The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1916-08-11
After War With
Mexico--What?

lzcu, INFINITELY rich and powerful ma
ton of hundred million people t,
vanquish fifteen million ignorant, half
starved, poorly equipped poems.
Yet it would be costly. 1t would b,
no easy matter to subdue the Mexican
people, scattered over vast and in
accessible territory and fighting will
the desperation Of those who fee
themselves invaded and in danger Of
having their country seized. That i'll
fated battle at Carrizal seems to have
come largely from the mistaken no.
ton, to quote one of the American
soldiers engaged, that "the Mexicans
would run when we began firing" So
by their own report our own troops
formed in battle order and charged
upon a Mexican force that had come
out for parley and offered no show
of violence. Unfortunately, the Mex
leans did not run. They fired first
Perhaps you and | would do the same
thing if eighty-odd well armed, deter
mined troopers should form in battle
line and ride down upon us.
(By the way, that is the battle in
which, according to early press re-
ports, American troops were "led into
ambush" and slaughtered unawares
under flag of truce.) Think of the
tons of vitriol that the papers have
poured out upon these "treacherous
Mexicans," who, as now appears from
the reports of our own troops, fired
upon charging squad of cavalrymen
fINfN nt..sl h.. o..
began firing" There were those who
would have had us declare war on
Mexico before breakfast the next
morning because of that incident.
President Wilson ;las done wisely in
deed in waiting to learn the facts.
But after we have subdued Mexico
after ten, twenty, fifty thousand
(who knows how many?) brave Amer
lean boys lie beneath the sod-when
crepe hangs heavy upon as many
American doors, where American
mothers bereft of their sons, and
wives Of their husbands, sit bowed in
heart-broken sorrow--what then? We
will have lost much, surely. What
will we have gained?
Will we have pacified the Mexican
people and made them our friends
Far from it. Their suspicion of US will
only have been confirmed, their bitter
ness increased thousandfold. We
will have made of them inveterate
enemies for generations to come.
Will we have ended the border trou-
bles? Not unless we keep upon the
border a bigger force for protection
than was needed before we entered
Mexico. Heretofore we have had to
guard against few desperate, row.
ing bands of outlaws and thieves, who
all told have taken the lives of per-
haps a score Of people this side Of the
border. If we fight Mexico we must
then guard against the hostility of
fifteen million foes.
Will we have Strengthened out"
Mexico as we are fond of saying? Not
by a great deal. Mexico's troubles
are not superficial. Nothing short of
national regeneration can finally
solve her problems; and that cannot
be brought about by force of arms.
Popular education and the restora-
lion to the people of the land stolen
from them by craft and graft-by
such means alone can Mexico be saved
The iron hand of hundred thousand
men could probably keep a semblance
Of order so long as they remain; but
when they are withdrawn, what then ?
The last state of Mexico will be worse
than the first, unless in the meantime
a generation shall have been educated
and the complicated question of pro-
perty rights fairly adjudicated.
But will we be in better position tc
help Mexico solve her problems and
work out her salvation after we have
lost thousands of our sons and slain
of hers? Granted that this
war (if there is to be one) is for Mex
co's good and not for our gain, as we
profess, then we must stay by until
we have done for Mexico these funda-
mental things without which the ma
ion cannot rise. May we not do them
far more quickly and effectively as
Mexico's friend than as her victorious
enemy? Will not our good offices in
-he former capacity be more gladly
accepted thousand times over?
TO subduc Mexico is one thing. X
pacify it, establish order, and make
IF it a good neighbor is far different
War is the shortest route TO the frs
end, without a doubt. If we are con
,erned primarily about taking ven
gence on a distressed, desperate
argely irresponsible people, we ought
% fight. But if VIC aim at MeXico's
lplift to a higher plane OF civilization
war is long, hard road that viii leac
,nly into waters darker yet with mis-
Try and bloodshed and race antagon-
SIN.
But there are those who would
profit by war. At least, they think
hey would. There are millionaires
Who own lands and mines and oil
wells in Mexico and want free hand
% wiring from them the last dollar of
profit That for the moment the
Quickest way to attain their end seems
o be by sacrificing some myriad thou |
sands Of lives is all sufficient. Let us
lave war that Wall Street may have
lividendsl American blood (and Mex
can blood runs just as red, and DROP
or drop weighs just as much in Gods
,ternal scale) is small price to pay
hat American millionaires may add
o their millions. But is it? Ask
yourself in humanity's name, what is |
, million oerau IF land heSida thp life