The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-08-08
HUGHES IN DETROIT


CONTINUED From First Page)
said American citizens and their
property.
we have had AN exhibition in the
last three years which ] confess fills
me with deep sense of shame"
Now you are getting TO IT, cried
voice.
II would not counsel any action that
was contrary to the dictates Of those
1SaEes and customs and recognized
rights and obligations win which we
comprise under the name OF inter
national law
1T was our business 10 stand for
all the rights Of American citizens
under international law to vindicatc
international law
should Demand Protection.
Now you take for example the case
OF Mexico We had certain things
that we had right to demand or
Mexico and there was a proper way OF
demanding them. We should have
| said that we insi sted upon the pro-
lection Of lives and property of Amerl-
ran citizens of just protection, such
protection as we are entitled TO from
government that performs the func-
said We would not recognize Huerta
II his government could not discharge
those functions We had no bust
| meas to recognize him unless the ex-
ecutive was satisfied he could dis
| charge those functions
but II was another thing to take
an attitude quite apart from the pro-
lection OF American rights and wage
war upon an individual and try to
take control OF Mexican affairs in
the interest OF what we think they
| should be
Now that was precisely what was
done we did not content ourselves
with recognizing Huerta There is no
question about recognizing or not rec
ognizing Huerta. That was Il matter
to be determined according to proper
| principles, according to the under
standing Of the executive as to the
capacity Of that government. II 1t was
Il government, to- furnish adequate
| protection and discharge international
! obligations, But our administration
said to Huerta: You get out. You
can't even be q candidate. We won't
allow you to run for Office. We are SC
determined to get rid of YOU that you
can't put yourself up to be voted for
and Immediately after recognition was
withdrawn from -Huerta 1t was ex-
lehueu 10 IHat incompetence, ina
ideal character, villa.
Now, in my judgment, the admin
istration did u very wrong thing III
abandoning it's proper international
attitude and taking the attitude thai
no International lawyer could under
stand, that no Mexican could under
stand.
They said. or the administration
said: We do not want TO NEEDLE with
I..., \ lot
be a candidate. We do not want to
do anything which indicates a desire
TO control your politics. But IN your
democratic affairs you have got to do
what we say
Now, the Mextcans protested
They did not think we were sincere
They could not understand that But
there was bred there "a hatred OF us
and an luminosity for us that Is very
desires with respect to Mexico or any
other country. This country has nc
desire to do anything but what Is
just, Why should we make any one
dislike us? We never would. il We
were correct. We never would If We
understand what we were to ask and
why we were to ask 1t and where we
were to be strong. 1t is an awful
! thing to be strong In the wrong place
and then run away as soon as you
get caught at it,
why did we go down to Vera
| Cruz? Most of the people OF thi:
country thought II because we had
sustained an insult and that our ad-
miral had demanded a salute for that
| We backed him up In this demand for
the salute. Well. that was an extra
ordinary thing to shed blood over
! But we didn't get the salute. 1t turns
out we did not go after the salute
We went before the resolution was
passed. and then apparently 1t was
TO prevent the landing OF ammunition
that would get TO Huerta. and stu
within very short time after that
| landing the ammunition got &c
| Huerta. Well. nineteen Americans
and a large number OF Mexicans were
killed. And then the administration
say they kept US out of war That
was war and very ignoble war
1T was called. over the bodies OF
those dead soldiers a war OF service.
I But we did not persist In II; we came
| back. and when one OF the brightest
minds OF the administration was
/ quoted in one OF the distinguished
papers of New York. and asked TO
! explain what we went there for this
! cabinet officer said No, not TO pre-
vent the landing OF muuitions;- we
went there TO get rid OF Huerta.'
Wrong Headed Policy.
There you have this wrong head led
! policy showing up again. The Mex
/ cans could not understand IT, II we
had said that We did not recognize
Huerta because he couldn't fuIfill his
obliga atoms: IL We had said We wanted
a stable government there. they could
have understood that They couldn't
understand why we went to Vera
Cruz. That was Intervention, and II
was an Intervention that didn't stag
put. We went there and came back.
II d not like to- have the United
States put in such position. It Ia
wrong. Now. what did we do? Hay-
Nne gotten rid Of Hureta BY this ex-