Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-07-07
What Would They Have Done?

Republican partisans who seek to lay the blame
for the Mexican trouble on a Democratic President
forget or ignore the historic background and
sources of the present situation From the day of its
independence in 1921 up to the establishment or
the Diaz dictatorship in 1S77-a period of more
than fifty years-Mexico was embroled in some
three hundred revolutions. The only regime under
which the country had anything like continuous
peace and order collapsed in 1911 and the welter
of lawlessness set in anew. Interestingly enough
the government of the United States then in
Republican charge and remained in Republican
charge for two years while conditions across the
border grew more and more disturbing
Commenting on this record the Springfield
Mass Republican, an independent newspaper, re-
marks that inasmuch there was more than half
a century of Mexican turmoil and war before the
rise of Diaz. it is not at all surprising that there
have been five years of turmoil and insurrection
since his fall:
Yet, the Republican party is accusing
the President of the United States of being
responsible for Mexicos present condition.
Mr. Taft himself, forgetting that the only
stable government Mexico had had in one
hundred years fell in ruins while he was presi-
dent of the United States and that Diaz's sue
cessor Madero was foully murdered in the in
terest of the man whose rise to power was
aided by Mr.. Tafts ambassador, tells the pub
lie that if the United States has to intervene
in Mexico the present administration will be
to blame for the mess In so far as the United
States has been at all responsible for the gov
eminent of Mexico, the distribution of blame
for what has happened will ultimately leave
the Taft administration and its ambassador to
Mexico City with certain share One of the
difficulties besetting the Mexican situation has
been the partisan desire of the political OPP
ponents of the president to make political cap
ital out of it. The Mexican question was in
politics from the moment that the assassin
dictator, General Huerta was given encourage
ment in this country to oppose the plans of
the administration to help establish the gov
eminent of Mexico on the constitution of
Mexico"
While the Republicans censure a Democratic
President for not magically solving problem which
was inherited from their own administration, they
do not pretend to say what they would have done
had they been in power during the last three years
The probability is that Mr.. Taft or Mr. Hughes
had he been President, would have pursued prac-
ticaIly the same course which Mr.. Wilson has fol-
lowed Being conservative men, DESTROYS OF avoid
ing war so long as II could be avoided with honor,
either of them no doubt would have gone the limit
of forbearance and watchful restraint. Short of
actual war neither could have done more than Mr..
Wilson has done for bringing our troublous neigh
Dor to terms and safeguarding the United States
border.
Neither the Republican the Democratic
marty has committed itself to intervention. Indeed,
the Republican platform adopted last month at
Chicago denounces what it terms 1.-The indefensible
methods of interference employed by this (the
WILSON, Administration in the internal affairs Of
Mexico" If that means anything, it means that
the Republican party denounces the punitive expe-
dition which was sent TO exterminate Villas ban
dts; IL means that Republican President If true
to his party's platform, would not have acted as
vigorously as Mr.. Wilson did in the same circum-
stances.
The fact is the Republicans simply are trying
TO make political capital out of problem which
existed when they we're in power and for which
they have no solution. 1t may be that eventually
the United States will be constrained to take charge
in Mexico and maintain a protectorate there until
the country is capable of self-government; many
Americans consider this inevitable. But this is in
no wise an issue in the present campaign. When
Mr. Hughes bewails Democratic recreance in this
matter he is merely talking through his whiskers.
1t has been some time since the kaiser has made
a dinner engagement away from home.
Our soldier boys may not fight the Mexicans,