Charlevoix county herald., 1916-08-18

ANOWp VIC nave Hdo CAhibitioh AZ
The last three years, which / confess
ills me with deep sense of shame.
II would not counsel any action that
Was contrary to the dictates OF those
asages and customs and recognized
rights and obligations which We COM
prise under the name of international
Law. II was our business to stand for
all the rights of American citizens un-
der international law-to vindicate in
ternational law.
Now, you take for example the case
OF Mexico. We had certain things that
We had right to demand of Mexico;
and there was proper way Of demand
Ing them. We should have said that
!. We insisted upon the protection of the
lives and property of American citi-
zens, OF just protection, such protec-
ton as we are entitled to from a gov
eminent that performs the functions
Of government. We could have said
we would not recognize Huetra IL his
government could not discharge those
functions. We had no business to rec
ognize him unless the executive was
satisfied he could discharge those func-
tons. But Ii was another thing to
take an attitude quite apart from the
protection of American rights and
wage war upon an individual and try
to take control of Mexican affairs in
The interest of what We think they
should be.
Styles francesca Villa
Incompatible Character
Now, that was precisely what was
done. We did not content ourselves
with not recognizing Huerta. There is
no question about recognizing or not
recognizing Huerta. That was a mat
ter to be determined according to
proper principles, according to the I'M
derstanding of the executive as to the
capacity of that government, If II were
a government, to furnish adequate pro-
lection and discharge international OBJ
legations. But our administration said
to Huerta: You get out. You can't
even be candidate. We won't allow
you to run for office. We are SO de-
termined to get rid Of you. that you
can't put yourself up to be voted for.
And Immediately after recognition was
withdrawn from Huerta it was ex-
tended to that incompatible, that ideal
character, Villa.
Now, In my judgment, the admins
tration did very wrong thing in aban-
doning its proper international attitude
= and taking the attitude that no inter-
national lawyer could understand
that no Mexican could understand.
They said, or the administration
said: We do not want to NEEDLE with
your affairs; but we won't let Huerta
be candidate. We do not want to
do anything which indicates a desire
to control your politics, but in your
domestic affairs, you have got to do
what We say
Now, the Mexicans protested. They
ala not think we were sincere. They
could not understand that. But here
was bred hatred of us, and an ami.
mostly for u.s. That is very regrettable.
We have no aggressive desires with re-
spect to Mexico, or any other country.
This country has no desire to do any.
thing but what is just Why should
we make any one dislike us? We
, never would, II We were correct We
never would If we understood what we
} were to ask and why we were to ask
ii, and where we were to be strong. 1t
is an awful thing to be strong in the
! wrong place and then run away as soon
as you get caught at 1t.
why did we go down to Vera Cruz?
Most Of the people of this country
|
tanned an insult and that our admiral
had demanded salute, or that we
, backed him up in this demand for the
saltue. Well, that was an extraordi.
nary thing to shed blood over. But
, We didn't get the salute. 1t turns out
We didn't go after the salute. We went
before the resolution was passed, and
then apparently it was to prevent the
landing OF ammunition that would get
to Huerta, and still within very short
time after that landing the ammuni.
ton got to Huerta. Well, the Mexi.
cans didn't understand our attitude
there was fight; 10 Americans and a
large number of Mexicans were killed
And they, the administration, say they
, kept us out of war That was war:
and very ignoble war 1t was called
; over the bodies Of those dead soldiers
war OF service.
But We did not persist in It; we
came back, and when one of the
brightest minds of the administration
was quoted in one of the distinguished
papers OF New York, and asked to ex.
plain what We went there for, this
, cabinet officer said: No, not to pre-
vent the landing of munitions, we went
there to get rid of Huerta' There you
have this wrong headed policy showing
up again. The Mexicans couldn't un
derstand 1t. IL he had said that we
did not recognize Huerta because he
! couldn't fulfill his obligations, IL we
had said We wanted a stable govern
ment there they could have under
stood that; but they couldn't under
stand why we went to Vera Cruz
That was Intervention, and it was an
Intervention that didn't stay put. We
went there and came back. II re
minds me OF boy that was caught in
the orchard OF his fathers neighbor
and the irate owner came out and
: said, Hey! What are you doing here
Where are you going?' Going back
sir said the boy
Is Wrong to Put United
5 States In Such Position
II do not like to have the United
: States put In such position. 1t IL
!, wrong. Now, what did We do? Hav
4 ing gotten rid of Huerta by this ex
D traordinary series of actions, what mex
, did we do? We said: Let these Mexi
e cans spill as much blood as they wan,
4 to, that is their blessed privilege. Sc
e | we coQuetted with Villa we coouettet