New Britain herald., 1916-03-23

FRIEND OF LINCOLN
 SEES TROUBLEA
Red Light on Track for United
 States, Says 0Ctogenarian

Cold Spring Harbor, l.. l., March l 23.-With memories of the days when the United States marched an army one of the founders of the republican party and one-time friend of Abraham Lincoln, draws an interesting compar- ison between the developmen ents of the Mexican situation in 1S46 and now. lie is eighty-six years old, and when the Mexican war broke out he was a ooy of sixteen living in Fulton, N. Y. Mr. Nelson spends his declining years at the fireside of his daughter and son-in-law, MT. and Mrs. Wallace Fairbanks, in this town. Three rosy checked happy grandchildren bright en the evening of his life. He is still as eagerly interested in the trend Of political events however, as in the days when he accompanied Lincoln on the trip when he debated with Doug las.
 President Wilson's Mexican policies do not appeal to him, for he consid- CTS them halfway measures.
 Either we ought to have nothing to do with Mexico,' he declared, Tor we ought to go in and establish law and OiuoE lIIOuSIlOul the WHOIS COuHI1 , We ought to find a good leader in Mexico, set him up, recognize him, and then establish protectorate as we did in Cuba and the Philippines.
 Hate Born of Old.
 tI fear that hunting Villa will pre- cipitate more trouble. The Mex1cans have hated us since the Mexican war, when we took away California; New Mexico, Arizona, and added to Texas. I believe that they have good right to hate us, for we certainly did give them a good beating at PalO Alto and Monterey.
 War with Mexico might cost many lives, but our dread of war Is not to be considered in such a matter. You've got to be willing to furnish the might to do the right. In 1s46 the people didn't want the war. They were re- luctant to enter it. but war was de- clared because we knew that it was the only right course for us to pur- sue There was much feeling in the United States at the time, much great CT than there is at present.
 eWhen the news that war had been declared against Mexico first reached the little border town of Fulton, where I lived, they had the band out, and the boys paraded through the streets with their rifles We had mass meetings and speeches on the street corners In those days pretty nearly every boy was a good rifle shot Every farmers boy, of course, learned to shoot rifle. The guns were all muz- gle loaders in those days, though. "
 People More Loyal Then.
 "Why do you suppose the feeling was more intense in those times:' MT. Nelson was asked
 "The people were more loyal to the government then, in vague way; put it would be difficult for me to say e&- actIy how Perhaps it was because we did not have as mixed population and the revolution and war Of 1S12 were not so far away.
 There was a craze after the MoXl- can war for military presidents, hut it doesn't appear now as if the present trouble in Mexico would make presl~ dents of the military commanders.
 What do you think President Lln- coin would have done under the present circumstances, MT. Nelson? ?' asked his questioner.
 He'd have sent an army there long ago to organize stable government. the murders and outrages upon Amer jeans that have been going on there for the last few years, and he wouldn't have stood it for a minute.'