I  have  been  trying  to  find  a  way  to  help  this  Govern-
ment to  wake  up  to  the  effect  of  its  pro-Huerta  position


"POLICY"  AND  "PRINCIPLE  '  IN  MEXICO        185

and  to  give  them  a  chance  to  refrain  from  repeating  that
mistake — and  to  save  their  faces;  and  I  have  telegraphed
one  plan  to  Mr.  Bryan  to-day.  I  think  they  ought  now
to  be  forced  to  show  their  hand  without  the  possibility  of
evasion.  They  will  not  risk  losing  our  good-will — if  it
seem  wise  to  you  to  put  them  to  a  square  test.
It 's  a  wretched  business,  and  the  sordid  level  of  Euro-
pean statecraft  is  sad.
I  ran  across  the  Prime  Minister  at  the  royal  wedding
reception1  the  other  day.
"What  do  you  infer  from  the  latest  news  from  Mexico?  "
he  asked.
"Several  things."

"Teh1  me  the  most  important  inference  you  draw."

"Well,  the  danger  of  prematurely  making  up  one's
mind  about  a  Mexican  adventurer."

"Ah!"  and  he  moved  on.
Very  heartily  yours,

WALTER  H.  PAGE.
To  the  President

London,  Sunday,  Nov.  16,  1913.
