Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-07-07
Methods, Not Policies.


Mexico?" demand Democrats who at
tempt to defend administrative poll
cies" from critics. 1t is not so much
what should have been done as
what should not have been done"
In the first place we should not have
poked our nose into Mexican affairs
unless we were ready to step in and
bring order out of chaos We should
not have taken sides between bandits;
we should not have armed the hordes
Of cutthroats; we should not have done
many things that were interference,
pure and simple, with another nations
affairs.
The American Review of Reviews of
July says;
There are certain aspects Of the
Mexican situation that all American
citizens should keep in mind. We have
been greatly occupied with Mexican at
1alrs while asserting that we were
standing aloof in order to allow Mexico
to fight it out and adjust her own fu-
ture. We forced Huerta's downfall by
implacable opposition. exhibited in
many forms and including the seizure
by naval and military force of Mexico's
chief seaport, Vera Cruz. We favored
the CarraEza Villa movement and sup
Piled it with arms and ammunition.
Later on we favored Villa in his war.
rare against Carranza. When Villa
tailed we gave countenanec to Car
rama and recognized him as head of
the de facto government The Villa
elements were reduced to state of
maraudlng and brigandage in northern
Mexico. Our abandonment of them
and refusal to supply them with NUM-
tons embittered them. and they sought
to embroil us with the Carranza gov.
eminent In this purpose they were
remarkably successful because of our
lack of definite policy of our own.
and our apparent inability to adjust
ourselves to facts and conditions.
Since we had undertaken to guard
our frontier, we might have guarded it
we'll. Instead of which we guarded it
badly. The band attack upon the town
Of Columbus owed its measure of sue
cess to the fact that the officers who
should have been on duty were off at
another town partaking in certain So
cial festivities.
To chase the bandits across the
line and pursue them was so obviously
proper that nobody of trained intelli-
gence would pause to discuss the ques-
ton. And this was what our soldiers
aCfro11,. ha of
But the authorities at Washington pro-
ceeded to do something wholly differ
ent. They strained all the existing re-
sources Of our regular army to organ
ize q military expedition for the in
vasion Of Mexico. Preparations occu-
pied a number Of days. Villa and his
appearing and disappearing little group
of bandits were by that time hundreds
Of miles away, with inaccessible hid
ing places always available in noun
tain mazes where the few inha bitants
were Villas friends. Without the con-
sent and against the protest of the
government Of Mexico which we had
recognized. we proceeded with a Brit
ish like valor and British like stu
pidity, without sufficient equipment to
march southwark about 800 miles into
the heart of Mexico. We paralleled a
railroad built by American capital.
which we did not use because the
Mexicans forbade US. although it was
highly absurd not to seize it and use It.
We avoided towns and cities, having
agreed in advance to do so. This was
three months and a half ago. The
friction along the border became much
worse, because the Mexicans were
highly incensed. whether or not with