Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-04-12
CHAPTER Y x

Features, Incorporated
CHAPTER Xxx
T0NE, of Woodrow Wilson'S poll
~ cies will be more difficult for
the historian to understand
that the complicated relations with
| Mexico The author happened to
have played part in the course of
events growing out of the Mexican
situation as early as October, 1910,
| when President Taft and Secretary
Knox were dealing with these per-
| licking questions. 1t was during
| the Taft administration that the
| author, as q representative OF the
Associated Press, was privileged to
win the confidence of both the Ma
dero and Diaz factions and to as
sist in. bringing about an aImistice
land subsequently at Juarez. Mexico,
the signing of a treaty of peace
whereby tie Madero revolution was
formally terminated and bloodshed
avoided. The author was engaged
in reporting the events of the Mex
lean revolution in 1872 when instruc
] tons were sent by the Associated
Press to proceed to Governor Will
sons headquarters and begin a daily
chronicle of MIR. Wilson's activities
as presidential candidate. While
accompanying the president-elect one
day from New York to Trenton, word
| 70 Of Mt nj
| Madero and Vice President Pine
| SuareZ by Victoriano Huerta who
made himself dictator in Mexico. Mr..
| Wilson told the newspaper men with
him that he did not believe any
harm would befall either Madero
and Saurez. He was deeply shocked
therefore, when he heard of the bru-
tai murders which followed,
Taft-knox Policy
| Secretary Knox &c the state depart
ment, accustomed as he was to the
habits Of the countries below the
Rio Grande, was not inclined to make
an issue of the murder and refuse
| recognition, because as a practical
| thing the United States government
had in the past extended recognition
wherever d government seemed to
be in military control of the situa-
ton. Inquiry was never made too
closely into The virtues of any par
ticula4 individual or group of indiVid-
uals in a Latin-American govern
ment The Taft-knox administra-
ton was ready to recognize the
Huerta regime but asked for a set
! Element of the troublesome bounda-
| Il - in jVC H1 m
The Huerta administration mistaken
ly believing that better terms could
be secured from the Wilson. admin
| istration procrastinated and the 4th
of March, 1918, arrived with no recOg-
milton ext 9nded.
Secretary Knox instructed Hunt
| ngton Wilson, assistant secretary
| # $tate, to set in touch with Mr..
| Wilson before the Inauguration and
advise him of the status of Mexican
affairs The presldent-elect was sus-
| pcious and did not act according to
| the advice given him. Nor did he
accept in later weeks the counsel OF
| Henry Lane Wilson, the American
Ambassador at Mexico City, largely
because he believed Ambassador Viii.
son had played too intimate a part
| IN Mexican affairs and was himself
a party to too many unofficial and
| informal compromises with the
| Iuerta administration. When Am
| bassador w .lson returned to the
United States and Nelson O'Shaugh'
messy was left in charge of the Amer
lean embassy in Mexico City the same
distriust. of OShaughnessy was APP
parent although the reasons for it
were not the same. Mr.. Onslaught
messy was on intimate terms with
Huerta and PRESIDENT Wilson believed
that O'Shaughnessy did not press
with proper Vigor and emphasis the
notes being sent to the Huerta adj
ministration.
Controversy Not Desired
Although President Wilson was
| stubbornly insistent that "Huerta
must go" he was never anxious to
precipitate a controversy with MeXi.
co involving the use of physical
| force.
The dispatch of former Governor
| Lind, OF Minnesota, to Mexico as an
| unofficial envoy rather than commits
sioner was decided upon as a means
Of getting impartial reports on the
situation in Mexico. Governor LIND
had had no experience in the diplo-
matte world or in LatinAmerica, but
| his reports in1nresSed both President
| Wilson and Secretary Bryan as
| lucid and accurate. Mr.. Wilson had
the idea, however, that the Mexican
7 policy on which he was embarked
would have an influence upon other
! parts of Central and South America.
| The arbitrary usurpation of power
and especially the overthrow of gov
ernments by physical force had UNI
settled Latin America for genera
tions President Wilson became con-
WINGED of the necessity of taking
such a. stand in order that some
thing might be done toward stablllz-
ing the governmental situations in
Latin America. confirmation of this
view was publicly given when Mr.
Wilson made his famous speech at
| Mobile early in 1914, declaring that