Saturday, August 24, 2013

As Huerta Wavers Wilson Is Sterner.

New York Times 100 years ago today, August 24, 1913:
Washington Wires That Slayers of Americans in Mexico Must Be Punished.
WORLDWIDE AID EXPECTED
Administration Sets Store by Other Nations' Moral Support — Lind News Hopeful.
Special to The New York Times.
    WASHINGTON, Aug. 23.— Coincident with encouraging advices as to the progress of John Lind's efforts to bring about peace in Mexico through the mediation of the United States Government, President Wilson and State Secretary Bryan have adopted a stiff tone in communications to Mexicans demanding the protection of American citizens and the punishment of persons who have killed or injured Americans. This attitude has been apparent for several days in the telegrams sent to American diplomatic and consular officers in Mexico, and it was emphasized to-day in a message sent by Secretary Bryan to the American Consul at Chihuahua to demand the apprehension and punishment of those who had killed or assaulted several American citizens in that part of Mexico. The demand is to be made on Federal military commanders.
    This statement, telling of the action of the Administration, was given to the press this afternoon:
    The American Consul at Chihuahua has been directed by the State Department that a demand be made upon the military commander of the Chihuahua district that the guerillas who killed Griffen near Churuchupa on July 6 and assaulted Arch F. Parks be apprehended and adequately punished.
    He has also been instructed to investigate and report on the rumored killing of an American named Hayes and a negro known as Tom by Federals shortly after the taking of the town of Madera on Aug. 15. In the event of the truth of these rumors being established, the military commander is to be informed by the Consul that the United States demands the apprehension and punishment of the persons responsible.

Stronger Mexican Policy.
    From this and other things it is apparent that the Wilson Administration has decided to adopt a strong and positive policy in dealing with conditions in Mexico as far as they affect the personal welfare of Americans. Officials, maintaining their usual reticence, do not say so, but it is evident that the stiff demands sent to Federal military commanders are intended to show President Huerta and his advisers that the United States Government is becoming impatient over the many attacks made on its citizens and their property interests, and to convey a hint that the Administration's proposals for peace are not to be rejected lightly.
    At the same time, the Administration is endeavoring to show the Mexican Government that it intends to observe the strict letter of its obligations as a neutral, and that it is not actuated by any unfriendly spirit toward the de facto authority in the republic. An example of this attitude of observing good faith is afforded by the fact that arms and ammunition obtained by the Mexican Federal Government in the United States have been permitted to go forward across the border into Mexico, and the additional circumstance that permission to make shipments or similar munitions of war to the Constitutionalist forces has been refused.
    A case in point was brought before the State Department for action to-day in an application from a firearms concern in El Paso, Texas, for permission to ship arms and ammunition to the revolutionists. The application was contained in the following telegram to Secretary Bryan:
    We sold to-day to the Mexican Federal Government 320 rifles and 97,000 cartridges to assist in filling an order for 1,000 rifles and 500,000 cartridges, for which amount a permit had been issued at Washington and received here Thursday night. Some of the arms and ammunition were crossed to Juarez, Mexico, to-day. We are told that no shipment of arms or ammunition allowed to Mexico. If permits are allowed, can we secure a permit to export a few carloads of arms and ammunition to the Constitutionalists?

Won't Let Rebels Have Arms.
    State Department officials said that inquiry had not been answered, but the reply would be in the negative. That course, it was said, was in accordance with the policy to which the Taft and Wilson Administrations had adhered of permitting the Federal or de facto Government of Mexico to receive munitions of war from the United States, whereas that privilege was denied to the revolutionists, with whom this Government did not maintain any relations.
    In explanation of press dispatches from El Paso that a supply of arms and ammunition had been sent across the Rio Grande yesterday from El Paso to Juarez with the permission of the United States Government, it was said the permission had been granted in accord with the regular practice and the request of the Mexican Embassy in Washington, although it was the first time that a permit had been issued since June 25. The permit provided for the shipment of 1,000 rifles and 850,000 cartridges from El Paso to Juarez, and 1,000 rifles from New Orleans to Vera Cruz. It was said it had been issued about a month ago, and that the shipments had been delayed. Another permit is understood to have been issued last night.
    Dispatches received here to-day say the Constitutionalists are greatly excited over the renewal of shipments of arms to the Federals with the consent of the United States Government. There is no official authority for the statement, but it is the belief from what is said here that the administration is not averse to permitting the Federal forces in Juarez and Vera Cruz to have plenty of munitions of war. This Government is extremely anxious to have communication kept open between Vera Cruz and the City of Mexico. The only explanation suggested with reference to the permission to ship arms to Juarez, just across the Rio Grande from El Paso, is that as long as the Federal forces there are well armed there is little likelihood of a battle at that point on the border. This Government docs not care to have hostilities so near the American line, as international complications would be likely to result.

Wilson Looks For Foreign Aid.
    The Administration evidently is setting great store by the moral influence which foreign powers are expected to exert in behalf of the general effort to bring peace to Mexico initiated by the United States. Although no direct invitation was extended by this Government to those powers to back up the negotiations conducted by ex-Gov. Lind, the suggestion that it would be agreeable to the United States for foreign Governments to support its proposals was obvious from the action of the State Department in sending to European and Latin-American Governments and Japan a summary of the peace proposals submitted by Mr. Lind and a statement of the character of the unfavorable response received from the Huerta Government.
    It is the understanding here that some of the Latin-American Governments have informed the United States directly that they will exert their persuasive power on the Mexican Government to receive in a kindly spirit the overtures made by Mr. Lind in behalf of President Wilson. There is reason to believe that some of the European diplomatic representatives in Mexico City are saying a good word for Mr. Lind's mission, and altogether the authorities in Washington are inclined to believe, that President Huerta will not be able to withstand this demonstrated sentiment that many Governments are as anxious as the United States to see that normal conditions are restored in Mexico.

Still Hopeful For Lind.
    The hopeful feeling on the part of Administration officials in regard to the mission of Mr. Lind continued today, although it was not admitted that any additional advices of an encouraging nature had come from Mr. Lind or Nelson O'Shaughnessy, the American Chargé d'Affaires in Mexico City. The Government evidently is expecting a communication from the Mexican authorities that will show a willingness to view the American efforts for peace in a more favorable light.
    To a hint to that effect Mr. Lind as a result of his several conversations with Federico Gamboa, the Mexican Minister of Foreign Relations, is attributed the optimism that prevails in Administration circles.
    It is known in Mexico that President Wilson is delaying the completion of the address he will deliver before the joint assembly of the Senate and the House in the hope that he will receive assurances in the next few days that Mexico is willing to modify its rejection of the President's peace proposals. Should those assurances come before Tuesday, accompanied by a request for time to give further consideration to the question, the President probably will not go to the Capitol that day to read his address. In that event, he would defer delivery, so the Mexican Government might have the opportunity to discuss peace suggestions with Mr. Lind.
    Nothing has been received by the State Department in response to the dispatch of inquiry as to the treatment given to Shirly C. Hulse of the Pearson Company in La Boquilla. The assurances of the Huerta Government have been given through the Mexican Chargé d'Affaires here, Señor Algaro, but no news of Mr. Hulse has got through from Chihuahua.
    In the State Department, confidence in the safety of the Hulse party was expressed to-day. The incident has received a great deal of publicity, because of the high connection of the Hulse family in this country.

Protest Against Carranza Levy.
    A protest has been made by this Government against the action of Gov. Carranza in demanding the payment of $50,000 to the Constitutionalists for war purposes by the Agukita Mining Company, a foreign corporation. Consul Blocker in Ciudad Porfirio Diaz has taken the subject up with the revolutionary commander in the district, and it is believed the demand will be withdrawn.
    The War Department received a dispatch to-day from Major Frank M. Caldwell, commanding at Fort McIntosh, Texas. Riving an account of an affray among Mexican soldiers in Nuevo Laredo last night, in which many shots were fired and fifteen or twenty stray bullets came across the international boundary into the Texas town of Laredo, causing great excitement. The affair turned out on investigation to have been simply a drunken brawl, and there was no intention to fire in the direction of Laredo. Major Caldwell deprecated placing stress on the incident.

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