The daily Alaskan., 1917-01-08

At Time When We Had Troubles of
 Our Own We Said "F'ands oil" to
 the Powers of Europe That Trlod to
 Raise Monarchy In America.
 If it had not been, for the United States there would now be no republic of Mexico.
 Like all the twenty republics. south of us, Mexico has been under the pro tection of the Monroe doctrine. The doctrine has been often questioned by European powers, but only once has serious attempt been made to violate 1t. This was between 1861 and 1865, when the United States was engaged In internecine warfare that inperiled Its very existence, Just as soon as our war broke out the warships of Eng land, France and Spain set sail for Mexico and took possession of Vera Cruz. Secretary Seward notified the three allied powers of our deep concern and anxiety for the security and wei fare of the Mexican republic and that our fleet would be stationed in the gulf of Mexico to look after our interests.
 England and Spain soon withdrew, but 1t became evident that Napoleon III. intended to overthrow the republic of Mexico as he had the republic of France. A fictitious empire was forced upon Mexico by French troops, and an Austrian archduke, Maximllian, was selected as the puppet sovereign. The French invasion was directed against all the republics of the new world. It was prophesied In Paris that In ten years every South American republic would be converted into a monarchy and the United States into dictator ship.
 The hands or the American govern ment were tied, but the voice of the American people could not be stlenced. In the midst of our own war, when war with England seemed imminent, the house of representatives risked a war with France by passing a vote of 109 to nothing that Tt does not accord with the policy of the United States to acknowledge any monarchical gov ernment erected upon the ruins of any republican government in America un- der the auspices of any European power"
 Nothing more could be done at the time, but just as soon as our war was over General Grant proposed to organ ize an army of combined Union and Confederate soldiers who would volun- teer to march to the City of Mexico and expel the Austrian emperor. He selected General Schofeld to enlist troops for service on the republican side of Mexico. The war department gave General Schofeld leave of ab- sence for a year, with permission to go beyond the limits of the United States and to take with him any of his staff officers that he wanted. In the mean time Grant sent Sheridan to the Rio Grande with 5O,OOO troops, which were distributed along the frontier, where they threatened the French lines.
 But fortunately force was not neces- sary. The show of force was sufficient and Schofeld was sent to Paris to ne gohate for the retirement of the French troops instead of into Mexico to drive them out. The secretary of state notified Napoleon in November, 1865, that the United States "still re- garded the effort to establish perma- nently a foreign and imperial govern ment in Mexico as disallOwable and impracticable." As the emperor of the French did not seem disposed to pay any attention to this Mfr. Seward set definite date for the withdrawal of the French troops.
 The Mexican republicans under JuR- reg had been keeping up brave fight for freedom, although Maximilian had ordered all of them shot whenever caught, without trial or the possibility of pardon. As soon as the United States had compelled the withdrawal of the French the republicans were able to overcome the imperialists with no official assistance from the United States. Their victory was marred by the unnecessary execution of the would be emperor in spite of the interposition of Secretary Seward.
 But the United States had to say Hands off" to Austria as well as to France. Rather than have an Austrian archduke ignominiously dismounted from the throne 1t was planned to ship 10000 Austrian troops from Trieste to Vera Cruz. But our minister at Vien- na, MT. Motley, was told by Secretary Seward that If Austria allowed a sin gle soldier to embark for Mexico the United States would break off rela- lions at once. The Austrian govern ment saw the point and prohibited the shipment of the troops enlisted for Mexico.-New York Independent,