The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1916-07-06
OUR DUTY AND MEXICO

lNO Hhbttt Whit tnt OutCOUle uI Jne
present difficulty may be this country
can show fairly clean hands in its po-
litical relationship with Mexico for
the last sixty years. One admins.
tration after another has reflected the
desire on the part of the people Of the
United States to deal thoughtfully and
patiently with every problem that
might arise between the two nations
This country has never tried TO I'M
pair Mexican nationality. We have
tried to encourage and protect il. We
can look back with good deal Of sat
isfaction to the aid we gave in the ex-
pulsion of European forces from Mex
leo after our Civil War. We can point
TO long period OF years during which
every dispute was discussed and set
lied calmly and amicably. The whole
thought of one administration after
another has been 70 give Mexico
chance, and that has been the thought
of the people Of this country. No SEN
sible Mexican can doubt that but for
the protection of the United States
Mexico would long ago have ceased
to exist as separate political body
II would have disappeared in 1866
There has been every incentive 10
greed and ambition to take and hold
the country. Time and time again de-
liberate attempts to get US into war
have been thwarted by the good-na-
tured and hopeful belief among our
people that some day and somehow
Mexico would work out her own des-
tiny in her own way, and that the more
powerful we became the better able
we were to let her go on without even
criticizing her faults.
Undoubtedly this truth Is as clear
to the intelligent Mexican people as
IL is TO US. The question is whether
we are dealing at the present moment
with the intelligent Mexican people
or dealing with the Mexican people at
all. Are CarTanza, 0bregon. Villa.
Iapata in any sense any more repre-
sentative of the Mexican people than
Jesse james was Of the Missouri farm
ers who hated and harbored him for
years and welcomed the day when il
was no longer necessary to fear him ?
There are undoubtedly many thous-
ands Of Mexicans who would welcome
honorable relief from the intmida-
tion they have had to endure for the
last few years. They don't want to
give up their nationality. They will
still cry Viva Mexico" But il is i'm
agine5le that they would like to 20
ba,M to tilling th~ii' land hording their
cattle, keeping their shops without the
fear that at any hour robber band
calling itself vavalry squadron nigh,
fall upon them, steal their cash, run
Oft with their cattle or carry away
their grain. The whole north of Old
Mexico has been so overrun by these
ruffian gangs that industry has stop
ped completely. The distress of the
poor people is beyond words. One
group or another of these desperadoes
has swept across the country until a
wolf could hardly live on il. Officers
with General Pershing's column re-
port things too terrible to repeat about
the efforts of women and children to
obtain food.
IL we had humane reason for go
ing into Cuba, we have at least as good
"A reason for going into Mexico. II
we had one selfish reason for going
into Cuba, we have hundred for go
ing into Mexico. II is hugiliating
that country which is under our pro-
lection, which exists as "A political unit
because of our protection, and for
which we are responsible in the eyes
Of other governments should he the
only country in the world where the
life and property of an American cit
izen are not respected by the social
cd authorities. IL is unbearable that
the pretended government of Carran-
IA should not only permit but connive
AT the invasion Of American territory
and the taking of American lives. And
Also it is highly dangerous to the fu-
ture safety Of the United States when
these matters are interviewer with
the ambitions and antagonisms Of a
foreign power.--Colliers Weekly.