Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-14

OtARRANzAs note saying that the time has
~ come ito treat with the United States
Government for the withdrawal of its forces"
whether II be intended merely for Mexican
consumption or is the preliminary to a formal
demand that we withdraw, is the least i'm.
portant thing to be considered in the Mexican
situation.
The issue which overtops all others In i'm.
portance is whether 765,OOO square miles Of
this continent rich in resources, is to remain
undeveloped because the people who happen
to occupy it unable to preserve order
among themselves and spend their time fight
ing one another, instead of in the peaceful
pursuits of a civilized nation.
The whole world is interested in the pacifi-
cation of Mexico, because 1t needs the things
that Mexico has in abundance.
secondary ISSUE which affects the United
States more deeply than other nations, grows
out of our proximity to the state of anarchy
across the Rio Grande. II has been neces.
sary to keep troops on the border for three
or four years to prevent the use of American
territory for the organization of the insurgent
bands which live by loot. When the Cuban
insurgents exhausted the patience of the
United States, after forcing it for number
of years to spend several million dollars a year
of flibustering expeditions. we sent armed
force to Cuba, kicked the Spaniards out of the
islands and held the Cubans themselves up
by the scruff of the neck until they promised
to behave themselves. Then we came home
The rights of civilization in Mexico, well
as in Cuba are greater than the rights of the
Cubans of the Mexicans.
The question before the country is. How
long are we going to tolerate Mexican
anarchy? How Congress and the President
answer this question affects them much more
than II does the country. If they palter and
postpone and Mcawberize other men will be
found who have the courage to sweep aside all
bubbles and all academic sentimentalities
about the sovereign rights of an Independent
nation, and the will to assert the rights Of
the world to the use of that part of it which
the Mexicans happen to occupy.
Civilization has reached it's present state
because from the beginning strong men have
insisted that the world belongs to those who
will use it, and because they have used that
part of it which lay at their hand. America
itself is the most shining example of con.
tinent seized from baTbarous tribes by men
with genius for commerce and industry as
well as a genius for government. They have
made of it Granary and workshop to supply
the peoples who, crowded out of the old world,
came here to live, and they produced a sur
plus big enough to enable them to give of its
abundance to those who remained on the
other side of the two oceans They set the
great precedent which their successors will
ignore at their peril and at the peril of the
civilization which they set up.
If the Mexicans cannot make Mexico a safe
place in which to live and do business, some
one else must undertake the task. How it is
performed is of little consequence so long
it is done.
The expedition to capture Villa is all very
good in its way. But the capture of Villa will
not end the troubles. Mexico breeds Villas.
Insurrection is a means of livelihood. Armies
are raised by promise of loot. It is easier
to live on the accumulations of planters and
miners than TO work The demand that Gen
eral Pershing remove his troops is merely
a demand that Mexico be allowed to continue
In state of anarchy. The assembling of
Carranzista troops in the rear of the American
expedition to cut it off in the event of
fusal of the Administration at Washington TO
abandon the pursuit Of Villa merely puts our
troops between two sets of bandits, both fight
ing for the same purpose, namely, the right to
be unmolested in their career of sucking the
blood from the few industries that have sur
vived the years of outlaw government.
The issue cannot be lodged much longer.
The President has played with it for three
years, and every time he has tried to do any
thing his efforts have resulted I'm a ridiculous
fasco 1t remains to be seen whether he has
learned anything and whether his advisers
have discovered that the country is growing
more disgusted every day with the policy of
timidity. If he consents TO be bluffed by Car
rama and if his Villa expedition shall be as
fruitless as his occupation of Vera Cruz, the
vigorous men of his own party are likely to
find their patience tried beyond endurance.
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