Mountain advocate. (Barbourville, Ky.) 1904-1935, 1916-03-24
BlUNDERS OF IHE
ADMINISTRATION
(Coninued from First Page)

ease and comfort and wealth ut any
price? Confronted by such questions
as these and the practical situations
which give rise To- them, is the conn.
try satisfied 10 trust itself again in the
hands OF the Democratic party?
Impotent Interference In Mexico.
The United States had rights and
duties in Mexico. More than 10000 of
our citizens had sought their fortunes
and made their homes there \ thou.
sand millions of American capital had
been invested iu that productive coun.
try. Hut revolution had come, and
fractional warfare was rife. Americans
had been murdered, American proper.
~ had been wautouly destroyed, the
lives and property of all Americans I'm
Mexico were i'm danger That was the
situation when Mr. Wilson became
president en- March. 1918 His duty
then was plain. II was. first, to use
his powers a., president to secure pro.
lection for the lives and property of
Americans u Mexico and to require
that rules of law and stipulations Of
treaties should Uc observed 10y Mexico
toward the United States and its citi-
zens His duty was, second. as the
head of foreign power 20 respect the
Independence OF Mexico. to refrain
from all interference with her internal
affairs from all attempt at domino
ton except as he was justified by the
law of nations for the protection Of
American rights. The president OF the
United states failed to observe either
Of those duties. He deliberately ahan.
doned them both and followed an en-
tirelv different and inconsistent pur.
pose. He interviewed in Mexico to aid
one faction in civil strife against an
other He undertook 70 pull down
Huerta and set Carranza up in his
place Arms ana munitions Of war
were freely furnished to the northern
forces and withheld from Huerta
Finally the president sent our army
and navy 10 invade Mexico and cap
ture its great seaport, Vera Cruz, and
hold it and throttle Mexican commerce
until Huerta fell
fNVlGi lSdilS NbNl dS~N w
The government of the United States
INTERVIEWED i'm Mexico To control the in
ternal affairs of that independent coun'
try and to enforce the will Of the
American president in those affairs by
threat. by economic pressure and by
force Of arms. Upon what claim OF
right did this Intervention proceed?
F,r A rrariC0
rights, not 10 protect the lives or prop
erty of our citizens. not to assert the
laws of nations. not to compel obsery-
ance of the law Of humanity On the
contrary. iIuerta's was the only power
in Mexico to which appeal could be
made for protection Of life or property.
That was the only power which, in
fact. did protect either American or
European or Mexican II was only
within the territory where Huerta
ruled that comparative peace and or
der prevailed The territory over
which the armed power OF CarranZa
and Villa and their associates extended
was the thpltcr Of the most appalling
crimes Bands Of robbers roved the
country with unbridled license. Amer
leans and NcNicanS alike were at their
mercy, and American men We're muir
dered and American women "~cre out
.a-L with impuuty Thousands were
reduced to poverty 10y the wanton de-
struction of the industries through
which they lived Yet the government
of the United states ignored, con-
dOned, the murder of American men
and the rape Of American women and
destruction Of American property and
insult TO American officers and detile-
ment of tn, American dag and Joined
itself 10 the men who We're guilty OF
all these things 20 pull down the pow
er of Hucrta Why? The president
himself has told VS.. II was because
he adjudgcl uuerta TO be usurper,
because he deemed that the common
people Of Mexico ought 10 have great
err participation in government and
share in the land, and he believed that
CarranZa and Villa would give them
these things. We must all sympathize
with these sentiments but there is
nothing more dangerous than mis-
placed sentiment
When our army landed AT Vera Cruz
CarrauZa himself who was TO be the
chief beneficiary If the act, publicly
protested against it. So strong was
the resentment that he could not have
kept his followers otherwise. When
Huerta had fallen the new government
which for the day had succeeded to
his place peremptorily demanded the
withdrawal of the American troops
The universal sentiment Of MeXicans
required the pcrcmptory demand, and
the troops We're withdrawn. Still
.-v6rse Than t7rsL the taking Of Vera
Cruz destroyed confidence in the sin
cerity Of the American government in
Mexico. because every intelligent man
In Mexico believed that the avowed
reason for the act was not the real
reason The ayOwed purpose was to
compel salute 10 the American flag.
NM. i,,,I,,l Maxs.anu vrnra rannrf