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Show 5 THE CITIZEN right to interfere in the affairs of every other nation. As a matter of etiquette the British might have waited until the League of Nations became fait accompli. Great Britain, however, is in deadly fear that the treaty will not guarantee her possessions, as well as the spoils of war, with the man0 power and money of the United States. The attitude of the British embassy was disclosed when President Lowell of Harvard and Oscar Straus went into the Senate to lobby against the preamble to the reservations. Mr. Straus stated that foreign nations would be much averse to the requirements of the preamble, which provides that the reservations shall be agreed to in writing by three foreign powers, members of the league, before the Senates ratification of the treaty is deemed to be in force. While these distinguished members of the League to Enforce Peace were engaged in their refined lobbying.it was quietly circulated that the British embassy was very much opposed to the prehavO amble. Such action, it was explained, would be equvalent to ing England countersign the action, which would be extremely distasteful to the British statesmen. Nevertheless, the very purpose of the preamble is to bind at least three member nations to countersign our reservations, thereby recognizing them as valid. The British embassy apparently was trying to make known that Great Britain was protesting against the reservations, but no formal diplomatic action was taken because it would have been an affront to the United States. Therefore the British embassy resorted to the covert ways of secret diplomacy. And this suggests that perhaps the League to Enforce Peace is not with the Senate of the United States, but with the British embassy. It is not improbable, of course, that the word quietly circulated may not have come from the British embassy and it is not wise to get unduly excited, but Americans should keep it in mind that the one nation which most desires to have our guarantee is Great Britain and that if we enter a League of Nations, unmodified by reservations, we will join a military alliance to guarantee the empire of Great Britain. Senor Ibanez that would be a measureless disaster, for he is an advocate of and sees in the solidarity of all the American peoples hope for the entire world. The specific remedy Senior Ibanez offers to us appears to be simply this let the United States support some government in Mexico and stand by it unflinchingly. The senor overlooks some very painful obstacles in the way of a consummation so devoutly to be wished. First of all, the United States has no choice as to the government Mexico shall have. If Washington could pick the government of Mexico the policy might stand a chance of success, but Ibanez is too good a republican not to know that the governments of republics are supposed to be selected by popular vote. However they may be selected in Mexico the United States has no influence in the matter. If we back some revolutionist then we shall be committing that dreadful crime of intervention which so terrifies the soul of the Pan-Americani- sm Spanish author. The sum and substance of his policy, therefore, is this that the United States shall support the government of Don Venustiano Car- ranza. In point of fact, the administration has supported Carranza as much as it could. Just when Uncle Sam had tried to be most polite and ingratiating Don Venustiano would turn about and give him a resounding whack in the face. Making friends with Carranza has been like making friends with one of those fighting bulls that grace the Mexican arenas. The Mexican bull never fails to detect the red' in Uncle Sams uniform. At the moment Don Venustiano has done us the honor of arresting our consul at Puebla, Mexico, and accusing him of having kidnapped himself so that he could pay a ransom to bandits. Twelve Mexican peons have sworn on their honor as gentlemen and scholars that the consul was in connivance with the bandits. If you connive with anybody in Mexico you are apt to be conniving with a bandit. The esteemed and now spotless Don Venustiano once connived with the esteemed but less spotless Villa, who, if we may say so, was, and Mexico has record of in is, as sanguinary a bandit as bandit-ridde- n all her annals of outlawry. IBANEZ TO THE RESCUE It would be a great pleasure to support a really strong, honorable BLASCO IBANEZ, the Spanish author who came to us and honest ruler of Mexico and we trust that Senor Ibanez will be so VICENTE with the crown of but unneigh-borlliterary achievement and a little tar- good as to find us one when he visits our neighboring, republic. nished by his reputation as an anarchistic revolutionist, would have us believe that he is somewhat of a statesman.- In a generous spirit of friendliness, mellowed, no doubt, by the golden stream of American IS THE DEVIL A DUNCE? dollars pouring into his pocket and the unexpected homage which for many years have the orthodox in England found tilting at Americans have paid to him, he tries to do us a good turn. He ad-- , NOT so necessary a part of their evangelical work. The vises us, therefore, to change our policy regarding Mexico. Without wishing to discourage his fledgeling ambition to soar in Dean of St. Pauls is one of the latest to enter the lists and lie gives the clouded heavens of statesmanship, we will break the news gently warning that the promises of spiritualism arc illusory and that the to Senor Ibanez that changing our policy regarding Mexico has entire spiritistic revival is nothing more or better than a revival of been a specialty of the present administration. We will not say that the black art. The revival has made rapid progress in England because of the every change has been for the worse, hut certainly it has not been for the better. Admittedly much of the fault lies with Mexico very natural desire of those bereft during the war to evoke some conno matter what our policy may be at the time, the powers in solation from the world beyond the grave and because such eminent leaders as Sir Oliver Lodge and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle have proMexico, governmental and bandit, are not satisfied with it. Senor Ibanez gives the impression that lie is somewhat prejudiced claimed their faith in communications from the realms of the spirits. in favor of Mexico. He tells us that he is going to write three novels The suggestion of Dean Inge that spiritualistic communications about the United States and Mexico and that he has no doubt that arc dealings with Satan and other evil beings is contained in the folwhen he goes to Mexico lie will not find it so much of a land of bandits lowing words : were true that portrayed in the pitIf this kind of after-lif- e as it has been painted. And he suspects that oil and other American and foreign interests arc at work stirring up trouble so that the iable revival of necromancy in which many desolate hearts have touiul neUnited States will intervene. spurious satisfaction it would be a melancholy postponement or Intervention, says the good senor, would be a mistake because it gation of all we hope and believe about our dead. would bring down upon us the disapproval of South America. That Poignant words, and yet they express the feeling ol many who would be a terrible state of affairs because the people of South Amerfind the recorded messages from the dead fantastic to the verge of ica, impressed by our action in the world war, captivated by many pathos. Cultured men and women throw aside the truly consoling evidences of our generosity and magnanimity, arc looking upon the promises of orthodox Christianity regarding a tuture life to accept United States as the disinterested leader of American civilization. the more immediate and tangible consolation of what they believe to But their good opinion of uswould be quite swept away into a black be messages from their own dear ones who have gone before. These stream of distrust and hatred if wc should intervene in Mexico. To messages, usually, arc trivial, couched in childish language devoid of co-operati- ng, y, - be-cau- q se, |