The Snowflake herald., 1916-10-27


been at all proud if they had merely
that straight doctrine from both sides?
EXACTLY.
To Spanish Americans.
"And want to say another word by
way of introduction, especially to the
citizens Of Arizona and New Mexico
who are themselves of Mexican dese ert.
During the last three years, there has
been only one body of Mexicans who
have been we'll off, and they have been
those who we're here in the United
States. Now isn't that fact?
"Now, in my regiment had, | think
fifty or sixty men, perhaps hundred,
who were of Mexican blood. One of my
captains, Luna, was of that blood. |
have appointed men of that blood while
was president to high office. One Of
them was governor of New Mexico un-
der me. But | appointed them because
they were Americans, and nothing else.
Take Luna, the captain of whom ! spoke
to you. He came to me when there was
a question Of leaVing-we had to leave
four of our troops behind when we
went to Cuba. And he came to me and
said: Now, Colonel, demand to go, be-
cause am of Spanish blood. We are
going to fight Spaniards and | want to
be able to prove for the sake of my peo
pie in the United States that we are just
as good Americans as anyone else.
4 had another captain, born in Ger
many. Bucky O'NeiIl of Arizona-Who
was perhaps the absolutely typical man
r L..
in ireland. But all three men were plain.
straight United States. There wasn't
any fifty fifty allegiance about any one
of them. They were Just Uncle Sans
men, and that was all. AS long as that
was true, | stood by them just exactly
as if their ancestors had come over in
the Mayflower or settled on the banks
of the James when Virginia was found
ed. All that | asked was that they
should be Americans and nothing else.
If they were, didn't care whether they
were Catholic, or Protestant or Jew.
'idn't care whether their ancestors were
born abroad or here. | would stand by
them on their merits as men.
"Now, in just the same way here: IF
any of our fellow citizens in Arizona
New Mexico or anywhere. who are of
Mexican blood, were Disseminated
against by men of any other blood,
would fight for their rights just exactly
as | would fight for the rights of any
one else; but in return, I demand that
they be, themselves, good Americans,
that they stand for the United States
and for the United States only.
"And ! want to point out to the men
nd women of Mexico that the people of
their blood who are really fortunate,
who have been we'll off in the last three
years, who now are not ruined, are the
people in our country; and the action
that advocate when | wish to put a
stop to the bandit business, to the mur-
derous business in Mexico, is as much
in the interest of every decent law
abiding Mexican as it is in the interest
of the American people themselves.
"The people ask me now and then,
what I would do. They rarely ask that
question twice. I would do in Mexico
what we did in Cuba We said the
murder there had to stop, and we MADE
1t stop. And while there was war, there
was war. And when peace came, there
was peace. And nobody had to ask
which it was that was going on. And
when we were through, we were
like to finish a job when /
get at it.
What has happened to our people in
Mexico and here along the border, Of
fers the clearest possible illustration of
what happens to any nation whose gov
ernment behaves with the vacillation
and timidity shown by Mr. Wilson in
our foreign affairs wherever he has had
to deal with any foe of whom he was in
the slightest degree afraid.
"In Mexico when the revolution gath
cred headway, there were many foreign
ers. There were English, Germans,
Japanese and French. There were also
Spaniards and Chinese.
Mexico was afraid of and respected
Germany, England, Japan and France.
She neither feared nor respected the
United States or China: and she did
not believe that Spain at the moment
could act against her. In consequence
1t appears that during these disturb
ances. as far as can be gathered, there
has not been one German killed in Mex
leo. and only one Englishman and two
Frenchmen. I can not find that any
japanese were killed. These figures
may not be quite accurate, but they are
substantially accurate. The minute the
Frenchmen were killed the French gov
ernment served such summary notice on
Mexico that it has been exceedingly
careful not to kill any others. When
the Englishman, Benton. was killed,
not merely did England flame up. but 1t
is actually true that far more interest
was excited in this country than was
shown over all of our own men, women
and children who were killed in MeXi-
co. There have been no further out
RACES on the lives of British subjects.
The Germans are not only safe, but at
Tampico for instance, enjoy special
privileges. The Japanese enjoy the
same consideration. But meanwhile.