Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-04-28

Also the Mexican congress then In
session. This was the congress elect
ed at the same time that Madero was
elected president, the election having
taken place subsequent TO the success
Of the Madero revolution.
Resignation of Madero.
"Of course. Francisco Madero re-
signed under the compulsion of the
revolution led 10y Felix Diaz, just as
Porfirio Diaz had abdicated shortly
before under the compulsion of the
revolution led by Francisco Madero.
But there was nothing startling, I'M
usual, or an Mexican i'm that fact.
During period of forty years pre-
ceding Porfirio Diaz accession TO the
presidency there had been some thir-
ty-odd governments in Mexico, presid-
ed over by some seventy-odd individ-
uals. Sensible people have no illu-
sions about the stability Of govern
ment in Mexico.
WHEN Madero resigned on Febru-
airy 10, 1913, the minister of foreign
affairs under the Mexican constitu-
ton, became president. This was
Pedro Lascurain. lie appointed Cen
eral Huerta minister of war. The
minister of foreign affairs then re-
signed and the office devolved on HUI
erta, and this was on February 49,,
1913. 1t is important to mark these
dates.
1T has been attempted, with a
great measure Of success. to make the
American people believe that Huerta
Lecame president through Maderos
death. Perhaps 90 per cent of intel
ligent Americans so understand it,
But this is not true. Huerta became
president through Madero and Las
curain's designations. Madero's death
did not occur until some days later,
as a recital of the sequence of events
will now make clear
Chronology of Events.
February IS, the government of
Madero was overthrown.
February 10, Madero resigned.
"February 10, Huerta became pro-
visional president
February %, about midnight, Ma
dero was killed while being trans
ferred from the palace 10 The peni-
Tertiary.
"Thus Huerta became provisional
president of Mexico, February 80.
/ M L.
of the United States March 4, 1914.
There were thus twelve days within
which President Taft could have ex-
tended recognition. Why did he not
dc so?
What Mr. Wilson inherited from
Mr.. Taft was an outstanding unan-
swered diplomatic request to the dc
facto government at Mexico city Tor
definite assurances for the security OF
American rights and the adjustment
of American claims as preliminary
to the consideration Of the question OF
recognition. What Mr. Wilson did
was to repudiate the policy of his pre-
decessor, in this as in all other
things, and create situation that
made the adjustment of American
rights impossible
Defense of Taft.
"The revolutions with which the
Taft administration had TO contend
were Of comparatively short duration,
while there has been in Mexico prac-
tically ever since MIR. Wilson came in
and refused to recognize Huerta, con-
tinuous anarchy. There was never
time during the Taft administration
when there was not in Mexico city
government recognized in large part
of Mexico, and conducting its foreign
relations with the world. Huerta'
who came IN so shortly before Presi-
dent Taft went out. was recognized hy
some twenty-odd countries as recaii'
It. including practically all if not all
the great powers of Europe, so mat
Mr. Taft left the Mexican situation
with Mexico pacified and the strong
est man who has appeared since the
days of Diaz in power. m
The assertion that President WI
sons course had been like Lincoln s.
the former secretary disputed ny
reading Lineoln's instructions to the
American minister to the government
of Bento Juarez. in which Lincoln
declined to join France, Spain ana
England in an attempt to break down
the de facto government