The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-08-01

as 1t is one of the earlier efforts of the Lasky studios. Still it is production that would easily pass the most captious of censors if only for its artistic merit.
 
 , blood of our soldiers. We have resorted to physical invasion, only to retire without gaining. the professed object.
 It is a record which cannot be exam ined without profound sense of hu- initiation.
 HUERTA AT HEAD When the administration came into power Huerta was exercising authority
 as provisional President of Mexico. He
 was certainly in fact the head of the
 government of Mexico. Whether or not he should be recognized was question to be determined in the exercise of a.
 sound discretion, but according to cor
 rect principles. The President was en- titled to be assured that there was at least a de facto government; that inter-
 national obligations would be performed; that the lives and property of American
 citizens would have proper protection. To attempt, however, to control the domestic
 concerns of Mexico was simply interven- l-tion, not less so because disclaimed. The height of folly was to have vacillating and ineffective intervention, which could only evoke bitterness and contempt.
 which would fail to pacify the country | and to assure peace and prosperity un- der stable government.
 ''If crimes were committed we do not
 palliate them. We make no defense of Huerta. But the administration had
 nothing to do with the moral character of Huerta, if in fact he represented the government of Mexico. We shall never worthily prosecute our unselfish aims, or Hxr hno lad "a far as the character of Huerta is con- cerned the hollowness of the pretensions on this score is revealed by the adminis- tration's subsequent patronage of Villa (whose qualifications as an assassin are indisputable) whom apparently the ad- ministration was ready to recognize had he achieved his end and fulfilled what then seemed to be it's hope.
 INTERNAL INTERFERENCE
 "The question is not as to the nom recognition of Huerta. The administrn- tion did not content itself with re- fusing to recognize Huerta, who was recognized by Great Britain. Germany,
 France. Russia, Spain and Japan. The administration undertook to destroy Huerta, to control Mexican politics, even to deny Huerta the right to be a candidate for the office of President at the election the administration de- handed
 With what bewilderment must the Mexicans have regarded our assertion of their right to manage theii own affairs In the summer of 1913 John Lind was dispatched to the City of Mexico as the Presidents personal spokesman and representative to the
 unrecognized Huerta in order to de-
 mand that the latter eliminate him. self. It was an unjustifiable mission, most offensive to a sensitive people. John Lind fingered irritatingly. The administration continued to direct it's efforts at the destruction of the only government Mexico had. In the spring of 1914 occurred the capture of Vera Cruz. Men from some of our ships had been arrested at Tampico and had been discharged with an apology. Hut our admiral demanded salute, which was refused.
 "Thereupon we went to Congress, ask ing authority to use the armed forces of the United States. Without waiting for 1 the passage of the resolution, Vera Cruz was seized. It appears that ship load of ammunition for Huerta was about to | enter that port There was a natural op- position to this invasion and battle oc- cured in which 19 Americans and over 100 Mexicans were killed This of course, was war Our dead soldiers were praised for dying like heroes in a war of service. Later we retired from Vera Cruz. giving up this noble warfare We had not ob- | tained the salute which was demanded. We had not obtained reparation for af- fronts. The ship with ammunition which could not land at Vera Cruz had soon landed at another port and its cargo was delivered to Huerta without interference. Recently the naked truth was admitted by a cabinet officer. We are now in-
 formed that we did not go to Vera Cruz t- t~ l,,t~ %I~ f1orr IyA are told that we went there to show
 Mexico that we were in earnest in our demand that Huerta must go.' That is, we seized Vera Cruz to depose Huerta.
 The question of the salute was mere pretext.
 FAII D IN DUTY Meanwhile the administration utterly failed to perform it's obvious duty to se- cure protection for the lives and property of our citizens It is most unworthy to slur those who have investments in Mexy leo in order to escape a condemnation for the nonprformance of this duty. There can be no such escape, for we have no debate, and there can be no debate as to the existence of this duty on the part of our government. Let me quote the words of the democratic platform of 1912: The constitutional rights of American citizens should protect them on our borders. and go with them throughout the world and every American citizen residing or having
 property in any foreign country Is entitled
 to and must be given the full protection of the United States government. both for himself and his property
 The bitter hatred aroused by the course of the administration multiplied outrages while our failure to afford protection to our citizens evoked the scorn and con- tempt of Mexicans. Consider the igno- minious incident at Tampico In connsc- tion with the capture of Vera Cruz In the midst of the greatest danger to the hundreds of Americans congregated at Tampico. our ships which were in the harbcr. were withdrawn and our citizens were saved only by the intervention of
 German officers and were taken away by
 British and German ships. The official