New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-16
Out of Mexico

Ten months ago, when President Wilson
dispatched the Pershing expedition into
Mexico for the purpose Of bringing back
Villa. "alive or dead" The Tribune said;
"The country awaits anxiously the
outcome of the Chihuahua expedition.
Is it to duplicate in fruitlessness the
expedition to Vera Cruz? Will our SOL
diers again come back empty handed,
their mission unfulflled?'
The country has waited nearly year
for an answer to these questions. That
answer is furnished at last in the decision
announced yesterday by the Mexican
American Joint Commission. The Pershlng
expedition is to be withdrawn. 1t will
cyacuatc Chihuahua silently and shame
facedly, just as the Funston expedition
skunk away from Vera Cruz.
The Administration first invasion Of
Mexico failed of its purpose. 1t did nor
compel that salute to the American flag
that reparation for the insult offered to
our sovereignty at Tampico-which, &C
cording to the Presidents statement to
I
view in Selling Vera Cruz.
The second invasion has been equally
futile and barren. Villa has not been
killed or captured. He has been at large
for months past, apparently directing
guerilla warfare on a generous scale IN
Northern Mexico. Our forces could not
catch him. and we have not been able to
induce the Carranza government to take
over the burden of catching him and de-
livering him into our custody.
We have not even obtained the minor
satisfaction Of a recognition by Carranza
of the legitimacy Of our intrusion into
Mexican territory. And this in spite OF
the fact that when the troops were ordered
into chihuahua it was claimed by the State
Department that they we're pursuing Villa
under an understanding with the Mexican
Foreign Office.
The Administration, after abandoning
the attempt TO take Villa in its own right
and through its own efforts, spent many
weary months endeavoring to wrest the
semblance OF a diplomatic victory out of
Carranza. It wanted to get him to give
some kind Of or post focto approval to the
American intrusion-to assent indirectly
to the violation Of Mexican sovereignty
which it involved.
But on this point, as on every other
point on which he has ciashed with Wash
ington. General Carranza was adamant.
lie repudiated the fiction that his govern
ment had ever consented TO the entry of
American troops into Mexico. He stub
bornly maintained that their presence
there was unauthorized by international
law and in derogation Of Mexico's rights as
A nation. He would not even consent to
bargain over the terms Of their withdrawal
or give guarantees as TO the policing by his
Government Of the region to be evacuated
nv General Pershing's forces, since by so
doing he might seem to be admitting by
indirection that the American forces had a
right to be doing police duty in Mexico.
In all these contentious General Car
rama had the letter Of the law on his side.
The invasion Of Chihuahua and the main
tenance Of American troops there for ten
months were acts Of war. The Judge Ad-
vocate General Of the Army was compelled
10y legal precedents to rule that state Of
war existed in the Mexican territory occu-
pied by General Pershings forces. But
the Administration did not want TO
acknowledge that it was making war. 1t
wanted to conduct war without declaring
war or altering the pacific status Of its
relations with Carranza's government, 70
which il had only a short time before ex-
tended political recognition.
Its attitude was thoroughly inconsistent
and illogical. Carranza's was unimpeach-
ably correct and could not but remain cor
rect so long as the Administration pre-
tended that it had not made war and was
not making war on Mexico. That being
the situation. the efforts of the joint Mexi-
can commission TO get some circuitous APP
proval Of the Administrations diplomacy
out of the stihest and stubbornest dplo-
matist with whom it has had to deal In
the last four years were doomed in ad-
vance TO failure.
All Carranza had to do was to stand
pat on his technical rights. He has done
this with his natural bulldog obstinacy.
And the Administration, not being able to
move him, has yielded to him, just as it
did in 1915 when it issued an ultimatum
directing him to eliminate himself as a
possibility for the Provisional Presidency
Of Mexico. and then. after he had made It
clear that he would not eliminate himself,
gave him an unconditional recognition.
General Pershings troops were kept IN
Mexico for months after their mission had
failed simply TO wear down Carranza's
patlance and to coerce him into making
certain diplomatic concessions. There has