The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-12-06
HASLAST
SAY; CAN PREVENT
ARMED INVASION
Continued From FIRST Page,

proponents OF Intervention to place the
blame for i~naGtion squarely on him.
though talks with individual members
o. congress lead to the suspicion that,
] the president suddenly put the mat
ter up TO congress, that branch of the
government would hesitate to take the
responsibility,
IT viii be NOTED that, Notwithstanding
nl the talk Of armed interye ntton, the
tnrtherest distance that congress seems
Wiling to go Is q simple withdrawal of
recognition and the severance OF diplo-
matte relations. There steps have been
under consideration and are not under
stood Objectionable to the president.
Tempest in Teapot"
But the controversy over Mexico at
TINS time is really a tempest In n tea
pot. II IL a side affair. The real uues-
ton that has been indirectly raised by
congress Is whether or not the presl-
dent Is Incapable of performing public
duties.
Some time ago attention was called
10 q campaign that has been begun to
drive. woodrow Wilson out OF office be-
Tore his term expired. He has been III
two months, Most OF the members Of
congress considerably decline to be
drawn into any plan to declare the
president legally unable to fulfill his
executive tasks, Most Of them are not
parties to the plan Of II group Of ex-
tremists. There is a well defined feel
ing among many Republicans that some
OF their colleagues are going too far
In batting the president, and that II
public reaction may follow, which may
be politically disastrous.
Knows Wilson's Views.
As a matter Of fact, Senator FAN. who
saw the president In company with
Senator Hitchcock, knew In adygnce
| fhot Mr. WILLOW r,po ppI -~r,a az,
him on the Mexican question. The
president was well enough to sit in an
aim Cliitlr, and ilsteu W ,ue alguncl.S
OF the New Mexico senator, and to re-
turn, as Is his custom, "a noncommittal
answer. II had not been expected that
any cher member OF the senate what
his pnus were with respect to Mexico,
but would communicate his views In a
message TO both houses Of congress.
While II is true that Secretary Ian
sing has not consulted the president
about Mexico since his Illness, 1t Is also
true that memoranda on the situation
have been IN Mr.. Wilson'S hands, and
that tho newspaper accounts of the text
OF every note sent and the Fall resolu-
ton have been read by the president.
And his Judgment Is unquestiouably
the same as It has been, that, while
America has the power and the re-
sources to jump on n weak nation, and
punish for the acts Of u few govern
mental officials the helpless millions
who would be drawn INTO the strife. nc
such curse Of action would Mt this time
be taken by the man who has been the
outspoken champion Of weak nations.
Crisis Not Grave.
There Is no doubt that the Mexican
situation has irritated the president
from time to time. There Is no doubt
that nj this time he shares the out
ragged feelings Of the senate over the
policy of Mexico in the jenkins case,
but there were things happening dur
ing the wal with Germany which de-
served armed Intervention much more
than today, and It was deemed mex
pedlent for material reasons to indulge
In II wat below the Rio Grande,
The condition Is not much changed
International affairs are In a state OF
confusion, due to the failure OF the
senate to give the nation n peace treaty
and to help Europe To it's feet, Ger
many Is hesitating to approve the
protocols submitted by the allies, think
ing the senate action Is In her interest.
Domestic affairs inside the United
states are unsettled, President Wilson
may he bitterly criticised for failure Ia
intervene in Mexico at this time, hut
he isn't going to involve the country
In any mere wars at the present day
nt least until Americas own affairs
are settled,
Copyright, 1919, by David Lawrence