T

MEXICO

HE most serious part of the present Mexican situation is the future. The world looks upon us as the guarantors of permanent peace in that distracted country. To accomplish that is one of the most delicate tasks of constructive statesmanship that has ever faced a nation. In the one hundred and three years of their independence the Mexican people have never successfully practised democratic government and they have produced but one successful dictator.

The present chaos of that country is unbearable in the eyes of the world. The United States, having put a prohibition upon interference from Europe, assumes the responsibility of seeing that law and order take the place of tyranny, rebellion, and brigandage. To recognize Huerta would have put the stamp of our approval upon bloody revolution, and would not have helped the ultimate solution of the problem. The foundation of Huerta's régime has not been its acceptance by the Mexican people, nor his ability as dictator. Its life was prolonged by a foreign loan of $30,000,000. But such loans are not likely to be repeated for such small security as Huerta can give, especially without the recognition of the United States.

To intervene with armies is to admit the hopelessness of the situation and to commit ourselves to a project the end of which no one can foresee. In the first place, we have not an army commensurate with the task, and the loss of men and money which we would suffer in making our volunteer forces into an army would horrify any one who has not studied our past military records. But the worst of intervention would not be getting our armies into Mexico. It would be getting them out again. The end of the Spanish War found our soldiers in Cuba, Porto Rico, and the Philippines. Twice since then we have intervened in Cuba. We have colonial administrations in Porto Rico and in the Philippines, and in this last colony there are still 12,000 American soldiers. The situation in none of these islands is quite comparable to that in Mexico, and yet our experiences in them point unmistakably

to the difficulty that we should have in withdrawing from Mexico. Hardly a greater misfortune could befall us than to be cursed with the administration of another unsatisfied country. And no overlordship that we could administer would satisfy a people who have had even the name of independence for a hundred years. Nor could anything we could do overcome the resentment and suspicion that our intervention in Mexico would arouse in Central and South America.

II

There is but one logical course of action for the United States in the present dilemma. That is mediation. If through the good offices of Ex-governor Lind, to whom the President has entrusted this delicate task, the present warring factions can be persuaded to retire in favor of an administration legally elected, with clean hands, and fair prospects of success, we shall have done the Mexican people and ourselves a great service.

If this fail after a fair trial or if some untoward incident like the blowing up of the Maine raises an insistent cry of war there is still the last recourse to armed intervention. But this would mean the loss of thousands of men and millions of money and probably a permanent Mexican problem.

The constructive task is to help the Mexican people to help themselves in peace to gain their good-will, not their enmity.

Ex-governor Lind's task is a most delicate one, and its difficulties have been increased by the actions of the recently retired Ambassador in Mexico, and his illadvised and inappropriate speech on his return to this country. The new emissary to Mexico, if he accomplish anything, must interfere in the domestic affairs of a foreign state. Of course, many Mexicans will resent this. But it is to be hoped that the more responsible of them, and the foreign bankers on whom Mexico largely depends, will realize that if Exgovernor Lind's mission is not successful in bringing about an honest and peaceful election as a basis for the establishment of law and order, the situation will be just one step nearer intervention.