The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11. 1913.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1957, 14 January 1914, Page 6

The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11. 1913.

iisVslosVJinllic^ihgfniitflai)d:1 ai)d: ; t here* is ai^fcaiisc-lfpr^€ndefi%t:;the= : sto'rm?bf 'protest" aiSd.Jcri(;ioißm/.\vitla: :, . : w|uch .ho ilias^beeniSassai^cl^from^tnany-quar l Iters/fA'reccnf'cablegrara from l Wash' conference ■between :and .Mil. :JJiND.'(fnsv|lcputy:';iritMexico);.;.the . latter?\Taiting..policy , ;":= , ;-.PREsiDEN , r':-:WiLSOs, tho.; messago; added,*" was at the-:reportv.and decided to continue the attitude.* -Tho-'cornplacency' , here ; suggested ■ k< simply in - view ot,what-:i s --:goi n g;oa:;iny ; Mexico--t<)-aay.j J.he country-.isriveri.with civil , : war,-whichi threatens' to,utterly destroy -any- iingeriag ..shredsi'of civilisation It. may.-igtfllviipossess; and ..many-, thousands : ; :of.;- innocent people arc.a prey/,to. conditions .which will not : oear.:tbinking;'about;>X In , the , cxjwcssive phrase'faisedi-by .-one , correspondent on-the'spotfthe- country is .being:.."bled-whites ,^?- Warfare* in jWfchern;.Mexicpshas¥vnow -lasted tarce years, since" Madero raised the staadard , of-revolt , -against the veteran President, Pokfibio Diaz, in October* IQloSMpart from: the ■ horrors;, to fwhich^natiye-'Mexicans' and foreigners resident I :'in.=:the country' are expqs'ed,' , : property;to an enormou's aggregate value?runs : V grave risk of ; beui£ annihilated.ySonie conception of the intercsts^at"stake may be gained from the fact' jhat? three ■ years, ago British. capitaUto-the- amount of aboutifso,ooo ) oooftand I ~ an- approximately oquaUamountf-'of , 'American capital was invested,; : in Mexican enterprises..;': In .spite, "of this, JPresi.»ENt Wilson : has i held the United . States ■ to:;- a■- policyipf ■ noa-interven-' tion except by'.words'.-'-His idea seems to be to let the .forces that are operating in. Mexico j have freo play in ■the hope that-in-some wonderful way stable, conditions .may.-.ultimately be evolved."k A 'touching desire to "preserve the symmetry of. conflict is suggested in a recent news item, which "related that American;troops patrolling; the border had '; turned back fugitives from a' Mexican battle into their own territory. When General Huerta , first j usurped the ■ Mexican Presidency, the.United States practically took up the attitude of waiting. -to see : what would happen, to him. if ' : Later, increasing disturbances in the country, with their impenllinß of American lives and property, ; compelled Pbbsident WiLSOS.to go further and to. insist, that the dictator should . retire. Unfortunately Huerta has flatly declined to withdraw from his oflice, and the waiting, policy does not seem to provide any ready method : of -compelling; him to do so. In . fact, admitting the beauty of the- theories which . President Wilson so ably expounds, he seems' to be afflicted with a grievous •poverty of-ideas with any .practical bearing upon such a situation as exists in Mexico. ,; .- : '/ •' -.....-.... '. '■•

Considering: that ample resources arc "available'to restore- order,, in Mexico by the use. of armed. force, the present state of affairs is to the last degree depressing, and there dot's not seem to be.any,immediate prospect of improvement. -More- than a month-ago the opinion was held.' both in America and-in Great Britain;; that the the Huerta Administration were'numbered, and that improved conditions in Mexico were.in immediate prospect.' So far these expectations have not been realised, although recent cablegrams have indicated that the rebel forces are steadily gaining ground. It is not .by any. means certain, however, that the success of the Constitutionalists and the deposition of Huerta would itself restore peace and give the country a rest from disorder. The Constitutionalist leaders, according to .a London Times correspondent in Mexico, have no clear idea as to what they would do' if they came into power. They have not even decided whom they would "run for President," and tho success of their , arms would probably be followed by an outbreak of feverish plotting for that position and for others. The opinion is boldly expressed .by tho Times correspondent and by a number, of others iwho , have written on the subject that the only hope of prolonged peace lies in the speedy triumph ot the Government., Tho point of view held by Americans resident in Mexico ..is set .forth in a. pamphlet entitled A Square Deal for.Mexico. It is ' signed by twenty-three Americans, who have., resided in Mexico from six to. thirty-two years.. They maintain that-it.'.will take many ■years '■ to" make a' real ■ democracy of Mexico,-. For. fifty-'years ; after .the Spanish 'yoke was thrown , , '. off the country :was continuously torn by re-volution,-and the Government .was never changed except by force. There is rio'strong body of. propertyrholdingrpeople of moderate means/ , 'The peons constitute ..three-fourths of the i population,'.' and. stated that their' political/capacity .'is below .that of the Southern, plantation negroes in the, United States , ."..Less than two ueWcent'.cau/read. and-write.;. Millions' have no', homo", but-., a'blanket. "A:/|lavgo,pcrcentagoiareidirty, unmoral, .or grossly immoralj.iand' sav!'ages at heart;"?.-They have''-"not the 'conception' , .-. of the "duties'of 'citizenship..., When Madeko .was elect-ed-President only? 23,000 votes were cast, out of a population of 'fourteen millions.,. These./ American .residents declare that if a full, and free election:, took .place,"vthe -leading bull- ' fighter, would be, elected and. they express a-decided opinion that peon.;dominatiqn. would be worse than ex-slave domination.:...in , the Southern' States. ; v Furthermore, : they defend EuEßT.yon.tho ground that he ■ remained loyal. , ■■to,the-' established .Gqvcrnmerit.-_ofs.' Madero "until. hope-reigned;;-r«;V:-:^if ;■>■:. ■ . v Even allowing foiv-sbmc'Vxaggcra-tioii'in this.vstatcment- of .'.the ■posi- ' tion* ifseenis.' to/indicate' that PresSU3ent::,'\Yil/SON's J fine-sounding',:; , , de : ■*mand':for"a full-arid/ free .election is Bo.>j.rniich;.;fmopnshiiie; : :'and.j.that-: the waiting: ,l :policy;,;is .mere , ineptitude. ■The , position appears/to demand, not the;;airing;.of.;pretty;,' theories, .but f)uick4:!incl--determined action in the direction, of restoring order and suppressing, tbe.u'seless , conflicts in which 'Mexico is-'fating out , its heart. , '' Of .this^uufqrtiuiatoly'^ttli'pre^'see'ins 1 - no .iimiK'diatesjJi'oijpectitalthough Auk'v-. 4ea;^Brkaiir,'andVotl)er;: ; Powei , !ii];ive "fcirf months.''piist'. had ; |wai'!-;!iips"sta-: ' lioned/.'oußtJu!.: .^ll f is aiot'limpossiblc.v'ho'wever, /.that/H- tho ;Europcan.%Powevsj;may; .force. America's-baii'di'and insist;iin6n 'a .radiea.S'.dfipartu'rc : from the waiting ' between 1 Anicr--' ■Ka:.aiidHhe:Europeanj.Po\vers :; 'wii'h'' , a' ;hae-- boenSsugge"st«dsb.v , "a';'nurab"er , of there-.'.is

a general "agreemeii t" that tho , SI oxroe Doctrine. contiuns.;;uothing.tp Hinder The cry ing , ; need j , ! of-/'.thpStimcjft v li6\vcyer ) , ;. , is,'thiit;S|tho;| ipnitcdjStiiles/sbriiild eiiunci.-ito'ii'dc-' finite; foreign "policy; .'lt-is.rccugriiscd ■ mingled hesitancy. .aiuU.dritt.is": untenable,' and cannot ])C;; lung maintained..:; Du.". Hannis Taylok—an "authority .on ■' intcrna'v :tiqnal.: law,Caiul/.PRESiDENT.ft:Ci.IEVE| -.land's , -; Minister UojSpain— : p'rcsßcU.J. the? opinion that' , '-'only.';' the" blind and infatuated can believe'that'; if nothing is done by us to aid in the restoration of order (in Mcxico)uthc European nations will continue';'-to bow forever , to.an , overlorclship in.the . New.World;';which declares its- supremacy .and; its- impotency." That this sums , up the situation^-rea-■ .sonably well will be agreed by anyone who considers the waiting policy in regard to Mexico side by side with a proposition laid down by Pbesidekt. Wilson, in an address at Mobile.' which involves an important extension of the Monroe Doctrine., Mr. Wilson said on that occasion that government in Latin America by concessionaires would bo locked upon unfavourably, by the United States. This declaration,opens up far-reach-ing possibilities, Dtit the point at the moment is that it has a peculiar sound coining from a statesman who has achieved no more purposeful attitude towards' the Mexican troubles than , ?: that..-of ■-. looking over the fence. It seems perfectly clca,r that unless America is prepared to bring actual force t;o bear upon tho suppression of disorders in the territories over which she has cast the theoretical mantle of tho Monroe Doctrine, that assertionof overlordship .will vanish into thin air. In any case a, policy of allowing disastrous internal conflicts to burn themselves out in countries like Mexico, where many foreigners have taken up their residence and invested their capital, is obviously one that cannot be- perpetuated. "■ ■- - :