The Daily News. MONDAY, APRIL 27, 1914. THE MEXICAN SITUATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 278, 27 April 1914, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, APRIL 27, 1914. THE MEXICAN SITUATION.

Notwithstanding the statements made in the American Senate regarding the President's attitude respecting Mexico, probably no other President than Dr. Woodrow Wilson would have :!i-p!a,ved so much patience in a very aggravating situation. He has restrained public opinion as long as possible, being aiumated by an earnest desire to find a pacific solution to tho problem; but (as often happens with an ignorant or undeveloped people), the Mexicans have construed his peaceful policy as a sign of weakness, and have at last rendered armed intervention absolutely necessary. The President of Mexico has deliberately invited war, for an easy and honourable way of escape from conflict with the United States was offered to -him and rejected. He is said to count upon Carranza and the rebels joining forces with him in order to repel the invader; but if it be, true that Americans have been assisting the rebels to overthrow l!i& Hucrta regime, in pursuance of the official policy that "Huerta must be eliminated," it seems more likely thai Carranza and his forces will assist the. Americans. In the latter case, the campaign would not be so costly and arduous art it would certainly be if the Mexicans united in opposition to the American troops. As the ex-President of 1 the United States, Mr. Taft, recently declared, the work of pacifying Mexico would be an arduous and expensive undertaking, involving tho garrisoning of every town, the organisation of columns to pursue guerilla warriors, and the subjugation of fifteen millions of people, who would any day prefer "fighting and running away" to working. Speaking from his experience of the Philippines, he said: "I don't know when we would get through; I don't know how many lives it would involve; I don't know how much it would cost, but I do know it would be a drag on us, and then when we had gotten the thing done the future would still be doubtful and still lie a charge and a burden upon our government and upon our treasury. I do not speak thus positively without some knowledge of the subject. No effoit ought to be omitted to prevent a catastrophe like this." War is always ,a catastrophe, and it is doubtful if it : s ever justifiable; but a decisive campaign, with settled conditions at the end of it, may he better for Mexico than a continuance of the civil strife and slaughter now going on. The hardest task of the United States will be to convince the Mexicans that conquest and annexation are not the aims, but simply the establishment of a stable Mexican government. The United States Government has on three separate occasions taken a slice of Mexican territory, /and the Mexicans will naturally be suspicious that further aggression is intended. For this reason, it v.ould have been preferable had an international demonstration been .made, to put an end to the civil war ■and settle the dispute of a Presidential i election. This course was advocated some weeks ago by a well-known American, Mr. W. Morgan Sinister, who said: "Proud Mexicans might well be stirred into resisting bitterly the advance from Vera Cruz of American.bluejackets and marines alone, hut would they make war on the columns under the flags of the United States and England, France, Germany, and Spiiin, all engaged in the same enterprise? They would hardly feel called on to fight the whole world." American sentiment, however, disnppioves of any European or other outsid:, help being invoked to settle disputes in any pjirt of the western continent. The Monroe Doctrine, which forbids foreign interference in America, throws upon the United States Government the duty of keening the minor Republics in order, and the American people will induce much toil and sacrifice rather than forego the ''doctrine"; hence they have undertaken single-handed to deal with the Mexican situation. Since war is inevitable, the best we can hope is that it may be short and decisive. If prolonged, it might lead to grave complications, since the Central American Republic might be dragged into the conflict, and even Japan would possibly be tempted to take a hand in furtherance of licr desire to obtain a footing in Mexico. Tlie most hopeful features of the. situation are that the Mexicans must by now have nearly exhausted their wealth and their ammunition, and that the people ar» likely to he sated witii the horrors and privations of wnr.