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Show ADVOCATES POLIGY OF "HANDS OF" PRESIDENT WILSON ADVISES STRICT NEUTRALITY IN MEXICAN MEX-ICAN AFFAIRS. Explains His Proposal, Spurned by Huerta, and Warns All Americans scl and assistance. All America crlei oul lor a settlement, i A satisfactory settlement seems to us to be conditioned on (.a; An immediate cessation of lighting light-ing llll'uugnuul Lexico, a uelinlte al -nustice so.emniy entered inu and scrupulously scru-pulously observed. (b) n'icui'ity given for an early una free election in winch all will ayree to take part. (c) Tlie consent of General lluerta to bind himself not to be a candidate lor election as president ot tne republic repub-lic at tins election; and (d; Tlie agreement of all parties to abide by tlie results of tile election and co-operate in the most loya, way In organizing and supporting the new administration. ad-ministration. 'ihe government of the United btates will be glad to play any part in tins settlement or in its carrying out winch it can play honorably and consistently to Leave Mexico at unce, ounwu to Aid in Every Way Possible. Washington. President Wilson In person addressed congress on Wednesday, Wednes-day, August 2 7, on Hie Mexican siiu:.-tion siiu:.-tion as fol.ows: Gentlemen of tho Congress: It is clearly my duty to lay belore you very fully and without reservation the facts concerning our relations with tlie Ke-liublic Ke-liublic of -Mexico. Tlie deplorable posture pos-ture of affairs in Mexico I need not describe, de-scribe, but 1 deem it my duty to speak very frankly of what this government has done and sJionld seek to do in ful-iil.nient ful-iil.nient of its obligation to Mexico herself, her-self, as a friend and neighbor, and to American citizens whose lives and vital interests are daily affected by the distressing' dis-tressing' conditions which now obtain beyond our southern border. Those conditions touch us very nearly. near-ly. Not merely because they lie at our very doors. That of course makes us more vividly and more constantly conscious con-scious of them, and every instinct of neighborly interest and sympathy is aroused and quickened by them; but that is only one element In tlie determination de-termination of our duty. We are glad to call ourselves the friends of Mexico, Mex-ico, and we shall, I hope, have many un occasion, In happier times as well as in these days of trouble and confusion, confu-sion, to show that our friendship is genuine and disinterested, capable of sacrifice and every generous manifesta- Wlth lnlernalioBal rignu 11 pitunw itself it-self to recognize and in every way possible pos-sible and proper to assist the auiuinis-tration auiuinis-tration chosen and set up in Mexico in tlie way and on the conditions suggested. sug-gested. Taking all the existing conditions into consideration the government ol tlie United Slates can coi.reive of no reasons sufiieient to justily those who are now attempting to sluipe tlie policy pol-icy or exercise the authority of Mexico in declining the offices ol friendship thus offered. Can Mexico give the civi.ized world a satisfactory reason tor rejecting our good offices? If Mexico can suggest any better way in which to show our friendship, serve the people of Mexico aud meet our international in-ternational obligation we are more than willing to consider the suggestion. sugges-tion. Mr. Lind executed his delicate and difficult mission with singular taci. Firmness and good judgment. .Mid made clear to the authorities at the City of Mexico not only the purpose of his visit, but also tho spirit in which it had been undertaken. Bu: tlie proposals he submitted were rejected, in a note the full text of which I take the liberty of laying before you. I am led to believe that they were rejected partly because the authorities at Mexico City had been grossly misinformed misin-formed and misled on two points. They did not realize the spirit of the American Ameri-can people in this matter, their earnest earn-est friendliness and yet sober determination determi-nation for I inie just solution for the Mexican d'lfuculties; and they did not tentment of Mexico mean more, much more, to us than merely an enlarged field for our commerce ana enterprise. They mean an enlargement o the field of self-government and the realization of the hopes and rights of a nation with whose best aspirations, so long suppressed and disappointed, we deeply sympathize. We shall yet prove to the Mexican people that we know how to serve them without first thinking how we shall serve ourselves. But we are not the only friends of Mexico. The whole world desires her peace and progress; and the whole world is interested as never before. Mexico" lies at last where all the world looks on. Central America is about to be touched by the great routes of the world s trade and intercourse running run-ning free from ocean to ocean at the Isthmus. The future lias much in store for Mexico, as for all the states of Central Cen-tral America; but the best gifts can come to her only if she be ready and free to receive them and to enjoy them honorably. America in particular America north and south and on both continents waits on the development of Mexico; and that development can be sound and lasting only if it be tlie product of a genuine freedom, a just and ordered government, founded on law. Only so can it be peaceful or fruitful of the benefits of peace. Mexico Mex-ico has a great and enviable future before be-fore her, if only she choose and attain the paths of honest constitutional government. gov-ernment. The present circumstances of the republic, re-public, I deeply regret to say, do not seem to promise even the foundations of such a peace. We have waited many believe that the present administration spoke, through Mr. Lind, for the people peo-ple of the United States. The effect of this unfortunate misunderstanding on their part is to leave them singularly isolated and without friends who can effectually aid them. So long as the misunderstanding continues we can only await the time of their awakening to a realization of the actual facts. We 'cannot thrust our good offices upon them; the situation must be given a little more time to work itself out in the new circumstances; and I believe that only a little while will be necessary. neces-sary. For the circumstances are new. The rejection of our friendship makes them new and will inevitably bring its own alternations in the (vhole aspect of affairs. The actual situation of the authorities at Mexico City will presently present-ly be revealed. Meanwhile, what is it our duty to do? Clearly, everything that we do must be rooted in patience and done with calm and disinterested deliberation. delibera-tion. Impatience on our part would be childish, and would be fraught with every risk of wrong and folly. We can afford to exercise the self-restraint of a really great nation which realizes its own stength and scorns to misuse it. It was our duty to offer our active assistance. It is now our duty to show what true neutrality will do to enable the people of Mexico to set their affairs in order again and wait for a further opportunity to offer our friendly counsels. coun-sels. The door is not closed against the resumption, either on the initiative of Mexico or on our own, of the effort to bring order out of the confusion by friendly co-operative action, should fortunate occasion offer. anxiety, for the conditions there to im-' prove, and they have not improved. They have grown worse, rather. The territory in son. sort contolled by, the povisional authorities at Mexico' City has grown smaller, not larger. The prospect of the pacification of the country, even by arms, has seemed to grow more and more remote and its pacification by the authorities at the capital is evidently impossible by any, other means than force. Difficulties more and more entangle those who claim to constitute the legitimate government gov-ernment of the republic. They have not made good their claim in fact. Their successes in the field have proved only temporary. War and disorder, devastation de-vastation and confusion seem to threaten threat-en to become the settled fortune of the distracted country. As friends we could wait no longer for a solution which every week seemed further away. It was our duty at least to volunCr our good offices to offer to assise, ! ffj might, in electing some arranger;. ar-ranger;. eni. which would bring relief and 'peace and set up a universally acknowledged political authority there. According.y, I took the liberty of sending the Hon. John Lind, formerly governor of Minnesota, as my personal spokesman and representative to the City of Mexico with he following instructions: in-structions: Press very earnestly on the attention atten-tion of those who are now exercising authority or wielding influence in Mexico Mex-ico the. following considerations and advice: ,i The government of the United States does not feel at liberty any longer to stand inactively by while it becomes daily more and more evident that no real progress is being made toward the establishment of a government at the City of Mexico which tho country r. ill obey and respect. The government of the United States-does States-does not stand in the same case with the other great governments of tlie world in respect to what is happening or what Is likely to happen in Mexico. Wp nffpr our good offices, not onlv While we wait the contest of tne rival forces will undoubtedly for a little lit-tle while be sharper than ever, just because be-cause it will be plain that an end must be made of the existing situation, and that very promptly; and with the increased in-creased activity of the contending factions fac-tions will come, it is to be feared, increased in-creased danger to the non-combatants in Mexico as well as to those actually in the field of battle. The position of outsiders is always particularly trying and full of hazard where there is civil strife and a whole- country is upset. We should earnestly urge, all Americans Ameri-cans to leave Mexico at once and should assist them to get away in every way possible not because we would mean to slacken In the least ir efforts to safeguard their lives and their interests, but because it is imperative that they should take no unnecessary risks when it is physically possible for them to leave the country. We should let everyone who seems to exercise authority au-thority in any part, of Mexico know in tne mbst unequivocal way that we snail vigilantly watch the fortunes of those Americans who can not get away, and shall hold those responsible for their sufferings and losses to a definite reckoning. reck-oning. That can and will be made plain beyond the possibility of a misunderstanding, mis-understanding, i For the rest, I deem it my duty to ! exercise the authority conferred on me by the law of March 14, 1912, to see to it that neither side to' the struggle now going on in Mexico receive any assistance assist-ance from this side of the border. I shall follow the best practice of nations na-tions tn the matter of neutrality by forb .ing the exportation of arms or mur.itlons of war of any kind from the United State l to any part of the republic repub-lic of Mxl;o a rolicy suggesteu by several interesting predecents and certainly cer-tainly dictated by many manifest considerations con-siderations of piacttcal expediency. We cannot in the circumstances be the partisans par-tisans of either party to the contest that now distracts Mexico or constitute consti-tute ourselves the virtual umpire between be-tween them. because of our genuine desire to play the part of a friend, but also because we are expected by t.ie powers of the world to act as Mexico's nearest friend. We wish to act in these circumstances circum-stances in the spirit of the most earnest earn-est and disinterested friendship. It Is our purpose in whatever we do' or propose pro-pose In this perplexing and distressing situation not only to pay the most scrupulous regard to the sovereignty and Independence of Mexico that we take as a matter of course to which we are bound by every obligation of right and honor but also to give every possible pos-sible evidence that we act in the interest in-terest of Mexico alono, and not In the Interest of any person or body of persons per-sons who may have personal or property prop-erty claims In Mexico which they may feel that thoy have the right to press. We are seeking to counsel Mexico for her own good and in tlie interest of her own peace, and not for any oilier purpose pur-pose whatever. The government of the United States would deem itself discredited dis-credited if It had any selfish or ulterior purpose in transactions where the peace, happiness and prosperity of a whole people are Involved. It is acting as Its friendship for Mexico, not as any solllsh Interest, dictates. Tlie present situation In Mexieo Is Incompatible In-compatible with the fulfillment of international in-ternational obligations on the part of Mexico, with tlie civilized development of Mexico herself and with the maintenance main-tenance of tolerable political and economic econ-omic conditions In Central America. It is upon no common oension, therefore, that the United States offers her coun- I am happy to say that several of the great governments of the world have given this government their generous gen-erous moral support In urging on the provisional authorities at the City of Mexico the acceptance of our proffered good offices in the spirit in which they were made. We have not acted in this matter under the ordinary principles of international obligation. All the world expects us in such circumstances to act as Mexico's nearest friend and intimate inti-mate adviser. This is our Immemorial relation towards her. There is nowhere no-where any serious question that we have the moral right in the case or that we are acting in the Interest of a fair settlement and of good government, govern-ment, not for the promotion of some selfish interest of our own. If further motive were necessary than our own good will towards a sister republic and our own deep concern to see peace and order prevail in Central America, this consent of mankind to what we are attempting, this attitude of the great nations of tlie world towards what we may attempt In dealing wit this distressed people at our doors, should make us feel the more solemnly solemn-ly bound to go to the utmost length of patience and forbearance in this painful and anxious business. Tlie steady pressure of morn.: force will, before be-fore many days, break the barriers of pride and prejudice down, and we shall triumph as Mexico's friends sooner than we could triumph as her enemies and how much more handsomely, witti how much higher and finer satisfactions of conscience and honor! |