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Show I The Mexican Situation r S& nnHB War Department last week caused a I Jr X tnrM of excitement, and seemed to set the lip1 whole world to speculating, by ordering more than 20,000 soldiers of the regular army to rendezvous at once in Texas and along the Mexican Mex-ican border line, with all the paraphernalia of war-horses, guns and ball cartridges. The order included a like rendezvous of war ships in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Southern California ports. The order was executed with a promptness prompt-ness and precision which put to shame the pub-" pub-" lie statement of one "who never set a squadron ' in the field" that the American army lacked all coheslveness, and would not know how to maneuver man-euver en-masse. Of course, the order set the world to speculating and wiseacres have had their say in all the chief capitals of the world. All kind of prognostications have been indulged in, some going so far as to declare that it meant the conquest con-quest of Mexico. This was heightened by a rumor that President Diaz had suddenly died. I The War Department gave out that it was merely to make the neutrality, which our country is bound to enforce, the more complete by more effectively ef-fectively patrolling the border, and to enable the troops to maneuver larger numbers than usual. Our own belief is that there was more 'r it; there was too much hurry, the troops vnt In f fighting form and then, if this was all, why the I naval contingent on both coasts? But it matters not vAat tho cause was, the work was splendidly done. Our country is placed in a trying position While tho insurrection goes on m the southern Republic. There are thousands of our country-Imen country-Imen in Mexico. There is millions of American mpney there, and there is besides millions of European money and many subjects of European countries, and while we adhere to tho Monroe f, ,, doctrine, they and tlulr money are in great measure under our care. We have no doubt but in . case tho insurgents in Mexico were to commence looting the property of Americans and Europeans f in that country, our government would interfere, and notifying President Diaz and his counsellors, that the only purpose was to help the Mexican government restore order, would order an invasion in-vasion of that territory. In the meantime Diaz i has suspended all the humane laws that usually govern in the conduct of war, has given" notice that all taking arms against the government will be summarily dealt with. In response an insur-gnt insur-gnt chief has answered back that the revolutionists revolution-ists will neither ask nor. give quarter. ( That indicates that hereafter the war will take I ... . on a more savage character. It is most disquieting news, for how long will those men respect either life or property in case their course becomes be-comes desperate. We hope the precaution has been taken to supply the Mormon colony in Chihuahua Chi-huahua with plenty of arms and ammunition. The knowledge that they have that material will steer many an insurgent away from their settlement. The spring has come in Mexico and Diaz owes it to himself, his country and in vindication f the promises he made when he invited foreigners to come to his country, to set on foot some real vigorous warfare; unless his whole country is seething with insurrection, and in that case he should ask for help. We hope it will not come to that We hope while detailing small commands com-mands to look after guerrilla bands, and properly garrisoning his capital, he will concentrate the remainder of his army and with it finish the war as he moves. The fear is that he has misgivings about the loyatly of his army. If he has he should call for help, and would, in that case, naturally turn to the United States. We confess that the situation wears a bad look, for so much of the hoped for success depends upon accidents that it is disquieting to look over the whole field and to be sure that our country will not fianlly become be-come involved. |
