The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-08
Wanted-A Mexican Policy

Fred J. Splitstone, in Leslie's.
 The United States is spending $1,000,oo0 a week to keep an army on the Mexican border. We are led to believe that this army is to protect American citizens from being murdered in their homes by Pancho Villa-a bandit with few hundred fo.- lowers, who divide their time between cat tie stealing and playing hide-and-seek with the soldiers of Carranza. It is only when the absurdity of setting an army of 5000 or 5000 men to watch a few cat tie rustlers occurs to us that we begin to ask, ''Why this great force on the border of a supposedly friendly country?" The Texas Rangers and the county sher- ifs can take care of cattle thieves, no matter on which side of the border they live.
 It is evident that the purpose of our border army is not to defend us from Villa. We went into Mexico once to get him, and we would have got him if Wash irgton Lad known what to do with him when he was caught. There was no con elusive evidence that he had any connec- tion with the Columbus raid that started Pershing's force across the border. We couldn't have hanged him without evil dence, and we couldn't have turned him
 loose to laugh at us, so we just didn't get him. But we gave him the scare of his life and our borders are quite safe as far as he is concerned.
 Our borders Go get raided by Mexi-
 cans, though, at intervals, and some cat
 tie and horses are stolen Quite a few
 Mexicans get killed, too, and the peculiar thing about it is that they are just as likely as not to be wearing the uniform
 of Carranza's soldiers. Only a few weeks ago a horse thief was shot on a Texas ranch, clad in. the. full uniform of a cap
 tain of the Mexican federal army.
 This adds touch of the grotesque to the real reason why our troops are kept
 along the border. They are to protect the tottering government of Carranza by preventing his enemies from getting arms and ammunition and recruits from the United States while his soldiers loot our I "a nches. That million week of the tired taxpayers money isn't being spent to protect American lives and property, but to support anti-American, pro-German venustiano Carranza in the position of dictator of Mexico, to which Woodrow Wilson raised him. Carranza may have all the weapons he can pay for. The Mexicans who have revolted against his rule may not have any if the United States can prevent it. In their ranks are, admittedly, many of the best men in Mexico, but we, in effect, disarm them while urging Carranza to shoot.
 This isn't in the American spirit of fair play, of course, but it is just about all the Mexican policy that the administra- | ton has developed to date; and it isn't l effective. Our half-hearted support of l Carranza does not prevent the revolution against him from growing. We are halt ing half way. We are trying to anchor l the Carranza governmental ship in 60 | ia thoms of water with only 30 fathoms | of line. When the peace conference gets | through with it's job some rude Europeans are likely to laugh at us.
 If Washington is going to back Car ranza in spite of his evident incapacity for governing. and his active anti-American policy. why doesn't it back him effec- | lively? To give him permission to buy arms is a compliment-but he hasn't any thing to buy with. If it is our policy to have the army of reorganization wiped l out and Carrancismo firmly established why doesn't the government loan Car ranza a bi1ion or two? The bankers have refused him a beggarly half billion be-
 cause the security he offers is worthless.