Evening star., 1916-08-01

Nx4HO 11V
administration undertook to destroy
Huerta, to control Mexican politics.
even to deny Huerta the right to be
candidate for the off1ce of president at
the election the administration de-
manded. With what bewilderment must
the Mexicans have regarded our asser-
tion Of their right to manage their own
affairs! In the summer Of 1913 John
Lind was dispatched to the City OF
Mexico as the Presidents personal
spokesman and representative to the
unrecognized Huerta In order ,r 10 oe
mand that the latter eliminate himself.
1t was an unjustifable mission, most
offensive to a sensitive people Johh
Lind fingered irritatinEly. The aamln
istration continued to direct JUS eho. 20
at the destruction OF the only govern
ment Mexico had.
"In the spring Of 1914 occurred the
capture Of Vera Cruz. Men from one OF
our ships had been arrested AT lam
pico and had been discharged with an
apology But our admiral demanded
salute, which was refused. Thereupon
the President went to Congress, ASKING
authority to use the armed forces OF tne
United States Without waiting for the
passage Of the resolution, Vera Cruz
was seized. It appeared that sh1ploao
Of ammunition for Huerta was about to
enter that port. There was a natural
opposition to this invasion. and battle
occurred in which nineteen Americans
and over 100 Mexicans were killed TINS.
Of course, was war. Our dead soldiers
were praised for dying like heroes In
war of service. Later we retired from
fare. We had not obtained the salute
which was demanded. We had not OBJ
tained reparation for affronts. The ship
with ammunition which could not land
other port, and its cargo was delivered
to Huerta without interference. Re
Gently the naked truth was admitted by
a cabinet officer. We are now inform
ed that we did not go to Vera Cruz to
force Huerta to salute the nag. We
are told that we went there to show
Mexico that we were in earnest In our
demand that Huerta must go. Ihat Is,
we seized Vera Cruz to depoSe huerta-
The question Of the salute was a mere
pretext.
"Failed to Perform Obvious Duty"
Meanwhile the administration ut
terly failed to perform its obvious duty
to secure protection for the lives and
property Of our citizens. 1t is most un-
worthy to slur those who have invest
ments in Mexico in order to escape
condemnation for the performance
of this duty. There can be no such
escape. for we have no debate, and there
can be no debate, as to the existence
Of this duty on the part of our govern
ment. Let me quote the words of the
democratic platform of 1872: The con-
stitutional rights of American citizens
should protect them on our borders and
go with them throughout the world.
and every American citizen residing or
having property in any foreign country
is entitled to and must be given the
f.,1
ernment. both for himself and his prop
erty.' The bitter hatred aroused by
the course of the administration multi
piled outrages, while our failure to af-
ford protection to our citizens evoked
the scorn and contempt of Mexicans.
Consider the ignominious incidents at
Tampico in connection with the cap
ture Of Vera Cruz. In the midst of
the greatest danger to the hundreds OF
Americans congregated at Tampico, our
ships which were in the harbor were
withdrawn and our citizens were saved
only by the Intervention Of German off
GERS and were taken away by British
and German ships. The official excuse
extraordinary commentary. Our ships.
1t seems. had been ordered to Vera
Cruz; but, as It appeared that they
We're not needed, the order was re-
sc1nded. Then, we are told our ad-
miral was faced with this remarkable
dilemma. II he attempted to go up the
river at Tampico and take our citizens
on board. the word Of aggressive ac-
tion.' as the Secretary called it. would
have spread to the surrounding coun-
try and 1t was almost certain that
reprisals on American citizens would
have followed and lives would have been
lost We had so incensed the Mexf-
cans that we could not rescue our own
citizens at Tampico. save at the risk
Of the murder of others. We must take
vera Cruz to get Huerta out of office
and trust to other nations to get our
own citizens out of peril. What a
travesty of international policy,
Mexico Left to Revolution.
Destroying the government of Huer-
'a' we ieft Mexico to the ravages of
revolution. I shall not attemp. to mar
rate the sickening story of the barbara
ties committed. Of the carnival of
murder and lust. We were then told
that Mexico was entitled to spill as
much blood as she please to settle her
AFFAIRS The administration vacilIated
with respect to the embargo on the ex-
port OF arms and munitions to Mexico
Under the resolution of 1912 President
TAFT had laid such an embargo In
August. 1913. President Wilson stated
that he deemed it his duty to see that
ne1ther SIDE to the struggle in Mexico
should receive any assistance from this
side OF the border, and that the export
OF all arms and munitions to Mexico
would be forbidden. But in February,
1914, the embargo was restored In
1914, tn eembargo was restored In
May. 1914, 1T was explained that the
embargo did not apply to American
shipments through Mexican ports, and
ammunition for CarranZa was subse-
auently landed at Tampico. In Sep
tember. 1914. the embargo was lifted
on exports across the border; thereupon
military supplies reached both Villa
and Carranza. In October, 1915 an
embargo was declared on all exports
of arms except to the adherents of Car
rama. There was an utter absence of
consistent policy.
For a time we bestowed friendship
on Villa. Ultimately we recognized
Carranza. not on the ground that he
had a constitutional government. but
that it was a de facto government.
The complete failure to secure protec-
ton to American citizens is shown con-
clusively IN the note of the Secretary
of State of June 20. 1915. in which he
thus described the conditions that have
obtained during the past three years:
For three years the Mexican re-
public has been torn with civil strife:
the lives of Americans and other aliens
have been sacrificed; vast properties
developed by American capital and en-
terprise have been destroyed or rem
dered on-productive; bandits have
been permitted to roam at will through
the territory contiguous TO the United
States and to seize, without punishment