WAR LONG AND CRUEL

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2134, 28 April 1914, Page 5

WAR LONG AND CRUEL

AMERICA'S TASK IN MEXICO

OFFER OF MEDIATION

FROM THE SOUTH AMERICAN REPUBLICS

By T*l«sra.pH—Prew Ai-flseia.Uon-Cspsrfight Washington, April 26. Admiral Badger,has asked for authority t<> seizo two railway bridges, ton nncl eighteen miles inland, respectively, from Vara. Oruz. Soldiers aird fieM artillery, be says, aro needefi. Admiral Badger also reports violations by Mexicans of tins rules of civilised warfare, and prophesies an excessive* ly.hrutal war. .{Roc. April 27, 10 p.m.) Washington, Ap-ril 26. Three thousand five hundred foreign? ers in Mexico City, arc practically i>ri-sonei-s. Sir Lionel Garden (tho British Minister) succeeded in getting many of the British residents and soma of the Americans away from the city. Tho latter posed as British subjects.

WAR FEVER IN,THE UNITED . STATES. BITTER SPEECH BY A SENATOR. Washington, April 26. Cabinet has decided to prosecute vigorously tho war preparations. Throughout the United States sentiment strongly favours war. Indications point to an outburst of war fever similar to that preceding the SpaMs.ltAroericau conflict. . Tho House of Representatives almost wholly favours war, and it- is likely that the Mouse will muko representations to that effect to President Wilson. CoHgressionai leaders aro moro favourable-' towards tho view that the United State* ought to promptly declare tot against Mexico, Senator Penrose, in a speech, declared that the action of tho United States was worthy of the contempt of. the whole civilised world; while its citizens wero being murdered nothing .was- done, yet, when tho flag was insulted, lives were sacrificed without remorse.

LATIN AMERICA TAKES A HAND. SOUTHERN REPUBLICS OFFEft TO MEDIATE. Washington, April 28. Brazilian, Argentina, and Chilian diplomats have offered, on Donate or their respective Governments, ta mediate between United States and. Moaneo with a view to preventing farther WcrottV shed, •,...! The United States agreed to accept tho offer, pointing out, however, that military aggression or hostile Mexican demonstrations might- upset tho hopes of securing peace, It-Ms understood tbafe tho faouttt American ltcpahlic3 plan a settlement on the basis of tho elimination or Huerta ns President, they are not confident that the ijrciiatioit plan will bosticcessfnl, but hope that the negotw-, tioMS.wilt suppress temporarily the atttiAmoriean outbursts, ■ - , Tho Bolivian, Peruvian,, Panama,, and Cuban representatives later joined the conference, which considered proposals for mediation. ~,.... At tho-dose the Peruvian Minister expressed the hope that a satisfactory settlement would" be reached, ' (Rec, April 27,10 p,ni.) Washington, April 2ff, idviees received by tho Spanish Ambassador indicate that General Huerta is favourable to mediation by the dmtonmtic envoys of tlio Argentine, Chile, and Brazil ... „ ,'~ „ c Buenos Aires, Apfu "j>>, Tli© newspapers condemn America's action in Jlex-ico. • Students at Monte Video held a demonstration against. America. Several wore injured during conflicts with tue police.

AMERICA'S TASK. WRAT THE MEXICAN WAS MBAKS., How lons would it toko tho United States to "lick" Mexico? ?l >]3 ,, asp S t of'the threatened wa,v is cntaftlly discusil in Mr. R, J, MaoHnriiVTOccjit hook "Modern Mexico/' "Tho Government, of the United' States, he says, "fully recognises tho magnitude of tho task that intervention would entail, it is evident from the declarations or tho leaders of all parties in Mesteo that interraition would at onco induce tienV; to «tak their own differences and canibnw nca'iiHt the invader. Nothing is niote : obrf-ain about the Mexican than Ins anti-1 Am-cricaft feeling, Ho,, may. ho a Jiwertista, a CaMnfizista, a Zapatista, or even i a 'FuJanist' (for 'anybody), tat tho leader, who secures'his adhesion 'for the. time; .being must, at any late, be a Mexican., However niueh they niay, differ about. th« conduct, of thmr national affairs, even- Mexican who can earn- a muste would attach himself to tho so-called patriotic 'Lisa de Los Ultimo* Befenyows do la Patria* (the loague of the Last Line of Defence of the Fatherland). I'hre state of feeling, which is perfectly Well known to the United States Government, may well i»»fco'President Wilson proceed vwy carefully in his etMlefliwir to «-«r up tho tangled situation which exists in tho southern Republic. Rut, if. it be : comes apparent—-and conditions all point in this direction—that the Mexicans stttv unablo to compose their own quarrels , it will in the end become ueeessarv- for tho United States to send troops across thefrontier. ' , . ' "Tho task before t'lieta would not lie very eas-ilv accomplished. Mex-ics is nearly us iafpi as the whose of Europe, etc-hi'dtne Russia. It is in many places a. rugpw, tooHiitoinous country, with dense fore-sis covering largo area?,, where guerilla warfare could ho carried on almost interminably. Tho only circumstance in favour of an invading- army w that the eapitnl of Mexico and most of tho largo towns a.a<i cities are situated on tho' plateaus i» comparatively open couatrv, or on tlvft coast, where i'hay are open to attack from the km. To this may ho added that the Mexican army is poorlr equipped and badly trained, and tho soldiers serve under a system of compulsory service, which renders desertion a common incident, ami oho to which no particular dishonour attaches. Kwr is it ■ ai'i uncommon experience to find smalt detachments of Government troops in remote districts unconcernedly abandoning their allegiance, mid taking to brtgamlatjo i aiid pili.a'sro on tlveif own account. An armv wm'iposcd' of such materials and witli' these- traditions is hardly likely to i put up a very,, stiwuous fight against !ordinary -troops/'

TELEGRAMS FOR MEXICO. The Mcsk.im Triosrhph Company notifies that it cannot -accept messages for liny place unless written in ploin faiigu'ago, English «• Spanish, Tito au*ssages must bo of a strictly neutral char' acter.