The Cordova daily times., 1919-07-10

end would we not be doing just what
we have done?
We put these propositions in the
form of questions because the obvi-
GUS answers may be the wrong ones.
Perhaps President Wilson, when he
begins his tour of the United States
in defense of the. league, will be able
to answer the questions so satisfac-
hats for the league and cheer the
American President who brought per-
manent peace to the world, even
though he did not keep us out of the
war.
But meantime the Mexican question
is before us. 1t has not been solved
after nearly ten years of revolution
in Mexico, the murder of many Ameri-
cans and the destruction or confis-
cation of. manay millions of dollars
worth of American property.
We may be sure that our fight
against the Villistas, which saved
Juarez for the Carranzistas, will win
us no credit with Carranza, that de-
who thinks in terms of Lenine and
Trotzky.
When Pershing invaded Mexico to
run down Villa the Carranza govern
ment put every obstacle in his way
and continued to insult the govern
ment at Washington. When he be-
came intrenched in power Carranza
continued his insults, and when the
European war broke out, was delighted
to take up the German cause because,
in his pig-headed mind, he thought he
saw an opportunity to annoy the Unit
ed States. He has been excused on
the ground that he must keep himself
in accord with violent factions of the
Mexican people, but there was no de-
mand among the Mexicans that Mex
leo join forces with Germany. Never
theless, throughout the war Carranza
strove to make our position as diff
cult as possible.
Mexico became the refuge of Ger
man spies and terrorists who fed
from this country. Carranza welcomed
them and permitted them and their
subsidized newspapers to plead the
cause of the Hun. One journal, Ell
Universal, took the side of the United
States so brilliantly and effectively
that Carranza ordered the editor out
of the country. Editor Pallavicini was
compelled to dispose of his property
as best he could and quit Mexico.
When the cruisers Ozark and An
napolis, at Tampico, took Americans
and foreigners under their protection
to save them from murderOus Viii
Iistas the Mexican government inso-
lently resented the act and declared
that such protection was "strictly the
Junction. of that government. And
yet it had done and was doing moth
ing to afford protection. In fact, fed
eral soldiers had joined in the war
fare against foreigners.
Whether his purpose was to harass
the allies or simply to steal their prop
erty, Carranza changed the constitu-
ton so that he might seize the oil
wells Under the guise Of a tax law
he made cOnfscatiOn possible and was
only interrupted in his plans by the
stern protests Of the allies and the
United States government. Then Car
rama began propaganda Of his own
and he was especially virulent and vim
dictive in his attitude toward the Unit
ed States. His plan was to take more
than a billion dollars worth of prop
erty acquired legally by Americans
and foreigners under the guarantee
of the constitution of 1857, a cOnsti-
tuition, by the way, which he had
pledged himself in the "plan of Quad
alupe" to restore and keep in force.
On the other hand we have Villa
and his banditti They have placed
at their head General Felipe Angeles,
a pure-blooded Indian of ability, who,
as an officer in the French army, was
on detail in the United States during
the war. No doubt they reckoned
that he would increase their prestige
and cause the United States govern
ment to forget the Columbus and Santa
Isabel massacres.
The Mexican problem, therefore, is
filled with complexities. If it were
simply a question of two factions with
definite principles solution probably
would be easy, but it is complicated
always by personal equations, by such
stubborn equations as Carranza and
Villa, or worse.