Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1916-08-02
The Beginning of Our Woes

Ill election day TO controvert the state |
ment Of Charles E. Hughes in his
speech of acceptance. In all that time
the organization will not be able to
statement or to deny successfully any
accusation made therein Of incom- |
potency. Il is, We believe. the most
aggressive speech of acceptance ever
prepared by a candidate for the presi-
dency. In fifty years no candidate for
the presidency has had such an op-
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 question,
for therein is the handspring of our
woes. 1t was in the handling Of the
Mexican situation, not a difficult one
in the beginning. that the weakness
and incompetency of the administra-
ton was first strikingly manifested
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 cour-
age to assert our rights by force. We
can very easily trace a relation be-
tween the sinking of the Lusitania, be-
tween every outrage by Germany and
Great Britain upon our rights on the
sea to our indecision. 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 a 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 a definite purpose, and
without any other result than the
death Of twenty American marines
and many Mexicans. We say, without
any other result; we are in error; one
result was the Gripping of Huerta and
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, a.
a matter Of fact, it only twice cam,
into contact with mere fringes of thu
bandits. Its most notable encounte
was with the troops of the de fact,
government, precipitated by our dis
obedience. only once of the orders 0
the de facto government restricting
the movements of our troops. w
were rather severely punished an
have not dared disobey again.
The situation along the border ha
not improved since the events whic
gave birth to the punitive expedition
There has since been one raid in fore
and many smaller ones. There wa
one on Monday morning in which tw
Americans were killed, and night
American sentries Oh American so
In the meantime with all the avail
able military resources Of the Unite
States on the border, including II
national guard, our administration
arranging another conference with II
de facto government to see what ca
be done about it.
This situation is an intolerable on
If the administration were now Ell
gagged in any measure to bring it
end it would be unjust and III
patriotic to refer to it's past mistake
or 20 discredit its efforts at reforr
But 1t is doing nothing and it's pa
that it will ever set out upon, al
maintain a firm course. Its condu
has been far more of a curse