The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1916-08-05

tnat Mexico was entitled to spill a,
much blood as she pleased to settl.
her affairs. The administration vacil
lated with respect to the embargo OF
the export of arms and munitions tt
| Mexico. There was an utter absence
OF consistent policy. S
Recognition of carranza.
For time we bestowed friendship
on Villa. Ultimately we recognized
Carranza, not on the ground that he
had a constitutional government, but
mat 1t was a de facto government
The complete failure to secure pro
lection to American citizens is shown
conclusively in the note Of the sec
rotary of state of June 20, 1916.
| e.. The Santa Yzabel massacre, the
raid at Columbus, the bloodshed al
Carrizal are fresh in your minds
After the Columbus raid we started
a punitive expedition. We sent a
;; thin line of troops hundreds of miles
; into Mexico, between two lines of rail
way, neither of which we were allow.
ed to use and which we did not feel
at liberty to seize. We were refused
permission to enter the towns. Though
thus restricted the enterprise was still
regarded by the Mexicans as a men.
ace. Our troops faced hostile forces
and 1t Is not remarkable that our men
fell at Carrizal What other result
could be expected.
I'VE were virtually ordered to with.
draw and without accomplishing our
purpose we have been withdrawing
and we are now endeavoring to safe.
guard our own territory. The entire
national guard has been ordered out
and many thousands Of our citizens
have been taken from their peaceful
employment and hurried to the Mexi-
can borders. The administration was
to seize and punish Villa for his out
rage on our soil. It has not punished
any one; we went in only to retire and
future movements are apparently to
be determined by joint commission. "
Touches on European War.
Discussing the European war and
the maintenance of American rights,
Mr.. Hughes declared that national
security demands that there shall be
no faltering with American rights"
Continuing, he said:
1--WE countenance no covert policies.
no 1ntrigues, no secret schemes. We
are unreservedly, devotedly, whole
heartedly for the United States. That
is the rallying point for all Ameri-
cans. That is my position. I stand
for the unf1inching maintenance of
all American rights on land and sea.
I'VE have had clear and definite
mission as great neutral nation. 1t
was for US to maintain the integrity
rof international faw; to vindfcate our
rights as neutrals; to protect the
lives Of our citizens, their property
and trade from wrongful acts. At
least we were secured. We have had
brave words in series Of notes, but
despite our protests the lives of Amer
leans have been destroyed. What
does it avail to use some of the
strongest words known to diplomacy
if ambassadors can receive the i'm
preston that the words are not to
be taken seriously
Words Alone. Do Not Count.
ut is not words, but the strength
and resolution behind the words that
count. Had this government by the
use of both informal and formal diplo-
matte opportunities left no doubt that
when we said "strict accountability"
we meant precisely what we said and
that we should unhesitatingly vindi-
cate that position. am confident there
would have been no destruction of
American lives by the sinking of the
Lusitania. Moreover, a firm American
policy would have been strongly sup
ported by our people and the oppor.
tunities Of the development of bitter
feeling would have been vastly re-
duced.
1T is a great mistake to say that
resoluteness in protecting American
rights would have led to war. Rather,
in that course lay the best assurance
Of peace. Weakness and indecision
in the maintenance of known rights
are always sources of grave danger.
They forfeit respect and invite seri-
GUS wrongs, which in turn create an
uncomfortable popular resentment.
That is not the path of national &C.
curity.
Weakness invites War.
"Not only have we host of 10.
sources short of war by which to en-
force our just demands, but we shall
never promote our peace by being
stronger in words than in deeds. We
should not have found it difficult to
maintain peace, but we should have
maintained peace with honor. During
this critical period the only danger of
war has lain in the weak course of the
administration.
"The nation had no Interior pur-
poses," he said, and 1--WE denounce all
plote and conspiracies in the interest
of any foreign nation. Utterly in
tolerable is the use of our soil for
alien intrigues."
Referring to preparedness, Mr.
Hughes said:
1--WE are a peace loving people, but
we live in world of arms. We have
no thought of aggression and we de-
sire to pursue our democratic ideals
without the wastes of strife. So de-.
voted are we to these ideals, so intent
upon our moral Development that
do not believe that there is the
eli 10Th - e.,