The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1940-11-28
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MEXICO RECOGNITION

This administration has just rec
ognized the election and government
of General Comacho in Mexico. 1t
could not have properly done other
wise. A great many people believe
that General AlmaZan had major
ity in the election, but it isn't our
business to judge the legality of a
Mexican election, although for some
time it was not our policy to recog-
nize Latin-American elections, or at
least changes of government
achieved through force"
1t worked pretty well to decide the
incumbency of Mexican presidents,
but it did not work to cement good
feeling across the border. 1t didn't
fit with the Presidents Good Neigh
Dor policy-which is among his best.
1t resulted in a lot of secret diplo-
macy, both here and abroad, the
reasons and results of which have
never yet been made clear. 1t also
resulted in our engaging in two Sun
declared wars" on a neighbor-Fun-
ston's expedition at Vera Cruz and
PerShings punitive expedition into
Chihuahua. Both were fiascos.
Boiling it all down to couple of
ultimate results of which I do feel
confident, / believe two things-that
Mr.. Roosevelt is right in keeping
our nose out of there and that the
Mexican situation is too different
from ours and too complex to be
judged by any American rule of
thumb. 1t is probably true, as
many say, that no Mexican govern
ment can live without American sup
port, but it is also true that we can
not condition that support on inter-
ference with native Institutions.
Mexicans are largely Indians.
Their traditions go back not to thou
sands of years of Anglo-Saxon ira
ditions, but to an Aztec tradition as
old and, in many ways, as we'll
proved and satisfactory to them. AS
Indians, they believe in common
ownership of property. Not in the
Russian sense-not personal proper
ty-but in the waters, minerals and
even the land
What is at the bottom of Ameri-
can opposition to the Hull policy
today? Because he represents the
Indian tradition. American dismay
at the election of Comacho is partly
because he represents the Indian
tradition. Similar motives and mis-
understanding were partly respon-
sible for Wilson's two unfortunate
forays-Funston's and Pershing's.
Hull's position admitted the right
of appropriation of the oil proper
ties, but insisted on compensation.
Mexico admitted that duty. The
great oil companies with Mexican
wells split on the settlement offered.
One great group opposed it, and
tried to monopolize the negotiation
for compensation. It appointed the
negotiator, but being dissatisfied
with the result, and believing that
our government could be persuaded
to interfere, broke off negotiations.
The other group, learning of this,
broke the so-called "united-front,
sent it's own negotiator and arrived
at an amicable settlement salts
factory to it.
The other groups strategy, which
came within a hair of success, in
troduced a bill in congress, embar-
going Mexican oil. 1t almost passed.
1t apparently emanated from
sources somewhere in the state de-
partment, but it was contrary to
Mr.. HulPs wishes and might have
wrecked Mr.. Roosevelt's Good
Neighbor policy.
From both the angles of foreign
and domestic policy this obscure sit
uation needs a thorough airing.