Nelson Evening Mail WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 1914. MEXICO AND PERU.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 6 May 1914, Page 4

Nelson Evening Mail WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 1914. MEXICO AND PERU.

PRESIDENT WILSON based his refusal to recognise General Huerta asProvir#ial President of Mexico on the rule that he would repudiate all Spanish-Ameri-can Governments "stainea by blood or supported by anything but the consent of the governed." * Colonel George Harvey, editor of the "North American Review,"' points out, however, that in his treatment of i the recent Peruvian revolution Mr Wilson has, in fact, departed from his own rule. Between the Mexican and the Peruvian revolutions there was an odd analogy. When General Huerta assumed control on February 23 of last year, he .telegraphed' to President Taft, "I have the honour to inform you that I have overthrown the Government. The forces are with me, and from now on peace and prosperity will" reign." When Colonel Benavides assumed control of tho Peruvian Government, eleven months later, Carlos Lejruia, who had acted with Benavides, telegraphed to his brother, Robert Leguia, Vice-'President of Peru, then in London, as follows:—"By the glorious action of the army we are free from Billinghurst, who is now in the "penitentiary." Billinghurst had. 'been President of Peru, and, like Madero of Mexico, was a reformer, though, unlike Madero, he had had exceptional experience as soldier, diplomatist, legislator, and administrator. Like the the Peruvians are nearly 60 per cent Indian, and they, too, have a Constitution which for full, fair, and free elections, which, however, are never held, because, also as in Mexico, a, very small proportion of the population can read or write. In 1912 there was no result whatever at the polls, for the simple reason that mobs burned the ballot-boxes; whereupon the Peruvian Congress duly elected Guillermo Billinghurst President. The latter is commonly reported to have done his best to give his country an honest and efficient Government, 'but he "ignored tho better class of people and drew around him people without social position, who .were ready to serve his will." Thereupon the "better," or 'ruling, class, headed hy the Leguias, plotted, to depose him. Colonel Benavides executed the plans, taking tho capital by force of arms, putting the President in prison, and incidentally killing the Minister for War. He thereupon declared himself Provisional President, and sought recognition from tho United States oi his de facto Government, precisely as General Huerta had. done. Huerta had been rejected, but Benavides was accepted. Colonel Harvey suggests that the recognition of Benavides may have implied confession of error in refusing* to recognise Huerta, but hi any case There appears to be a startling inconsistency in the policy adopted by the Wilson Administration npon these two occasions.