NEWS OF THE WEEK
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THE Mexican situation remains much as it was when we wrote last week. President Wilson is still playing a waiting game in the hope that General Huerta's power will tumble into ruin through the financial stresses, which daily become more severe. It may be that good luck will serve the -United States in this way, though we fear that the attempt to dictate rules of life to Mexico must end in the long run either in failure or in a very much closer hold upon Mexico than any responsible American professes to desire. The hold would have to be so close that it would be indis- tinguishable from annexation. On Thursday General Huerta sent a message to the Mexican Congress, in which he appealed to his countrymen to forget their dissensions and work together. He excused his suppression of the last Congress on the ground that the purge was necessary, as many members were co-operating with the rebels. He quoted Napoleon's saying, "The law is not violated when one saves the Father- land." A curious feature .of the message was that it almost wholly ignored the action of the United States. We are glad to say that there is no misunderstanding between the United States and Great Britain. Any ill-feeling that exists is quite irresponsible. An international fleet is gathering in Mexican waters. Besides the sixteen American ships there are three German ships and one French ship, and two British ships and one Japanese ship are on their way to Vera Cruz.
