The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1917-03-30

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had in its possession and which nov
nay be made public. Their publlca
ton also will throw a new light upOI
the much criticized persecution o
VictOrlanO Huerta by President VII
son, his efforts to depose the Mexican
dictator, his anxiety to bring abou
the equalization of the Panama tolls
his interest in the purchase Of thu
Danish West Indies, his activity In
Haitian affairs, and his "watchfu
waiting" policy under strongest provo
cations from Mexico.
That Germany was plotting early In
1914, six months before the European
war started, to bring on war between
the United States and Mexico and
make that war the beginning Of a
world conflict, is a statement coming
from a war observer an American,
who is In a position to know much of
what has been back Of the diplomatic
moves made in Washington during the
last three years.
The New York Herald's inform
ant makes this revelation now only
because the news of Germany's plot
to induce Mexico and Japan to enter
war against the United States has
removed whatever diplomatic reasons
there were for secrecy.
Panama Tons Question.
This observers information is that
President Wilson knew as early as
February 10, 1914, that Germany was
meddling in Mexico and that he had
this in mind when, in his address to
congress on March 5, 1914, urging
equal tolls for foreign ana American
ships using the Panama canal, he
said:
81 ash this of you in support of the
foreign policy of the administration.
l shall not know how to deal with
other matters of even greater delicacy
and nearer consequence if you do not
grant it to me in ungrudging meas
ure."
"This was the beginning" says the
Herald's informant, "of whisperings in
! WashingtOn's official circles that Ger
many was trying to entangle the Unit
ed States in war with Mexico. Before
the president made this speech he and
the members of his cabinet were about
the only Americans who had the
slightest knowledge of Germany's ac-
tivities, and even they did not at that
time realize. their true significance.
! 81,
President Wilson was made fully
cOgnizant of the extent of Germany's
intrgues and knew that the German
government had determined to seize
the island of Haiti, to establish a ma
val base at Mole st. Nicholas, to begin
war with the United States and de-
strOy the Monroe Doctrine, so that
South and Central America might be
thrown open to German colonization.
That was very clearly begun on
the evening of July %, 1914, and un-
doubtedly would have been started
that night had not Austria de-
clared war on Serbia on the same
date, thus calling off Germany's ac-
tivities from this side of the Atlantic.
for the time being. 1 shall speak of
this little later, but now will turn
back to Mexico and follow the Sc
quence of events there.
British Envoys Trip.
"Huerta had been the facto presi-
dent Of Mexico a little more than
year when on February 10, 1914, it was
announced in Washington that Sir
Lionel Garden, the retiring British
minister to Mexico, was coming to
Washington and that Sir Cecil Spring
Rice, the British ambassador, had ar
ranged for him to have a conference
with President Wilson. This was sig
nificant because Mr. Wilson had at
first objected to receiving Sir Lionel
because of the latter's show Of friend
ship for Huerta. President Wilson's
feeling toward Sir Lionel had become
such that Sir Edward Grey and the |
premier, Mr.. Asquith, had tried to
smooth out matters by making |
speeches to parliament in which the |
loyalty of Great Britain was pledged |
10 Lu6 Ou1leu OldlSS' luSy ueCldIeu
the British government had nothing |
but the most friendly feeling toward
the United States and that every step |
was being taken morally to support
the latter's handling of the Mexican
problem.
'It was just a little more than
month later, April TO- that a United
States paymaster and several marines
who went ashore at Tampico were ar
rested by one Of Huertas generals.
This incident caused Admiral Mayo's
demand that Huerta's soldiers salute
the United States flag and the rushing
of the Atlantic feet of IL warships to
Mexican waters. Think of it-17 war
ships to scare Huerta into saluting the
United States! That was the reason
given out. The real reason was that
Huerta was just as much an agent of
Germany then as he was in June, 1915
after he had been deposed and had
gone TO Spain-when he returned to
this country and went to Texas, where
he was arrested and died prisoner of
the United States.
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