Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-06-20

evidences Of the patience and restraint
of this government in circumstances
which only a government imbued with
unselfishness and sincere desire to re-
spect to the full the sovereign rights
and national dignity of the Mexican
people would have endured, doubts and
suspicious as to the motives of the gov
eminent of the United States are eX-
pressed in your communication of May
%. for which l can imagine no pur-
pose but to impugn the good faith OF
this government. for | find il hard to
believe that such imputations are not
universally Known to be without the
least shadow of justification in fact.
Could Have Found Many Pretexts.
Can the de facto government doubt
that. if the United States had turned
covetouss eyes on Mexican territory, it
could nave found many pretexts in the
past for the qualification of its desire?
Can that government doubt that months
ago, when the war between the revo-
lutionary factions was in progress.
lluch better opportunity than the present
was AFFORDED for American Intervention,
If such has been the purpose of the
United States, as the de facto govern
ment now insinuates? What motive
coulo thls government have had in re-
training from taking advantage of such
opportunities other than unselfish friend
snip for the Mexican republic? / have, of
course, given consideration to your argu-
ment that the responsibility for the pres
en-. sl.uation rests largely upon this gov
81 H!hehl' IN the first place, you state
,hat even the American forces along the
oorder, whose attention is undivided by
other military operation find them
serves physically unable to protect effec-
livery the frontier on the American side"
obviously, if there is no means of roach
ing bandS rowing on Mexican territory
ana making sudden dashes at night into
.allerlcan territory it is impossible to
- sucn inNasions Unless the from
We. sIer is protected by Gordon of troops.
NO government could be expected to
maintain force of this strength along
me boundary of a nation with which il
- a. peace Tor the purpose of resisting
the onslaughts of few bands of law.
less men. especially when the neiebbor-
ING state makes no effort TO nrevent
these attacks. The most effective meth
oa OF preventing raids of this nature,
as past experience has fully demon
str,,os; IS 10 visit punishment or de-
structlon on the raiders, IT is nrecise-
y this plan which the United States de-
slreS TO follow along the border with
o , any intention of infringing upon
me sovereign rights of her neiehbor.
put which. although obviously advan,
! tageous to the de facto government II
refuses TO allow or even countenance
IL is IN fact protection. to American
,,Ees ana property about which the
oHited states is solicitous and not the
Methods or ways in which that nroter-
tioh snail be accomplished If the Mex
lcan government is unwilling or unable
70 give this protection by preventing
us territory from being the rendezvous
anu refuge OF murderers and plumber
ers. mat does not relieve this govern
ineht from its duty to take all the stems
necessary to safeguard American cit
izens on American soil The United
states government cannot and will not
allow bands of law1ess men to estab-
! iish themselves upon its borders with
iioerty to invade and plumber American
territory with impunity and, when pur-
sued to seek safety across the Rio
Grshde, relying upon the plea of their
government that the integrity of the
SOIL of the Mexican republic must NOT
be violated i'''