The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-01-18
rHREsHING THE OLD STRAW

Months ago the Miami Herald and
the Telegram discussed at length
the policy of President Wilson IN
the matter of our Mexican relations
and reaching an amicable agreement
to disagree, dropped the subject.
But now comes the Herald, and with
some display of temper reopens the
question as though to challenge us
to say it all over again. This time
the immediate ground of offense is
because the Telegram, referring to
the recent murder of Americans by
Mexican outlaws, said But OF
course the jingoes in this country
will charge it all up to President
Wilson and rip and snort in ridicu-
lous fashion about armed interven-
ton to protect our rights.
Well, what's wrong with that state
ment? The jingoes got on the JOB
at once as soon as they heard of the
murders and they are at it now with
voice and pen all over the country
savagely denouncing the president
for not long ago involving this coun-
try in war with Mexico because
number of Americans caught in the
vortex Of the bloody maelstrom there
had lost their lives. 1t was their own
affair if they chose to remain in
land upon which chaos had come
and where there was no responsible
government to protect them, and
that this nation should pay the stu
pendous price of war for the rash
ness Of a few of our countrymen who
might have gotten out, but wouldn't
does not appeal to us as fair deal
for the administration nor as just
demand upon the United States to
resort to the last terrible remedy OF
the sword to settle the grievance.
There is no need to recapitulate
the facts. We all know them, and
we all know, too, that the sober Sec
ond thought of the country gradual
ly asserted itself, and turning from
the unreasoning clamor of the jim
goes, rallied about the wise. strong
patient man at Washington, who
was seeking to save us from the
greatest of all evils without sacrifice
of national honor, and gave him Its
full approval There is no doubt
about this. Even the jingoes reluc
family subsidized with the dispersal o
Villas army and the establishment
of the Carranza government, mani
testify backed by the bulk of thu
Mexican people.
All of us can now see, LOOKING
back over the period since Nader,
was slain, that if we had Intervene
at any time with an armed force W
would have very probably defeate
our own purpose. Such Intervention
would have promptly solidifie
against US all the faction
in Mexico and we would have bee
at war rioht now in country of tire
mendous natural difficulties-costl!
useless, bloody war, with not on
American life saved by it. On tn
contrary, thousands of our best an
bravest would have been sacrifice
on the battlefield. huge war del
piled up that would have taxed ever
home in the nation, and we woul
have earned for generations to con
the intense, passionate hatred of Il
most unforgiving, reyengeful poop
in the world, and those people OF
next door neig hbors.
President Wilson's policy avoid,
all that, with no loss of nation
honor except in the view of a cor
paratively few and negligible h
percritics of his own country, al
now having won the genuine frien
ship of Mexico, with the dispersal
capture of the vagabond remnant
Villas army, to which Carranza
giving his best efforts. we can aga
renew peaceful and profitable CO.
meTcial relations with that count
upon an enduring basis. Mexic
problems are her own and she mt
work them out herself, and it wor
have been almost a wanton W
without even a plausible excuse,
We had sent an army over there
kill and conquer those unhappy p
pie because a few Americans, W
refused to leave and were willing
take their chances, lost their Ii
in the bloody weller that enveloI
all the land.
Nor is there any sound reason
a revival of the lingo clamor beca
of the murder of eighteen Americi
by Mexican outlaws There is 6
eminent in Mexico now to which
can appeal, and the president
received full and prompt assure
from that government that no eff
will be spared to run down and 81
marily execute the criminals '
committed those murders. We XII
that that very effort is being m
and that Carranza has every mot