The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1916-03-18

upon the vast territory and practically
un%defended wealth of the new world?
Have we still national ideals? Will
anybody live for them? Would any
body die for them? Or are we all for
ease and comfort and wealth at any
price? Confronted by such questions
as these and the practical situations
which give rise to them, is the coun
try satisfied to trust itself again in tive
hands of the Democratic party?
lmpotent Interference In Mexico.
The United States had rights and
duties in Mexico. More than 10000 of
our citizens had sought their fortunes
and made their homes there. A thou
sand millions of American capital had
been invested in that productive coun-
try. But revolution had come, and
fractional warfare was rife. Americans
had been murdered, American proper
ty had been wantonly destroyed, the
lives and property of all Americans in
Mexico were in danger. That was the
situation when Mr.. Wilson became
president in March, 1913. His duty
then was plain. 1t was, first. to use
his powers as president to secure pro-
lection for the lives and property of
Americans in Mexico and to require
that rules of law and stipulations of
treaties should be observed by Mexico
toward the United States and its citi-
zens His duty was, second, as the
head of a foreign power to respect the
II e ATxy.AA 70 TnfYsnt IN
from all interference with her internal
affairs, from all attempt at DONNA
ton except as be was justified by the
law of nations for the protection OF
American rights. The president of the
United States failed to observe either
of those duties. He deliberately aban-
doned them both and followed an en-
tirely different and Inconsistent pur-
pose. He interviewed in Mexico to aid
one faction in civil strife against an
other. He undertook to pull down
Huerta and set Carranza up in his
place. Arms and munitions of war
were freely furnished to the northern
forces and withheld from Huerta,
Finally the president sent u army
and navy to invade Mexico and cap
ture it's great seaport, Vera Cruz, ana
hold it and throttle Mexican commerce
until Huerta fell.
Americans Outraged In Mexico.
The government of the United States
interviewed in Mexico to control the In
ternal affairs of that Independent cou
try and to enforce the will of the
American president in those affairs by
threat. by economic pressure and by
force of arms. Upon what claim OF
right did this Intervention proceedf
Not to secure respect for American
rights, not to protect the lives or prop
erty of our citizens, not to assert the
laws of nations. not to compel obsery-
ance of the law of humanity. On the
contrary, Huerta's was the only power
in Mexico to which appeal could be
made for protection of life or property.
That was the only power which, in
fact, did protect either American or
European or Mexican. 1t was only
within the territory where Huerta
ruled that comparative peace and or
der prevailed. The territory over
which the armed power Of Carranza
and villa and their associates extended
was the theater of the most appalling
crimes. Bands of robbers roved the
country with unbridled license. Amer
leans and Mexicans alike were at their
mercy. and American men were muir
dered and American wOmen were out
ragged with impunity. Thousands were
reduced to poverty by the wanton de-
struction of the industries through
which they lived. Yet the government
of the United States ignored, con-
doned, the murder of American men
and the rape of American women and
destruction of American property and
insult to American officers II detle-
ment of the American flag and Joined
itself to the men who were guilty of
all these things to pull down the pow
er of Huerta. Why? The president
himself has told us. 1t was because
he adjudged Huerta to be a usurper,
because he deemed that the common
people of Mexico ought to have great
er participation in government and
share in the land, and he believed that
Carranza and Villa would give them
these things. We must all sympathize
with these sentiments, but there is
nothing more dangerous than mis-
placed sentiment.
When our army landed at Vera Cruz
Carranza himself, who was to be the
chief beneficiary of the act, publicly
protested against it. So strong was
the resentment that he could not have
kept his followers otherwise. When
Huerta had fallen the new government
which for the day had succeeded to
his place peremptorily demanded the
withdrawal of the American troops.
The universal sentiment of Mexicans
required the peremptory demand, and
the troops were withdrawn. Still
worse than that, the taking of Vera
Cruz destroyed confidence in the sin
cerity of the American government in