The Coconino sun., 1916-08-11
A CONCISE BRIEF BY
HUGHES ON SITUATION

ment of Charles T.. Hughes in his
speech of acceptance. In all that time
the organization will not be able to
lay finger on any sophistry in the
statement or to deny successfully any
accusation made therein, of incom-
potency. 1t is, we believe, the most
aggressive speech of acceptance ever
prepared by candidate for the presi-
dency. In fifty years no candidate for
the presidency has had such an OPP
portunity as has been given Mr..
Hughes for such a speech, for in fifty
years there has been no other such
laundering and hating and shifting
by an administration.
Mr.. Hughes naturally devotes the
greater part of his speech to the mis-
management of the Mexican ques-
ton, for therein is the handspring of
our woes. 1t was in the handling of
the Mexican situation, not difficult
one in the beginning, that the weak
ness and incompetency of the admin
stration was first strikingly manifest
ed. A train of evils followed By the
time the European war broke out, all
the warning nations had come to hold
our government in contempt. None Of
them believed that we would have the
courage to assert our rights by force.
We can very easily trace relation
between the sinking of the Lusitania,
between every outrage by Germany
and Great Britain upon. our rights on
the sea to our INDIGESTION, our failure
through cowardice to meet the Mexi-
can situation. Anything may be done
with comparative safety to a coward
until he has been driven into corner.
But there was no corner where our
government could be driven.
The American people, except the in-
terested and selfish few, have not and
do not now want war with Mexico,
but the Wilson administration COM
mitted an act Of war by the taking
of Vera Cruz without an honest pre-
text, without definite purpose, and
without any other result than the
death of twenty-one American mar
ines and many Mexicans. We say,
without any other result; we are in
error; one. result was the Gripping OF
Huerta and the prolongation of an
archy in Mexico to the present time.
Then we have had the ridiculous
punitive expedition which has ac-
complished nothing but to further in
cense the Mexican people whom we
had already imbued with hatred and
contempt for us, We are now trying
to deceive ourselves by lying to our
selves. We are pretending to believe
that the punitive expedition has really
accomplished something by the break
ing up of the bandit bands when, as
a matter Of fact, it only twice came
into contact with mere fringes of the
bandits. Its most notable encounter
was with the troops of the de facto
government, precipitated by our dis
obedience, only once, of the orders of
the de facto government restricting
the movements of our troops. We
were rather severely punished and
have not dared disobey again.
The situation along the border has
not improved since the events which
gave birth to the punitive expedition.
There has since been one raid in force
and many similar ones. There was
one on Monday morning in which two
Americans were killed, and nightly
American sentries on American soil
are made targets for Mexican snipers.
In the meantime with all the avail
able military resources of the United
States on the border, including the
national guard, our administration is
arranging another conference with
the de facto government to see what
can be done about it.
This situation is an intolerable one.
If the administration were now en-
gagged in any measure to bring it to
an end it would be unpust and un-
patriotic to refer to its past mistakes
or to discredit its efforts at reform.
But it is doing nothing and its past
shifting and hating give no promise
that il will ever set out upon, and
maintain firm course. Its conduct
has been far more Of curse to
Mexico than to this country and we
have suffered enough of blood shed,
and humiliation in the eyes of the
world.
A war between the United States
and Mexico was never necessary eth
err three years ago or now, Three