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Show B ' WHAT WOULD WE B HAVE DONE H Tho defenders of tho ndmlnlstra- H tlon's course, when not engaged In H cuckooing "ho has kept us out of war" H uunblo to defend tho record, full back H on tho query, "Well, what would you H- have douo?" Apparently fondly lin- , ngiiilng that this Is an unanswerable B conundrum. Nothing Is simpler. First B nnd foremost, no American admlnls- K trntlon following a policy In hurmony B with our traditions would hae Inter- B fcrcd In tho domestic and Internal nf- BBV' fairs of Moxlco. Such an ndmlnlstra- BBV tlou would havo adhered to tho ostab- BBV llshcd usage of international dlplom- BBV' ney laid down ami ndhored to hither- BBV to by Democratic and nepubllcan ad- BBB ministrations a Hko, would hao re- BBB spected Mexican sovereignty and re- BV fralncd from attempts to limit their BBS freedom of cholco In tho government BBBj or the leaders thoy chose or accepted. H Such nn administration would havo B given all factions In Mexico to under- B stand that wo had no favorites among BBBj them, but Innlstod that wherever each B or any of them clalmod or exerted B authority American lives and Amcrl- H can properly must bo respected and H protected at tho porll of Immediate B and condign punishment. BBBJ Had wo followed those rules of con- B duct and been unwavering and dotor- K mined in tho atlltudo I have outlined, B tho probability Is that peaco would H havo long ulneo boon restored In Mox- BBBJ too. In any ovent, American citizens BB nnd American property would have H boon at least reasonably safo through- H out Moxlco, and, in nit human prob- H ability, no Incident would have occur- H rod that would oven havo suggested H tho necessity for gonernT armed Intor- K ' Ours Bhould havo been n policy of B firm, dlgninod neutrality, of respect H 'forMcilcan sovorolgnty, und Btern In- Bflflflflf HflflflflJ sUtcnce on tho protection of American Ameri-can rights. Such a policy would havo served tho ends of peace and order, would havo given us no problems snvo tho minor problems Incident to a period of disorder. Yours hus been a policy of mlscrablo meddling, ot pestiferous fusing, of bandit coddling of -alternate bluff and surrendered ot apparent disregard for American llveB, American honor, nnd American prest ige In tho pondBtcnt pursuit of a fatuous fatu-ous and Indefensible personal policy. It hns bred nnd produced outrago, lawlessness, law-lessness, murder, spread nnj continued continu-ed tho reign of rape and raplno cost tis hundreds of American lives, tho outrago and humiliation ot thousana.i of American citizens nnd tho rostruc-tlon rostruc-tlon of hundreds bf millions of their property. It 1ms cost tho government govern-ment moro than a hundred million dollars. It has led to tho calling from their usual avocations of 125, 000 citizen soldlors to tho discomforts discom-forts of tho border. It now confronts us at tho end of a Inno of horrors with n situation that may compel armed arm-ed Intervention tis tho only means of ending a situation Intolerable for all concerned. Ily Hon. Frank W. Mon-dell. |
