Page:Hands off Mexico.djvu/15

 First, we have a group of assertions calculated to instil the idea that Mexicans, and particularly the Mexican Government, are hostile to Americans and the American Government—which would naturally produce a corresponding hostility on the part of Americans against Mexico. We are told that Mexicans have an especial hatred for Americans, that they believe we are afraid to fight them, that they imagine they could defeat us in war, that the attitude of the Mexican Government toward the American Government is one of insolence, that Mexico was unneutral and assisted Germany during the war, even that President Carranza has at various times planned a military invasion of the United States for the purpose of conquering American territory.

Second, we have a group of assertions calculated to create the impression that the present Mexican Government is incapable ever of establishing order in Mexico—which would naturally tend to allay opposition to a program looking toward the establishment of order by the strong arm of the United States. Every allegation touching the weakness, unpopularity, or general depravity of the Mexican Government falls into this class. In particular we are told that the greater part of Mexico is under control of the enemies of Carranza, even that a large proportion of the Mexican people would welcome intervention by the United States.

Consider briefly the first group of assertions. While it may be presumptuous to profess to see into the mind of the Mexican President, we have the facts that the President of the United States twice sent an army into Mexico for a period of months, and that Carranza avoided a conflict; that American forces have repeatedly invaded Mexico for shorter periods, each invasion constituting an act of war, but that the Mexican Government refrained from declaring war against the United States; that Carranza has received a number of notes from the Government of the United States of so threatening a nature that they could hardly fail to provoke war with any government not intent on avoiding war at almost any cost, but that Carranza has never replied in kind. Even laymen are well aware that a war of aggression has a much better chance of success if staged as a war of defense. The Mexican Government has had a number of opportunities to engage in a war of defense against the United States, but it has in every instance passed the opportunity by.