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

! froWned upon efforts by any Ameri-
| can citizens to exploit concessions of
| peoples to the south of us. He de-
| nounced cOncessionaires who inter
fered with the processes of orderly
! government and who intrigued to
| overthrow one administration in
Latin America so that it might be
succeeded by another more favorable
to these privileged interests.
! Unfortunately for Mr. Wilson his
own department of state did not
consistently follow. the outline of
policy he made at the start of his
! administration with respect to the
recognition of governments which OBJ
tanned their power by the arbitrary
overthrow of the preceding admins
| tration. The kidnapping of the pres
ident of Peru and the succession of
it's vice president was followed by
recognition extended in the usual
way by the Wilson administration
and there are other cases in Central
America in which the United States
| found that eXpediency required the
recognition of the existing regime,
| giving it moral support rather than
| the encouragemen of a period OF
chaos.
! Wrong Impression Given
| Theoretically Mr.. Wilson'S policy
| Of Insisting upon the orderly proc
esses of government and free cleo
| tiol to prevent disturbance was
! excellent and there is no question
tn 1T Mr.. Wilson contributed a great
deal toward the formulation of pol
icy which some day may be more
literally followed than it was in his
administra ton but the fight made
against Huerta did not lead 20 the
kind of impression Mr.. Wilson want
ed to make in Latina America. On
| the contrary it gave the agitators
in Central and South America an CP-
! portunity to insist that the United
! States was trying to interfere in the
! internal affairs of sovereign cOun-
tries and that one step of inteTfer-
encA would be followed by another
until the COLOSSUS Of the North
gobbIed up its weaker neighbours.
AS an interesting confederation
| however, Of Mr.. Wilson's early am
billions with respect to Latin Ameri-
Can policy, The department of state
lrder the Republican administration
of Secretary Charles Evans Hughes,
| brought abut the signing, of a series
OF treaties between five Central
American countries whereby it was
mutually agreed that recognition
would not be extended to any gov
eminent which owed its origin to the
use Of physical force, or the intrigue
OF ambitious politicians at the head
| Of revolutionary armies.
III 6SiJe nt Wilson had little idea
that his Mexican policy would lead
to serious complications with Europe
and tie general public was not aware
Of the pressure being brought upon
him by European interests to recog.
hize the Huerta regime and secure
settlement Of the debts owed by
Mexico to foreign bond >holders.
In curious fashion indeed did the
Mexican policy become interviewer
with the diplomatic relations which
developed between the United States
and Japan on the one hand over the
alien legislation the state of Cali
fornia and the desire of the British
NgoVernment to obtain a repeal of the
law passed by the same congress eX-
empting American vessels from the
payment of canal tolls and thus dis
eliminating against British and 9th
er foreign vessels.
Conflict With Britain
Mr.. Wilson had many tempestu-
GUS conflicts with the British foreign
office over the apparent support given
to the Huerta regime by the British
government, support intensified
to no small extent, by the large oil
i,,+n oe lVit ich ioa XtT1n
! influenc in the British foreign Of
flee was appreciate,
MI Wilson felt, of course, that the
Eay-Pauncefote treaty guaranteed
Great Britain against discrimination
and he was ready to ask congress
for the repeal Of the Panama Canal
tolls act but in doing so he saw the
wisdom of obtaining reciprocal
pledge from Great Britain whereby
the London foreign office would exer-
else its great Influence with the Jap
anese in bringing about q peaceful
solution of The Japanese-American
controversy.
Great Britain by virtue of the
Anglo-Japanese alliance was in a
position to hold Japan at bay in
the event Of an eXcrescence of war
spirit. it had never been unequivo-
Cally established whether in the event
or war between Jauan and the United
States, Great Britain would he
obliged to assist Japan or could re-
main neutral. In any event the
British were in a position to per-
suade the Japanese not to make
serious issue of the California ques-
ton. That is what Mr.. Wilson meant
when he used the much discussed Of
phrase Matters of far-reachinG and
delicate concern" in his message to
congress asking for unsrudging sup
port for his foreign policy in doing
for Great Britain that which would
make amends for an apparent viola
ton of the Hay-Pauncefote treaty.
After the Panama act was repeal
ed and MI. Wilson had done what he
thought would please the British
foreign office he was very much sur
prised to discover that the British
were indirectly supporting the Huer
ia regime in Mexico Walter Hines
Page. American ambassador to Great
Britain, had many stormy confer
ence with Sir Edward Grey, the Brit
ish foreign minister all of which led
to an expression from the British
government OF a Willingness to per
! nlit the United States to have a free
hand in dealing with the Mexican
government. Mr. Wilson in those
days was convinced that the Huerta
regime would have topped much
NAN \HNDD ICNfT MAJ