Evening star., 1924-03-15
The True Story of
Woodrow Wilson
By DAVID LAWRENCE.

American government frowned upon
efforts by any American citizens to
exploit concessions Of peoples to the
south of us. He denounced conces-
sionaires who interfered with the
processes of orderly government and
who intrigued to overthrow one ad-
lnfnistration in Latin America SO that
1t 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
obtained their power by the arbi-
trary overthrow of the preceding ad-
ministration. The kidnapping of the
. PRESIDENT of Peru and the succession
; or its vice president was followed by
recognition extended in the usual way
there are other cases in Central
America in which tho United States
found that expediency required the
recognition of the existing regime,
the encouragement of a period OF
chaos.
Poi Z Excellent In Theory.
Theoretically, Mr.. Wilson's policy
OF insisting upon the orderly proc
esses of government and free cleo
tlons to prevent disturbance was ex-
celient, and there is no question that
Mr.. Wilson contributed a great deal
toward the formulation of a policy
which some day may be more liter
ally followed than it was in his ad-
ministration, but the fight made
against Huerta did not lead to the
; kind of impression Mr.. Wilson want
ed to make in Latin America On the
contrary, it gave the agitators in
Central and South America an oppor-
tunity to insist that the United States
was trying to interfere in the internal
affairs of sovereign countries, and
that one step of interference would
be followed by another until the
it's weaker neighborS.
AS an interesting corroboration
however, of Mr.. Wilson's early ambi-
tions with respect to Latin American
policy, the Department of State under
the republican administra ton OF Sec
retary Charles Evans Hughes brought
about the signing of series Of
treaties between five Central Ameri-
can countries whereby it was mu-
tually agreed that recognition would
not be extended to any government
which owed it's origin to the use of
physical force or the intrigue Of am
bilious politicians at the head Of
revolutionary armies.
President Wilson had little idea
that his Mexican policy would lead
to serious complications with Europe,
and the general public was not aware
of the pressure being brought upon
him by European interests to recog-
nize the Huerta regime and secure a
settlement of the debts owed by
Mexico to foreign bondholders.
Japanese Diplomacy Involved.
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 of the state of
California and the desire of the Brit
ish government to obtain a repeal of
the law passed by the same Congress
payment of canal tolls and thus dis
eliminating against British and other
foreign vessels.
Mr.. Wilson had many tempestuols
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 in
terests of British companies. whose
influence in the British foreign Office
Mr.. Wilson felt, Of course. that the
Hay -Pauneefote 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 wis
dom of obtaining reciprocal pledge
from Great Britain whereby the Lon
don foreign Office would exercise it's
great influence with the japanese in
bringing about a peaceful solution
of the Japanese-American contro-
versy.
Great Britain, by virtue of The
Anglo-Japanese alliance. was in
position to hold Japan at bay in the
event OF an excrescence of war spirit
II had never been uneQuivocally es-
tablished whether in the event of war
between Japan and the United States
Great Britain would be obliged to
assist Japan or could remain neutral.
In any event, the British were in a
position to persuade the Japanese nct
to make a serious issue of the Cali
fornia question. That is what Nj.
Wilson meant when he used the
ch-discuSSed phrase matters of
far-reachfng and delicate concern" in
his message to Congress asking for
policy in doing for Great Britain that
which would make amends for an ap-
parent violation of the Hay-Paunce-
fote treaty.
Conceded n Free Hand.
After the Panama act was repealed
and Mr.. 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 Huerta
regime in Mexico. Walter Hines.
Page, American ambassador to Great
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