| Show If 1 r r l M Carranza's s Defense Defens e ense I II I RESIDENT CARRANZA'S defense of his administration as asI r I contained in his address to the Mexican congress is remarkable remark remark- ble able ble chiefly because of its weakness He attempts for instance e to the murder of of and more American citizens and hundreds of f other foreigners in Mexico by y citing that several Mexicans Mexicans Mexicans-he he Ji names names nes about six six have have been killed in the United States i Citing one crime to excuse another is an unusual bit of reas rea- rea s ning If we had killed as many Mexicans in the United States is 5 S Americans have been killed in Mexico there would still be no ruse for the repeated murd murders rs But there is a decided difference both as to the number slain and the methods in which they have met their death E In America Mexicans have been accorded the same protection tion on under the law that is given the nationals of all other countries And nd the protection has been been as adequate as a highly developed civilization a ivil can make it I In Mexico Americans have been accorded practically no pro pro- They have been murdered tortured ravaged and their property confiscated Some of the out outrages ages have been committed by y Carranza soldiers In other cases bandits or revolutionaries have been the offenders American complaint has come not because lecause of any anyone one individual crime but because of the apparent Inability of the Carranza government to provide protection for he lives of foreigners or their property When Carranza seeks to show that conditions in his country are no worse than they arcin are arc arefa fa rn the United States he is evidencing either cither woeful ignorance or or ora a plain desire to tell what he knows is not the truth I Mr Carranza prates of of the safeguarding of Mexican so sovereign sovereign- ly iy but It would seem he has mistaken sovereignty to mean ryean license The United States and Great Britain have protested confiscation of foreign owned property and these protests have the full backing of f international law and usage We Ve would be lacking in our duty if we did not undertake to protect the interests of our nationals especially as these interests have been legally acquired and been r g gained ined with full consent and approval of the Mexican government l All that the United States asks of Mexico is that it adjust its affairs without infringing on American rights We have given Carranza Car Car- ranza every opportunity to prove that he can control his own people but to date he lie has made a sorry showing The government government govern govern- ment at Washington has given repeated evidences of its desire to assist assist Mexico to be a real friend and neighbor Carranza has to o Jh the he contrary displayed his enmity in many ways particularly by assistance Assistance given German agents during the war His is latest presidential presidential message in which he scoffs at the Monroe doctrine spurns the the he league of nations and attempts attempt to defend repeated murders I and nd the confiscation of property will cost him much of the the Amen Ameri American i fan can an respect he previously held I |
