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<v Speaker 1>Chapter fifty of Philip Drew Administrator by Edward House. This

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<v Speaker 1>LibriVox recording is in the public domain, recorded by the

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<v Speaker 1>Progressing America Project. Chapter fifty the broadening of the Monroe Doctrine.

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<v Speaker 1>In spite of repeated warnings from the United States, Mexico

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<v Speaker 1>and the Central American republics had obstinately continued their old

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<v Speaker 1>time habit of revolutions without just cause, with the result

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<v Speaker 1>that they neither had stable governments within themselves nor any

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<v Speaker 1>hope of peace with each other. One revolution followed another

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<v Speaker 1>in quick succession, until neither life nor property was safe. England,

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<v Speaker 1>Germany and other nations who had citizens and investments there

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<v Speaker 1>had long protested to the American government, and Drew knew

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<v Speaker 1>that one of the purposes of the proposed coalition against

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<v Speaker 1>the United States had been the assumption of control themselves. Consequently,

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<v Speaker 1>he took active and drastic steps to bring order out

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<v Speaker 1>of chaos. He had threatened many times to police these countries,

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<v Speaker 1>and he finally prepared to do so. Other affairs of

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<v Speaker 1>the dru administration were running smoothly, the army was at

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<v Speaker 1>a high standard of efficiency, and the country was fully

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<v Speaker 1>ready for the step When Drew sent one hundred thousand

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<v Speaker 1>men to the Rio Grande and demanded that the American

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<v Speaker 1>troops be permitted to cross over and subdue the revolutionists

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<v Speaker 1>and marauding bandits. The answer was a coalition of all

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<v Speaker 1>the opposing factions and the massing of a law large

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<v Speaker 1>army of defense. The Central American Republics also joined Mexico

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<v Speaker 1>and hurriedly sent troops north. General Drew took personal command

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<v Speaker 1>of the American forces, crossed the Rio Grande at Laredo

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<v Speaker 1>and war was declared. There were a large number of

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<v Speaker 1>Mexican soldiers at Monterey, but they fell back in order

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<v Speaker 1>to get in touch with the main army below Saltillo.

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<v Speaker 1>General Drew marched steadily on, but before he came to Saltillo,

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<v Speaker 1>the Mexican President, who commanded his own army, moved southward

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<v Speaker 1>in order to give the Central American troops time to

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<v Speaker 1>reach him. This was accomplished about fifty miles north of

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<v Speaker 1>the city of Mexico. The allies had one hundred thousand

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<v Speaker 1>men and the American force numbered sixty thousand. Drew having

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<v Speaker 1>left forty thousand at Laredo, Monterey and Salteeo. The two

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<v Speaker 1>armies confronted one another for five days, the Mexican general

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<v Speaker 1>waiting for the Americans to attack, while General Drew was

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<v Speaker 1>merely resting his troops and preparing them for battle. In

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<v Speaker 1>the meantime, he requested a conference with the Mexican commander,

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<v Speaker 1>and the two met with their staffs midway between the

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<v Speaker 1>opposing armies. General Drew urged an immediate surrender and fully

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<v Speaker 1>explained his plans for occupation so that it might be

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<v Speaker 1>known that there was to be no oppression. He pointed

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<v Speaker 1>out that it had become no longer possible for the

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<v Speaker 1>United States to ignore the disorder that prevailed in Mexico

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<v Speaker 1>and those countries south of it, for if the United

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<v Speaker 1>States had not taken action, Europe would have done so.

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<v Speaker 1>He expressed regret that a country so favored by God

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<v Speaker 1>should be so abused by man, for with peace, order,

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<v Speaker 1>and a just administration of the government, Mexico and her

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<v Speaker 1>sister republics, he felt sure would take a high place

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<v Speaker 1>in the esteem of the world. He also said that

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<v Speaker 1>he had carefully investigated conditions, knew where the trouble lay,

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<v Speaker 1>and felt sure that the mass of people would welcome

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<v Speaker 1>a change from the unbearable existing conditions. The country was

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<v Speaker 1>then and had been for centuries, wrongfully governed by a bureaucracy,

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<v Speaker 1>and he declared his belief that the Mexican people as

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<v Speaker 1>a whole believed that the Americans would give them a

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<v Speaker 1>greater measure of freedom and protection than they had ever

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<v Speaker 1>known before. Drew further told the Mexican general that his

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<v Speaker 1>army represented about all there was of opposition to America's

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<v Speaker 1>offer of order and liberty, and he asked him to

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<v Speaker 1>accept the inevitable and not sacrifice the lives of the

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<v Speaker 1>brave men in both commands. The Mexican general heard him

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<v Speaker 1>with cold but polite silence. You do not understand us,

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<v Speaker 1>Senor Drew, nor that which we represent. We would rather

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<v Speaker 1>die or be driven into exile than permit you to

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<v Speaker 1>arrange our internal affairs as you suggest. There are a

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<v Speaker 1>few families who have ruled Mexico since the first Spanish occupation,

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<v Speaker 1>and we will not relinquish our hold until compelled to

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<v Speaker 1>do so. At times Ajarez or a Diaz has attained

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<v Speaker 1>to the presidency, but we, the great families, have been

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<v Speaker 1>the power behind eus each administration. The peons n canal

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<v Speaker 1>that you would educate and make our political equals are

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<v Speaker 1>now where they rightfully belong, and your endeavors in their

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<v Speaker 1>behalf are misplaced and can have no result except disaster

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<v Speaker 1>to them. Your great Lincoln emancipated many millions of blacks,

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<v Speaker 1>and they were afterwards given the franchise and equal rights.

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<v Speaker 1>But can they exercise that franchise? And have they equal rights?

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<v Speaker 1>You know they have not. You have placed them in

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<v Speaker 1>a worse position than they were before. You have opened

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<v Speaker 1>a door of hope that the laws of nature forbid

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<v Speaker 1>them to enter, so it would be here. Your theories

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<v Speaker 1>and your high flown sentiment do you great credit. But

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<v Speaker 1>illustrious Senior, read the pages of your own history, and

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<v Speaker 1>do not try to make the same mistake again. Many

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<v Speaker 1>centuries ago, the all knowing Christ advised the plucking of

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<v Speaker 1>the moat from thine own eye, before attempting to remove

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<v Speaker 1>it from that of thy brother. To this, Drew replied,

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<v Speaker 1>your criticism of us is only partly just. We lifted

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<v Speaker 1>the yoke from the black man's neck, but we went

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<v Speaker 1>too fast in our zeal for his welfare. However, we

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<v Speaker 1>have taken him out of a boundless swamp, where under

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<v Speaker 1>the old conditions he must have wandered for all time

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<v Speaker 1>without hope, and we have placed his feet upon firm

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<v Speaker 1>ground and are leading him with helping hands along the

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<v Speaker 1>road to opportunity. That though, mister President, is only a

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<v Speaker 1>part of our mission to you, our citizens and those

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<v Speaker 1>of other countries have placed in your republic vast sums

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<v Speaker 1>for its development, trusting to your treaty guarantees, and they

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<v Speaker 1>feel much concerned over their inability to operate their properties

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<v Speaker 1>not only to the advantage of your people, but to

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<v Speaker 1>those to whom they belong. We of Western Europe and

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<v Speaker 1>the United States have our own theories as to the

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<v Speaker 1>functions of government, theories that perhaps you fail to appreciate,

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<v Speaker 1>but we feel we must not only observe them ourselves,

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<v Speaker 1>but try and persuade others to do likewise. One of

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<v Speaker 1>these ideas is the maintenance of order, so that when

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<v Speaker 1>our hospitable neighbors visit us, they may feel as to

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<v Speaker 1>their persons and property, as safe as if they were

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<v Speaker 1>at home. I am afraid our views are wide apart,

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<v Speaker 1>concluded Drew, and I say it with deep regret, for

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<v Speaker 1>I wish we might arrive at an understanding without a

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<v Speaker 1>clash at arms. I assure you that my visit to

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<v Speaker 1>you is not selfish. It is not to acquire territory

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<v Speaker 1>or for the aggrandizement of either myself or my country,

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<v Speaker 1>but it is to do the work that we feel

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<v Speaker 1>must be done, and which you refuse to do. Senor

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<v Speaker 1>Drew answered the Mexican President. It has been a pleasure

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<v Speaker 1>to meet you and discuss the ethics of government. But

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<v Speaker 1>even were I willing to listen to your proposals, my

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<v Speaker 1>army and adherents would not. So there is nothing we

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<v Speaker 1>can do except to finish our argument upon the field

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<v Speaker 1>of battle. The interview was therefore fruitless, but Drew felt

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<v Speaker 1>that he had done his duty, and he prepared for

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<v Speaker 1>the morrow's conflict with a less heavy heart. End of

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<v Speaker 1>Chapter fifty