The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1916-09-19

| lnOse existing lnf MEXICO before the
Vera Cruz incident.
We know that for several years
prior to the beginning of the Wilson
administration (as well as since that
event) a condition of affairs existed
south of the Rio Grande that was I'M
fortunate and unsatisfactory. Henry
Lane Wilson, who was ambassador to
Mexico under President Taft, declared
that during the administration of
President Madero alone, "eighty-four
Americans had been killed in Mexico
and not one murderer had been pun
ished." 1t will be recalled that there
was much disturbance during the lat
ter part of the Diaz regime, in the
course of the revolution, before Ma
dero became president so that it is
safe to say that the number of Amer
leans killed during that period Of
turmoil would swell the total consid-
ably. Nor was it alone on Mexican
soil that Americans were killed On
March 1911, as pointed out by Senator
Borah in the senate in a speech de-
livered January u, 1916, "seven Am
erican citizens were murdered just on
this side Of the border line near Doug
las, Arizona. and eleven others were
wounded" Besides those named spe
officially by Senator Borah the follow
ing incidents occurred during the Taft
administration: On April 10, 1911,
three Americans were killed and five
wounded in Douglas during an at
tack on Aqua Prieta. Four days later
in an engagement at the same place,
five more Americans were wounded on
this side of the line. On May II, 1911,
at the storming of Juarez, five Ameri-
cans were killed and seventeen
wounded in the city of Ell Paso,
Texas. The government at Washing
ton held that these incidents were not
intentional and repeatedly denied that
Intervention was intended. On De-
cember u, 1912, when reports of in
PREVENTION were again started Presi-
dent Taft denied them and praised the
policy of patient non-intervention"
which had been pursued during his
administration. The overthrow and
murder of President Madero, the usur-
patton of Huerta under color of title
and the reputation of his govern
ment by Carranza, increased the tur-
moil already existing in the nation to
the south, and furnished the back
6lOuDQ LII lhC PiIlulC NOlnplGlCu Ny
the insult to Il last week inadvert
emily and incorrectly said firing on)
the flag at Tampico by the Huerta
garrison, and their commander.
To show the similarity of condi-
tions in Cuba at the time that the Vir-
ginius affair brought the demand for
an apology, afterwards revoked, we
have only to turn to the messages of
President Grant and to the writings
of standard authorities on interna-
tional law The Cuban rebellion broke
out at Yara in 1869 in his work "The
United States and Foreign Powers"
William Eleroy Curtis says: 1.-THE in
terests of the United States were
deeply affected, owing to the large
amount of capital from this country
invested in the sugar plantations and
coffee estates throughout the island.
In August 1869, the Spanish authori-
ties in Cuba issued a decree siezing
the estates of all persons who were
suspected of sympathy with the revo-
luton. Under this decree the prop
erty of many American citizens,
valued at millions of dollars, was con-
fiscated. The protests made by Gen
eral Sickles at Madrid resulted in a
decree releasing such estates as were
owned by Americans, but the authori-
ties on the island paid little heed to
this action, and it was not until a vol
luminous correspondence had taken
place that any measure of relief was
afforded"
1t will probably give a shock to
those confiding persons who get their
information from vociferous and in
terested politicians to learn that Cen
eral Grant would enter into a "volum-
nous correspondence" in order to Sc
cure for American citizens a portion
of the rights which the other party
conceded by decree that they were en-
titled to. The man on the dry goods
box will tell you that protracted cor
respondence is INDUCED in only by
"mollycOddles, and sich," and that
real men always "act" when dealing
with foreign nations 1t may also be
noted that in the instance cited above
it was officials of Spain who confis-
Gated the property and failed to re-
store it, and not irresponsible rebels |
or bandits as has been frequently the !
case in Mexico. However, the bandit |
and guerilla was doing his part in |
CuDo' III his SSNeutH annual message,
sent to congress December z, 1873, |
about the time that the Virginius af-
fair was adjusted, President Grant
describes conditions in Cuba as de-
plorable and shows the widespread
destruction wrought by irregular war
fare of the contending parties, wind
ing up, however, by opposing either
Intervention or the recognition of the
independence or the belligerency of
the insurgents. Relative to general
and without referring to
either the confiscation of estates or