troops through our territory, the fail
ure to demand adequate reparation
for the massacre of Americans at
Santa Isabel, the practical submis-
sion to invasion of our territory and
the looting and arson and murder at
| Columbus, all make a record of shame
full submission following loud-voiced
braggadocia. When Bombastes Fur
ioso nailed his foot coverings to a
tree with the inscription:
whoever these boots displace
Must meet Bombastes face to face"
he tried to make good his threat.
When Wilson refused, at the insolent
demand of Carranza, to withdraw
from Mexico the troops which had
with the consent of Carranza, marched
into Mexico to pursue the bandits and
murderers who had invaded the Unit
ed States, and followed this by calling
upo1 the States Tor 100000 troops to
protect our border the country took
heart of hope that at last we should
have what we ought TO have had years
go-adequate armed intervention in
an armed occupation of the northern
states of Mexico. Such intervention
would not have been to acquire terri
tory, but to protect American life and
property and restore order. 1t would
have been a benevolent Intervention
that would have been of benefit to all
of the people of Mexico except the
bandits. We might have been requir-
ed to remain there but few months
and it might have taken years
Whether for short or a long period
our occupation would have resulted in
restoring the fields of Sonora and Chi
hauhau to cultivation, their industrial
plants to production, their mines anc
railroads to activity and their people
to prosperity.
When President Wilson announced
to Carranza that he would not comply
with the demand of the latter to with
draw our troops, but would, on the
contrary, send more troops to joir
those already there, the people of thu
United States, without distinction O.
party, commended his action. Ant
now comes the news that there is /: