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Show PS General HUGH S. Johnson Jour: Washington, D. C. MEXICO RECOGNITION This administration has Just recognized rec-ognized the election and government ' of General Comacho in Mexico. It could not have properly done otherwise. other-wise. A great many people believe that General Almazan had a majority 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 recognize recog-nize Latin-American elections, or at least changes of government "achieved through force." It worked pretty well to decide the Incumbency of Mexican presidents, but it did not work to cement good feeling across the border. It didn't fit with the President's Good Neighbor Neigh-bor policy which is among his best. It resulted in a lot of secret diplomacy, diplo-macy, both here and abroad, the reasons and results of which have never yet been made clear. It also resulted in our engaging in two "undeclared "un-declared wars" on a neighbor Fun-ston's Fun-ston's expedition at Vera Cruz and Pershing's punitive expedition into Chihuahua. Both were fiascos. Boiling it all down to a eouple of ultimate results of which I do feel confident, I 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. It is probably true, as many say, that no Mexican government govern-ment can live without American support, sup-port, but it is also true that we cannot can-not condition that support on Interference Inter-ference with native Institutions. Mexicans are largely Indians. Their traditions go back not to thousands thou-sands of years of Anglo-Saxon traditions, tra-ditions, but to an Aztec tradition as old and. in many ways, as well-proved well-proved and satisfactory to them. As Indians, they believe In common ownership of property. Not in the Russian sense not personal property proper-ty but in the waters, minerals and even the land. What is at the bottom of American 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 misunderstanding mis-understanding were partly responsible respon-sible for Wilson's two unfortunate forays Funston's and Pershing's. Hull's position admitted the right of expropriation of the oil properties, 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 its own negotiator and arrived at an amicable settlement satisfactory satis-factory to it. The other group strategy, which came within a hair of success, Introduced In-troduced a bill in congress, embargoing embar-going Mexican oil. It almost passed. It apparently emanated from sources somewhere in the state department, de-partment, but it was contrary to Mr. Hull's wishes and might have wrecked Mr. Roosevelt's Good Neighbor policy. From both the angles of foreign and domestic policy this obscure situation sit-uation needs a thorough airing. POWER OF PRIORITIES In war, and in the highest national Interest, we cannot ration scant supply sup-ply to the longest purse. It must go to the most necessitous use, regardless regard-less of the highest bid. We are in a sort of siege. We are a wasteful people we must ration what we have and it is plenty so that nobody no-body hogs anything. That is a very simple process. Our World war system Is a model. I am for immediately imme-diately putting in the hands of the President a power of priorities. That is an easy thing to do. It doesn't deprive anybody of anything. It merelj says that whatever needs are greatest whether in power, labor, la-bor, materials, or finance what the nation needs for defense shall come before what any of us needs for our pleasure, and no higher price offer will get anybody anything. On the other angle fear of the value of money Mr. Morgenthau is right on one thing. The debt limit should be taken off the treasury Immediately. Im-mediately. We haven't even begun to spend. Total defense may cost us as much as 50 billions more; but we've got to have It. But I think, he is wrong on his other point We can't pay that now by taxes. What we most want is enough for everybody to at, to wear and to enjoy at prices that they can pay. As the President once wisely said, taxes lie as a burden on production. What we need now is production to the uttermost. I don't care where the taxes are laid. They are going to appear In higher prices in the grocery or clothing bill of every family. The idea that they will check inflation (high prices) is ridiculous. The higher taxes go, the bigher prices will go. |