The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-03-25
WILSON WILL NOT
FIGHT MEXICO
Appointment of Morgen-
than as Ambassador Indi-
: Gates Continued Peace
ACTIVITIES
AGAIN IGNORED
President Will Not Withdraw Recog
milton Of Carranza Government =
Complete Rejection of Lansing and
Fletcher Ideas On Mexican Problem.
By. DAVID LAWRENCE.
Copyright by The Reformer. }

copyright DN Inc he1OT1leT.
WASHINGTON, March 25.-Nomi
nation of Henry Morgenthau to be the
American ambassador to Mexico con
3titutes the final assurance that unless
some untoward act, not now foreseen
arises, to disturb the friendly relations
between the United States and Mexico,
under the Wilson administration in the
affairs of the southern republic nor
the withdrawal of recognition of the
Carranza government based upon the
record of what has happened thus far.
The President s appointment of sue
cessor to Ambassador Fletcher is his an
swer to the activities of the senate sub
committee investigating Mexican affairs
which has been presided over by Sena-
tor Fall. of New Mexico 1t is more
over his reply to the campaign which
had obtained sympathetic consideration
inside the department of state to with
draw recognition from the CarranZa |
government by resolution of congress. |
1t is true that Secretary Lansing, al |
though the original proponent of recog- |
milton of Carranza, had gotten more or
less out of patience with the actions of
the Mexican government in various
disputes pending with the United States
and that Ambassador Fletcher, too,
felt that all that could be done with
dignity and honor had been attempted
by the American embassy at Mexico
City to no avail Mr. Fletcher had been
ambassador to Chile and brought with
him to Mexico City not only fluent
command of the Mexican language but
a knowledge of Latin American affairs
that made it possible for him to get a
firm grasp on the situation in a short
time He had many personal confer
enees with President CarranZa and per
| formed a delicate task in the period of
| Americas participation in the Euro
pean war when il was particularly de-
| sirable to keep the Germans from using
| Mexico as base for intrigue or per
| nicious activity in Mexican affairs that
| might bring on a war between the
| United States and divert the flow of
men and supplies to Europe.
| When the war was ended. the Presi-
| dent was either in Paris or too alb
| sorbed while in Washington in the larg-
| er affairs of the league of nations to
| bother about Mexico As conse-
/ quence matters drifted on until the
senate subcommittee took an active in
| terest in the situation, seeking by pub
| lieitv not exactly to bring about inter
| ventiOn as so many people have sup
| posed but to obtain withdrawal of the
| recognition the United States had ex.
tended to the Carranza government
| Even if the plan failed, it was thought
| the moral influence of the investigation
| would promote healthier regard foI
the lives ard properties of American
citizens, especially in the vexatious oil
| controversy.
There is some reason to believe that
| both Secretary Lansing and Ambassador
Fletcher were so ready to cooperate
| with the senate committee as to give
the impression that they believed Their
own hand in diplomacy would be
strengthened thereby in dealing directly
| with the Carranza government. But
President Wilson upset all plans. Not
only did he decline to countenance any
cooperation between Secretary Lansing
| and the senate committee looking to-
/ ward withdrawal of recognition and
incidentally considered the Jenkins case
u rather fiimsy pretext for international
| strife, but he accepted Ambassador
| Fletcher s resignation without so much
as word of appreciation for the many
| and trying months he had spent in
| wrestling with the Mexican situation
both in Mexico City and Washington.
President Wilson simply closes the
book ON the past, ignores the talk about
withdrawing recognition, and sends to
| Mexico CITY new ambassador. a man
| who has won distinction in the Euro
pean field of diplomacy and a personal
| friend besides. So far as the 1920 cam
/ paign is concerned. Mr. Wilson is no
more disturbed about the Mexican ques
| ton as an issue than he was in 1916
| when the Carrizal affair served to in
| flame public opinion and develop more
| acute interest than the subject arouses
| today To have withdrawn recognition
| on the other hand might have been q
| confession of wrong in the first place
and laid the Wilson administration
| open to another charge of inconsistency
| in the Mexican situation. Now the Will
| son people will continue to insist that
| the United States is giving a struggling
republic AN opportunity to work out
| the policy of self determination and
| that the five years that have elapsed
since recognition was extended in 1919
is brief period in which to work out
a construction policy considering the
difficulties that Russia is having after
| her revolution and that the United
States herself had after the Civil war
| To have made war on Mexico would
| have offered serious contradiction to
| the campaign arguments which the Dem
ocrats plan to make on the treaty OF
peace and league of nations They in
tend to exhibit the league and treaty
as the protecting and stabilizing influ-
ence whereby the weak are protected
| frl,,, 4hn nl.nr,ro..-il,,n e e tl,n c4rnrnr