Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-09
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

trine of neutrality and non-interven-
ton the United States have not fol-
lowed the lead Of other civilized ma
tons. They have taken the lead them
selves and have been followed by
Others"
Yet, Is years later, and with no
violation of the principles of the Fill
more doctrine, American troops were
maSSed on the Rio Grande with orders
to invade Mexico, if Emperor Macmillan
was not driven out of that country By
the national forces of Juarez That
threatened invasion was based upon our
Monroe Doctrine warning Europe TO
keep out of this hemisphere with its
European colonization plots and con-
spiracies to overthrow free republican
governments.
If, now, any nation of Europe should
dare undertake to give support to or to
interfere in any way with the Mexican
struggle, it would become the policy of
the United States to uphold its Mon
roe Doctrine and drive out the invaders.
But SO long as the fight is between two
parties, both of whom are Mexicans,
they must fight 1t cut, but not at the
cost of American lives within American
jurisdiction.
Not even to protect American citizens
residing in the bslligerent territory
would this Nation intervene if they
took sides In the conflict They are neu-
trails in behigerent territory and must
not take sides.
We went to war with Mexico in 1849.
That country was in state of anarchy
and under the domination of usurper
without constitutional authority. Texas
had seeded from Santa Annals usurped
rule and Joined the United States.
Santa Anna in invading Texas was in
vading the United States, and our
forces drove him out, after his massacre
Of the men in the Alamo Fort.
We went to war with Spain in 1898
because not only had Spain maintained
a nuisance of wars at our very gateway
for nearly two decades, with inhuman
cruelty, but had insulted and attacked
our rights and sunk our ship, the Maine.
in the Havana harbor. In both cases
we were actuated by Self-defense and
serving the cause of humanity.
y X
The pacifist author above referred to
tWitS our Government with the state
ment that III all of our history no ma
ton has ever declared war against the
United States-all Of our wars have
been declared by America first.
Possibly that may be literally correct
The very expression, America first"
suggests that it may be true.
Great Britain did not start the Bos-
ton tea party. Great Britain In 1912
merely stopped our ships in any port
they happened TO anchor and seized
American sailors as alleged British de-
serters.
In 1S49 Santa Anna did not make a
speech about recapturing Texas. he
merely massacred Americans in the
Alamo.
In 1898 Spain merely sunk an Ameri-
can ship in her harbor, numbering hun
centrating and butchering our neigh
bors, the Cubans, as she had done in
the whole decade, 1S68-69, and recon-
menced in the COS.
The Philippine Island war was not
begun by a declaration of war by
Aguinaldo; the Filipinos merely began
shooting at the Americans. who had
delivered them from the Spanish yoke.
Our entrance into the World War
was not due to a declaration of war
against us by the Kaiser; he merely
sunk the Lusitania and several other
ships bearing American lives and sneered
at our power to stop his sinking ships
without trace" planning to invade
America and collect from us enough to
reimburse him for the whole expense of
his aggressive wars.
4 4 4 X
We are guilty of declaring" all our
wars. 1t was President Wilson who was
reelected because he had kept us out
of war" and Immediately called ON our
Congress TO declare war, and We proved
not too proud to fight"
While We have done all the de
claring," our declarations OF war have
always been for self-defense and civili-
zation. In our every war we are the
ones who Learned to suffer and be
strong" H. P. H. Browning wrote about
the "Old Cove" who SHE'D sticks and
stones at all passers-by, while he kept
singing, "All axes is, let me alone"
The Old Cove felt quite hurt when
the other Old Cove warned him:
Let you alonel That's coming 1t
strong!
You've been let alone darned sight
too longl
OF all the SARGE that ever I heard!
Put down that stickI (You may well
look skeered.)
Let go that stonel II you once show
fight,
I'll knock you higher than any kite.
You must have lesson to stop your
tricks,
And cure you Of shying them stones
and sticks.
%x&
For reckon before you and I are done,
You will wish you let honest folks alone"