OCR Text |
Show M' ABSURD CRITICS. It is like porusing a 'kind of states-man's states-man's joke book to read many of tho . arguments put forth by those who sup-port sup-port Senators Lodge and B'pot in their opposition to the president. Ueal wit, i however, contains Ectmo wisdom, and 1 the newspapers which havo rallied, bad: ( ' of the thirteen senators who tidied to ; handicap the commander vi our army ' and navy whilo the boys iff blue were ' fighting for their country and their flag display about as much wisdom as a dcr- vish who has run amuck. The Philadcl- 1 phia North American, eager to make ! mediation of the Mexican dispute ap-' ap-' pear ridiculous, writes itself down an Hj i nsa when it puts forth the following ob-. j jeetions: What If Uio mediators should dc-clde dc-clde upon recognition or tho de facto , ! government of Mexico? Or. what if they should order an election, and ' Iluerta. with tho Pfcatlgo or having successfully defied the United Stutes, should sweep the country while, what of tho Carransa-V lla I forces? What Is to he their attitude while the United States trwta as to 1 tlielr hated foe. and what will they do in kc Interval with, the aims up-plied up-plied to those from thlK countJ . What if tho mediators should decide upon recognition of Vunn Shi Kai or j China's bandit White Wolf" as the i government in Mexico? What if they ehould order an election in Bra-j Bra-j 7.51 and Theodore Itoorfovclt should 1 1 sweep tho country? "What if they should do anything most absurd'! What; if they should prove themselves as ridiculous j as tho editor of tho Philadclidiia North American? It would be deplorable to contemplate, but it would have, nothing ' to do with mediation. Tho defenders of the unpatriotic iliir-1 iliir-1 teen confuse mediation with arbitration. : Wc do not accuse Senators Lodge and "Root of making such a grotesque mis-take. mis-take. Even their prejudices, which im- pel them to oppose tho president in tinrn of international trouble, canuot, lead H: ; them into such pitfalls of absurdity. H. When the services of mediators arc accepted there is no undertaking, ox-Hj ox-Hj pressed or implied, on the part of the disputants to adopt tho recnmmciida-tiona recnmmciida-tiona of the mediators. They merely H: j pledge themselves that they will fur-fl' fur-fl' j nish the mediators with every means for I ascertaining the real facts of tho case and the arguments on both sides and H' toat they will hear with respectful at-tcntion at-tcntion the mediators1 advice and such reasons as they may offer in support of Hh t,,al advice. In i-pitc of the limited H' jurisdiction given to mediators much good may be done and much evil may be averted by their efforts. Arguments which are regarded with suspicion and lrcjudicc when urged by an rncmy will fl often obtain deference when t hoy come i'rom a disiniercstiMl source. Inasmuch as there is nothing in tho process of mediation by which the state's power to do what seems right in Us own eyes can be impaired, many matters which affect national pride, national honor or other vital interests may properly be presented to the mediators, although there would bo an unwillingness to sub-mit sub-mit such subjects to :u-bitrntion. Count Calvo Rives an instance of sue-cessful sue-cessful mediation in the settlement of i loner standing controversies between I Spain and Morocco on account of the predatory attacks continually mndc by armed Morocco bunds on tho Spanish territory of Ccutn. In lS-i-l the governments govern-ments of Trauco and Englund offered to act as arbitrators, but Spain refused to agree to the arbitration of strangers on a matter which was clear, and which affected her diguity and honor. Tho cabinets cab-inets of Paris and Loudon then offered to act as mediators. This was accepted, and as a result of the inquiries and dia cussious a settlement of all differences was effected between Morocco and Spain nnd friendly relations re-cstab- The New York Tribune declares that tho president has adopted tho spirit of H the Lodge resolution when ho insists 1 unon mcdintion not only of a question i j of honor, but of all tho international 1 rights involved in the dispute with tho various elements in Mexico. The letter and the spirit of tho Lodge resolution H' was to hurl this country immediately into a gigantic wnr. If tho New York Tribune cannot sec any difference bo-twecu bo-twecu a gigantic war and an attempt to adjust all our dilfcrcnccs with tho vnrious factions in Mexico on a peace-ful peace-ful basis, then tho New York Tribune is impervious to reason. The Pittsburg Leader demands that ' the war shall go on. "Hud President Wilson gone about his task with the vigor that the country looked for," it pays, "an American army would bo in Mexico City today." Prosident Wilson should send for the editor of the Loader nnd place hint in supromo command of our forces at. Vera Crux. Even Admiral Fletcher and General Ftinnion could not have accomplished fhe task which seems so easy io tho journalistic critic. A few men with dynamite could destroy all tho important bridges between Vera Cruz and Mexico City and put the rail-j rail-j roads out of commission for months. I Tho march to Mexico City, a distance I of 16S inilas, would be through a most J difficult country and hundreds of lives would bo sacrificed before our men could come within raugo of tho Mexican capital. |