New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-19
THE MEXICAN MIDDLE
A Case Where Failure Can't Be Palliated
by "Good Intentions"
To the Editor of The Tribune.

10 the Editor OF Inc lilOuHc'
Sir: In The Tribune Of September read
a letter by Oscar H. Saylor, entitled "Mr
Wilson'S Good Intent" and | am taking the
liberty of airing my opinion on that portion
Of the letter which deals with the Mexican
situation.
Mr.. Wilson undoubtedly had good intent
He meant we'll But Mr.. Wilson says and
does so many things that he is not always
sure Just what he did mean. Having so fire.
quently contradicted himself he tangles his
scholastic brain so that what he actually
does is seldom what he meant to do. | can
not accuse him of blind haste. He may be
blind in his actions, but he is not hasty
He takes pains to deliberate long and ardu-
ously, appearing to follow the motto Of
thinking before leaping." Surely the Lusi-
tania case furnishes ample proof of this
statement, for it awaits settlement even now
| quote from the letter:
'If Mr.. Taft did not think this government
should recognize Huerta what a howl would
have arisen from the Republican element if
Mr.. Wilson had done differently"
What howl would have arisen from all
of US if he had done differently! Mr.. Wilson
is not a leader and he nervousy endeavors
10 please all factions. 1t would have beer
unheard of had he struck out on his own
line. If, as the letter says, Mr.. Wilson's
urinary object in the Vera Cruz incident was
10 get rid of Huerta, he did not openly de-
clare this intention, and Mr.. Saylor cannot
deny that Mr.. Wilson announced that our
flag must be saluted And had it not been
Co,rapza nd Villa Huorta would have
remained in Mexico.
Immediately following the statement that
Mr.. Wilson succeeded in driving Huerta out
comes this sentence
"Our national self-respect, | suppose,
would have been served better by Roose-
vetian declaration of war, viz, bluff and
buster. which, by the way, does not always
work. Sometimes it becomes necessary to
follow up the buster with blood"
Can one justly couple the words bluff and
buster" with Roosevelt? Unfortunately
there are large number of American citi-
zens who have been reduced to such state
of timidity by the present Administration
viz, fear and dishonor that when such man
as Roosevelt, with the courage of his con-
victions and with the blood coursing through
his veins of ancestors that were not too
proud to fight" dares TO put war before dis
honorable and murderous peace, it seems so
unaccountable that they call it bluff and
buster. And as for any declarations of war;
Roosevelt had such power and preparedness
behind him as to make a single one unnec-
essary.
But Mr.. Wilson, recognized pacifst that he
is, has taken us into two wars-wsrs so small
that our national honor and respect were lost
among nations-wars in which there were
no declarations of war, because Mr.. Wilson
knew that that meant fight to the finish"
which was against his policy of dropping his
enterprise at any time he saw mt; wars IN
which nothing was accomplished and every
thing was lost Mr.. Wilson is sadly lacking
either in convictions or in courage; and the
words bluff and buster" can be far more
appropriately coupled with his name than
with that of Roosevelt. At any rate the
average American vastly prefers Rooseveltian
buster to Wilsonian bluff. Certainly the lat
ter has resulted in the shedding of quite
enough unavenged American blood.
And now Mr. Saylor asks that you, Mr.. Edi-
tor. explain how the Pershing expedition the
Carrizal massacre and the calling out of the
militia could have been avoided, at the same
time bearing in mind three things: first, that
the expedition was made necessary by border
raids covering 1900 miles; second. that our
mobile regular army is about double the size
Of the New York police force; and third, that
this state Of unpreparedness was the result
Of the administrations of the previous six
teen years. The excuse that the expedition
was necessary may be acceded to. and the
statement as TO the inadequate size of the
army is also alas. only too true. But when
YOU are asked TO believe that this high state
Of neficiency must be charged up to previous
administrations. this is not to be tolerated.
II Mr.. Saylor will look up statistics he will