Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-03-21
ANOTHER vERA CRUZ.
fnaa Noinee Pegisfer.1 u


rDes Moines Register.1
Suppose General Funston to be
wholly successful in his campaign
against Villa, the bandit chieftaln
taken and his force scattered and not
an American life lost in the undertake
ing. what then? i.
Will there not be something about v
all to remind us Of the occupation OF
Vera Cruz. O sort of marching up the
hill and then marching down again:
Who today can tell just what our oc-
cupation OF Vera Cruz was for? we
were CHANGING unpleasant compllca-
lions with Mexico. our relations with
all of Europe were more or less IN
volved. There was considerable Incl
dental expense attending the expeoi-
ton Just what was accomplished?
And Just what will be accomplished
by this spectacular raid on Villa, II
nothing more is to come of 1t than the
punishment Of one bandit more or
less?
The fact is we are taking all the
chances, Of war, and being put to all
the cost Of war. and exposing ourselves
to all the dangers Of war, without nav
ing any particular purpose to serve az
least no adequate purpose.
1t is absolutely incidental whether
Villa is caught or not. There are many
who do not believe In capital punish
ment who would question the propriety
of shooting him il he were caught
There are lynchers and violent men or
all sort In our own American commun-
ity who have not yet been taken.
1t is not Villa the American people
are after but bandit rule in Mexico
and any American expedition that has
any less purpose than to dispose or
bandit rule in disposing Of Villa has
too little purpose to justify the risk OF
that venture.
The trouble with the president has
been that he has done dangerous things
in this Mexican situation to achieve
incidental ends. We would have been
at war long ago with any hEst class
power II we had ventured half as far
as we have gone with Mexico. and yet
we have done nothing In Mexico look
Ing ~ q rea, pac.H::cs::c: CO TIE country
Not only have we done nothing but we
have professed that we intended to do
nothing.
The president says now that all he
seeks is the capture of villa. When has
a great nation massed an army and in
yaded foreign soil merely to take one
bandit and bring him TO justice? There
is always something behind the bandit,
and it Is what is behind the Villa raid
at Columbus that warrants American
action.
So long as there was any likelihood
that Carranza or any other Mexican
leader could restore a semblance OF
order the general disposition has been
to commend the president for watch
fui waiting" The theory was that we
should accomplish just as much and
be better of to leave Mexico to itself.
But Carranza has not grown on the
situation. there Is less confidence IN,
him today thar there ever has beehs
Peace in Mextco is far off Meanwhile
Villa nnakes q raid across the border
that no administration dare overlook.
The time has come for action and
the president has acted. But action
must always be for adequate purposes.
We are running ali the risk of war, In
fact any morning the news may come
that we are at war. and yet If we sue
coed In doing all we have set out TO do.
we shall merely have hung one scala
wag more or less, while the richest ter
ritory Of the.sWestern con tinent Is left
to devastation. and an oppressed peo-
pie are abandoned to starvation anu
piilage.
The president should now awake to
the real situation. Villa is merely
speck on the Mexican horizon. Amer
lean troops II they have crossed the
Mexican border for any American
sized undertaking. have crossed to freq
Mexico from bandit rule. We can never
justify what we have done on any
lesser motive. The president will be-
little our whole relation to the western