Speaker 1: Chapter fifty of Philip Drew Administrator by Edward House. This
Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain, recorded by the
Speaker 1: Progressing America Project. Chapter fifty the broadening of the Monroe Doctrine.
Speaker 1: In spite of repeated warnings from the United States, Mexico
Speaker 1: and the Central American republics had obstinately continued their old
Speaker 1: time habit of revolutions without just cause, with the result
Speaker 1: that they neither had stable governments within themselves nor any
Speaker 1: hope of peace with each other. One revolution followed another
Speaker 1: in quick succession, until neither life nor property was safe. England,
Speaker 1: Germany and other nations who had citizens and investments there
Speaker 1: had long protested to the American government, and Drew knew
Speaker 1: that one of the purposes of the proposed coalition against
Speaker 1: the United States had been the assumption of control themselves. Consequently,
Speaker 1: he took active and drastic steps to bring order out
Speaker 1: of chaos. He had threatened many times to police these countries,
Speaker 1: and he finally prepared to do so. Other affairs of
Speaker 1: the dru administration were running smoothly, the army was at
Speaker 1: a high standard of efficiency, and the country was fully
Speaker 1: ready for the step When Drew sent one hundred thousand
Speaker 1: men to the Rio Grande and demanded that the American
Speaker 1: troops be permitted to cross over and subdue the revolutionists
Speaker 1: and marauding bandits. The answer was a coalition of all
Speaker 1: the opposing factions and the massing of a law large
Speaker 1: army of defense. The Central American Republics also joined Mexico
Speaker 1: and hurriedly sent troops north. General Drew took personal command
Speaker 1: of the American forces, crossed the Rio Grande at Laredo
Speaker 1: and war was declared. There were a large number of
Speaker 1: Mexican soldiers at Monterey, but they fell back in order
Speaker 1: to get in touch with the main army below Saltillo.
Speaker 1: General Drew marched steadily on, but before he came to Saltillo,
Speaker 1: the Mexican President, who commanded his own army, moved southward
Speaker 1: in order to give the Central American troops time to
Speaker 1: reach him. This was accomplished about fifty miles north of
Speaker 1: the city of Mexico. The allies had one hundred thousand
Speaker 1: men and the American force numbered sixty thousand. Drew having
Speaker 1: left forty thousand at Laredo, Monterey and Salteeo. The two
Speaker 1: armies confronted one another for five days, the Mexican general
Speaker 1: waiting for the Americans to attack, while General Drew was
Speaker 1: merely resting his troops and preparing them for battle. In
Speaker 1: the meantime, he requested a conference with the Mexican commander,
Speaker 1: and the two met with their staffs midway between the
Speaker 1: opposing armies. General Drew urged an immediate surrender and fully
Speaker 1: explained his plans for occupation so that it might be
Speaker 1: known that there was to be no oppression. He pointed
Speaker 1: out that it had become no longer possible for the
Speaker 1: United States to ignore the disorder that prevailed in Mexico
Speaker 1: and those countries south of it, for if the United
Speaker 1: States had not taken action, Europe would have done so.
Speaker 1: He expressed regret that a country so favored by God
Speaker 1: should be so abused by man, for with peace, order,
Speaker 1: and a just administration of the government, Mexico and her
Speaker 1: sister republics, he felt sure would take a high place
Speaker 1: in the esteem of the world. He also said that
Speaker 1: he had carefully investigated conditions, knew where the trouble lay,
Speaker 1: and felt sure that the mass of people would welcome
Speaker 1: a change from the unbearable existing conditions. The country was
Speaker 1: then and had been for centuries, wrongfully governed by a bureaucracy,
Speaker 1: and he declared his belief that the Mexican people as
Speaker 1: a whole believed that the Americans would give them a
Speaker 1: greater measure of freedom and protection than they had ever
Speaker 1: known before. Drew further told the Mexican general that his
Speaker 1: army represented about all there was of opposition to America's
Speaker 1: offer of order and liberty, and he asked him to
Speaker 1: accept the inevitable and not sacrifice the lives of the
Speaker 1: brave men in both commands. The Mexican general heard him
Speaker 1: with cold but polite silence. You do not understand us,
Speaker 1: Senor Drew, nor that which we represent. We would rather
Speaker 1: die or be driven into exile than permit you to
Speaker 1: arrange our internal affairs as you suggest. There are a
Speaker 1: few families who have ruled Mexico since the first Spanish occupation,
Speaker 1: and we will not relinquish our hold until compelled to
Speaker 1: do so. At times Ajarez or a Diaz has attained
Speaker 1: to the presidency, but we, the great families, have been
Speaker 1: the power behind eus each administration. The peons n canal
Speaker 1: that you would educate and make our political equals are
Speaker 1: now where they rightfully belong, and your endeavors in their
Speaker 1: behalf are misplaced and can have no result except disaster
Speaker 1: to them. Your great Lincoln emancipated many millions of blacks,
Speaker 1: and they were afterwards given the franchise and equal rights.
Speaker 1: But can they exercise that franchise? And have they equal rights?
Speaker 1: You know they have not. You have placed them in
Speaker 1: a worse position than they were before. You have opened
Speaker 1: a door of hope that the laws of nature forbid
Speaker 1: them to enter, so it would be here. Your theories
Speaker 1: and your high flown sentiment do you great credit. But
Speaker 1: illustrious Senior, read the pages of your own history, and
Speaker 1: do not try to make the same mistake again. Many
Speaker 1: centuries ago, the all knowing Christ advised the plucking of
Speaker 1: the moat from thine own eye, before attempting to remove
Speaker 1: it from that of thy brother. To this, Drew replied,
Speaker 1: your criticism of us is only partly just. We lifted
Speaker 1: the yoke from the black man's neck, but we went
Speaker 1: too fast in our zeal for his welfare. However, we
Speaker 1: have taken him out of a boundless swamp, where under
Speaker 1: the old conditions he must have wandered for all time
Speaker 1: without hope, and we have placed his feet upon firm
Speaker 1: ground and are leading him with helping hands along the
Speaker 1: road to opportunity. That though, mister President, is only a
Speaker 1: part of our mission to you, our citizens and those
Speaker 1: of other countries have placed in your republic vast sums
Speaker 1: for its development, trusting to your treaty guarantees, and they
Speaker 1: feel much concerned over their inability to operate their properties
Speaker 1: not only to the advantage of your people, but to
Speaker 1: those to whom they belong. We of Western Europe and
Speaker 1: the United States have our own theories as to the
Speaker 1: functions of government, theories that perhaps you fail to appreciate,
Speaker 1: but we feel we must not only observe them ourselves,
Speaker 1: but try and persuade others to do likewise. One of
Speaker 1: these ideas is the maintenance of order, so that when
Speaker 1: our hospitable neighbors visit us, they may feel as to
Speaker 1: their persons and property, as safe as if they were
Speaker 1: at home. I am afraid our views are wide apart,
Speaker 1: concluded Drew, and I say it with deep regret, for
Speaker 1: I wish we might arrive at an understanding without a
Speaker 1: clash at arms. I assure you that my visit to
Speaker 1: you is not selfish. It is not to acquire territory
Speaker 1: or for the aggrandizement of either myself or my country,
Speaker 1: but it is to do the work that we feel
Speaker 1: must be done, and which you refuse to do. Senor
Speaker 1: Drew answered the Mexican President. It has been a pleasure
Speaker 1: to meet you and discuss the ethics of government. But
Speaker 1: even were I willing to listen to your proposals, my
Speaker 1: army and adherents would not. So there is nothing we
Speaker 1: can do except to finish our argument upon the field
Speaker 1: of battle. The interview was therefore fruitless, but Drew felt
Speaker 1: that he had done his duty, and he prepared for
Speaker 1: the morrow's conflict with a less heavy heart. End of
Speaker 1: Chapter fifty