Page:Hands off Mexico.djvu/21

 For business reasons, there are Americans who are not only willing to risk the lives of their employees, and sometimes of themselves, but also the lives of thousands of other Americans who would be sent to "protect" them. It is impossible to deny this fact. It is good and sufficient explanation of the phenomenon that the fountain-head of the interventionist propaganda is not some humanitarian or charitable institution, but an association of banking, mining, and other corporations whose sole reason for being is to make money for themselves.

Of course the gentlemen who speak for this association put forward a variety of arguments intended to convince the public that their own business interests in this matter is also the interest of the public, even the interest of the Mexican people and of humanity. Otherwise there would be scant hope of ever realizing their program.

We are assured, variously, that we could and would "restore order" in Mexico, "clean up" the bandits and grafters, give the Mexicans good government, and improve their economic conditions; that, anyhow, Mexico is "our job under the Monroe Doctrine," and if we do not compel Mexico to discharge her "international obligations" England or some other country will do so, involving us in trouble with the latter; that Mexico is in danger of falling under the control of Germany or Japan, which would constitute a menace to our own safety. Cuba is held up as a shining example of how we might set up a "stable government" of natives and then unselfishly withdraw. Finally, we are told that the general welfare is somehow bound up in the private interests of Americans abroad, and that we are under obligation to protect those interests at whatever cost either to Mexicans or to ourselves.

All of such arguments are based upon misapprehensions of one kind or another; all are fallacious.

Regarding the assertion that we could restore order in Mexico, one answer to this is that the disorder in Mexico has been greatly exaggerated. Another answer is that we have not yet satisfactorily worked out the task of maintaining order at home, and the difficulties of keeping order in a foreign country would be infinitely greater. Still another answer is that past efforts we have made to restore order in other countries have not been a brilliant success.