The Days of a Man 1916 



Leaving Houston for a lecture tour through 

 Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma, I was accom- 

 panied by Samuel B. McCann, a capable graduate 

 student of the Institute, at present a member of the 

 faculty. 



2 



Meanwhile things looked very black along the 

 f Mexico Mexican border. The revolution which exiled Por- 

 firio Diaz had left his distracted country in a state of 

 great confusion. Many unfortunate Americans had 

 thereby lost life or property, and many others stood 

 ready to turn these facts to their own advantage. 

 The feeling that Mexico must be "cleaned up" was 

 growing throughout the country, and while the urge 

 for intervention came largely from those with selfish 

 ends, thousands of honest citizens had been led to 

 believe that order could be restored only through 

 conquest; German agents, moreover, were intriguing 

 to bring about a conflict which would keep us out of 

 Europe. It ought, however, to be remembered that 

 atrocities were by no means confined to the Southern 

 side, for cattle rustlers from the border states were 

 criminally unscrupulous. 



In Oklahoma City, after my last lecture, I 

 received by telegraph the following request, dated 

 June 28: 



The American Union against Militarism, believing that the 

 people of the United States and Mexico are deeply opposed to 

 war, is asking three representative Americans to confer unoffi- 

 cially at El Paso with three representative Mexicans in an 

 immediate effort to delay further hostilities, bring about media- 

 tion, and devise a way of protecting American lives on the 

 border without an intolerable violation of Mexican sovereignty. 

 We earnestly appeal to you to help the country in the crisis. 



c 690 : 



