Faint Hope In Washington.

New York Times 100 years ago today, August 27, 1913:
Huerta's Request for Delay Not Expected to Change Situation.
Special to The New York Times.
    WASHINGTON, Aug. 26.— The Mexican crisis still exists. Although information received over night from John Lind, President Wilson's special adviser, in connection with the effort to establish peace in the southern republic has caused the President to defer until to-morrow the delivery of his momentous address reviewing his efforts for peace, the situation remains practically unchanged. There is only the faintest hope among officials that the Mexican Government will so modify its attitude of opposition to the
    American proposals as to permit a reopening of the negotiations with a prospect of their conclusion in a manner acceptable to the United States. Mr. Lind's departure from Mexico City for Vera Cruz this morning, official news of which was received by Secretary Bryan to-night from Nelson O'Shaughnessy, American Chargé d'Affaires, does not mean that he has been recalled definitely and that the peace negotiations have been broken off. It does mean, however, that this Government has no hope that the request from the Mexican Government that the President postpone the delivery of his Mexican address to Congress will result in a change for the better in the diplomatic situation.
    Mr. Lind, it is understood, departed from Mexico City after notifying Federico Gamboa, Minister of Foreign Relations, that the delivery of the President's address would be deferred, as requested, and that if the Mexican Government desired to communicate with him further he would be glad to receive its message in Vera Cruz.

Mexico Must be Specific.
    That action by Mr. Lind was intended as a hint that, unless Mexico had something definite to suggest toward an agreement with the United States which would supply the foundation for restoring normal conditions in the country, Mr. Lind would regard his peace mission as a failure, and would return to Washington.
    Secretary Bryan said this evening that Mr. Lind had not been recalled. But it was indicated by other officials that unless Mexico came forward with an expression of willingness to accept the American peace terms in principle, at least, President Wilson would make known to the American Congress the failure of his conciliatory efforts and would propose a programme for future handling of the Mexican situation that might be construed in Mexico as the first step in the line of ultimate American intervention.
    President Wilson's intention last night was to read his address to the Senate and House in joint session at 3 o'clock this afternoon. The advices from Mr. Lind caused that programme to be rearranged. Unless the unexpected happens, the address will be read at 1 o'clock to-morrow. The postponement of the President's contemplated appearance before Congress to-day was due primarily to the action of Mr. Lind in submitting to the Mexican Minister of Foreign Relations what were described officially as "certain supplementary suggestions." That action resulted in the request from the Foreign Minister that President Wilson defer the reading of his Mexican address until to-morrow. Mr. Lind joined in the request, and it was granted readily by the President.
    "The certain supplementary suggestions" are understood to have been made by Mr. Lind of his own volition and are not regarded as of any importance, as they do not change the basic principles of the American proposals. It was said in one quarter that they had not even been communicated to the State Department by Mr. Lind, and a hint was given that they had to do with pointing out the advisability of a modification of the Mexican rejection of the American plan before Mr. Lind left Mexico.
    The official explanation of the incident ran:
    Last night about midnight, after the conference between the President and the Foreign Relations Committees of the two Houses, a dispatch came from Mexico City, in Which Mr. Lind united with Señor Gamboa (the Minister of Foreign Relations,) in requesting the President to postpone his address to Congress until Wednesday, in order to afford the authorities at Mexico City opportunity for further consideration of the proposals of the United States in view of certain supplementary suggestions made by Mr. Lind. The President has, of course, consented and is expecting to address Congress at 1 o'clock to-morrow.

Means More "Manana."
    Significant as that statement appears on its face, it has no very important bearing on the Mexican situation. It means merely, according to what officials said this evening, that the Mexican Government had followed a practice in which it had shown itself to be an adept for the last week — of endeavoring to delay the reading of what it suspected was a communication that might result in the adoption of a more drastic policy on the part of the United States in its dealings with Mexico. None of the authorities here appears to be of the opinion that Mexico has anything new to propose that will ease the situation, and the request for postponement is regarded solely as an irritating phase of a consistent policy of "manana."
    In further explanation of this view, it was said that the overnight request for a postponement was the third of the sort that had been received by the Government in a week. When the first request was made the Mexican Government believed that the President was to make known his Mexican policy to Congress on last Friday. A ready assent was given by Mr. Wilson to the suggestion of the Mexican Government that he should not present his Mexican communication to the Senate and House until Monday — that is, yesterday.
    That circumstance, it was made known to-day, was responsible for the optimistic feeling that prevailed among officials on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and the optimism was not due to reports that foreign Governments had espoused the American peace cause and were bringing pressure to bear on Provisional President Huerta to accept President Wilson's proposals.
    Shortly subsequent to the first request the Mexican Government communicated to Mr. Lind an expression of hope that President Wilson would be willing to Postpone his appearance before the houses of Congress until to-day, and after last midnight came the request for a further postponement until tomorrow. Owing to the fact that the House of Representatives adjourned on Friday until to-day, it would not have been possible for the President to have carried out any arrangements to address Congress prior to this afternoon, but it was explained that this had nothing to do with the prompt assent to what had been suggested by the Mexican Government.

Washington Loses Patience.
    As matters stand now, President Wilson and his advisers attach little, if any, significance to the latest effort of the Huerta administration to put off the day on which President Wilson will lay the cards on the table and call for a new deal in the game of diplomacy that has been played by the United States and Mexico ever since conditions in that country assumed a dangerous phase through the spread of revolution. They are impatient over the delays that have been caused by Mexico's suggestions, and if all that is being said in official circles to-night is true there will be no change in the President's plan to make known his new Mexican policy to Congress to-morrow.
    "Patience has ceased to be a virtue," said one prominent official.
    A summary of the proposals made to the Mexican Government for the United States through the medium of Mr. Lind was given out authoritatively to-day. According to that statement, those proposals were.
    1. Agreement to a cessation of hostilities throughout Mexico and a definite armistice.
    2. Provision for a free and early election for President.
    3. President Huerta not to be a candidate for re-election.
    4. All factions to agree to abide by the result.
    Much surprise was expressed here when this summary was made known, owing to the fact that it did not contain as one of the proposals a suggested stipulation that President Huerta should resign from his present office. Up to this time officials have indicated clearly that this stipulation was contained in the original proposals. No official explanation is offered of its omission other than the statement "There was a misunderstanding."

Mistake Was Mexico's, Perhaps.
    A suggested explanation is that in its response to the American note containing the President's peace plan the Mexican Government delivered what amounted to an ultimatum that unless the demand for President Huerta's resignation were withdrawn and the Huerta Government were recognized by the United States diplomatic relations between the countries would be severed and Mr. Lind would be required to leave Mexican territory.
    The Mexican response was delivered to the American Embassy in Mexico City last Monday. That night Mr. Lind went to the National Palace and had an interview with President Huerta. Officials here have asserted that the interview was at Gen. Huerta's invitation. Gossip to-day had it that as a result of their talk a compromise was reached under which the American demand for the resignation of President Huerta was abandoned in consideration of the withdrawal of the reported Mexican ultimatum. It is fair to say, however, even in the face of repeated assertions by officials that Gen. Huerta's resignation from the Presidency was called for in the original American proposals, that there is no high official authority for the explanation given herewith.

Think Mexicans Were Insincere.
    There is a strong suspicion in Administration circles that the cordial treatment given to Mr. Lind in his intercourse with Mexican officials and the apparent disposition of those officials to give careful consideration to what the President's special representative had proposed was due mainly to a desire to keep the negotiations in progress in the hope that a disclosure would be made from Washington as to what the President intended to do in handling the Mexican situation should his peace plan be rejected definitely.
    Officers of the Administration said enough to-day to show that they regarded the three requests from Mexico that the President defer communicating his views to the American Congress as being mere efforts to gain time. There was discussion along that line in last night's conference in the Cabinet room of the White House among President Wilson, Secretary Bryan, and twenty-one members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
    President Wilson showed no disposition to place his visitors under the seal of confidence with reference to the contents of his address to Congress or the details of the discussion. It was suggested, however, by one of those present that it would be well not to make public last night the President's programme for the Mexican situation, that programme comprising, as was told in The Times this morning, the removal of all Americans from Mexican territory and placing an embargo on the shipment of arms and ammunition from this country into Mexico for the use of the Federal forces.

Urged Wilson to be Wary.
    The argument behind the secrecy suggested was that the President should not "lay all his cards on the table," but should keep Mexico guessing as to what he Intended to do until there had been a definite rejection of the original peace proposals.
    That idea appealed to the conferees, and as a result an agreement was reached not to disclose the President's future policy nor what had occurred in the conference. All those present were not of the opinion that this was a wise course, and as a result the President's new policy became known. It has, of course, been telegraphed to Mexico City by the Mexican Government's agents from here. Some officials are of the opinion, however, that the effect of this news on President Huerta and his Ministers will be to confuse them instead of enlighten them as to what the Wilson Administration intends to do in carrying out its set purpose of bringing about an improvement in the status of Mexican affairs. One idea here is that the Mexican Federal authorities believe the sentiment of this country is for intervention, and that it is likely to follow the failure of the Lind mission and a continuance of the attacks on the persons and property interests of Americans in the perturbed districts.
    Taking it for granted that the proposals for an amicable settlement of Mexico's troubles have been rejected definitely by the Huerta Government, the State Department is making preparations for complying with that part of the alternative policy of President Wilson which contemplates the removal of American citizens from Mexico. Although only $100,000 is available for that purpose, and it is figured in the State Department that such amount will suffice merely for the transportation of 2,000 Americans to the United States, the department plans are proceeding on the idea of supplying transportation to American territory for about 10,000 Americans at a cost of something like $500,000.

Will Pay Americans' Fare.
    Notice will be given to Americans in Mexico that the United States Government will pay their expenses if they desire to return to the United States. Schedules of property abandoned by them will be given to the United States Consuls throughout the republic, and those will form the basis for future claims against Mexico for any of such property that may be injured or destroyed.
    Before the present revolution was begun, there were between 40,000 and 50,000 Americans in the whole of Mexico, according to the best information the State Department was able to obtain. Now there are barely 10,000 Americans in the country, accepting as correct the department's estimates based on reports from diplomatic and Consular officers. Of an estimated American population of 10,000 in the City of Mexico, only about 2,000 remain, and many of those are preparing to leave. A large number of Americans departed from the Mexican capital to-day in the train that carried Mr. and Mrs. Lind to Vera Cruz.
    The State Department's figures are far from complete. Several of the estimates of American population in various parts of Mexico are mere guesses. In the entire State of Chihuahua there were only about 300 Americans at the date of the department's last report, and about 100 of those left for the Texas border in the week. In the northern part of Tamaulipas there are between 100 and 150 Americans, while in the southern part there is practically none, except in the port of Tampico, where 800 Americans are supposed to be residing.
    Of from 700 to 1,000 Americans who dwelt in the State of San Luis Potosi, only about 100 remain. In the northern part of Coahuila State are 130 Americans, except in the town of Torreon, where the American Smelting and Refining Company has in the neighborhood of 300 American employes. The remainder of the 10,000 Americans supposed still to be in Mexico largely are in the southern provinces, where mining is carried on extensively.

Can Move Citizens Quickly.
    Officials here who have looked into the question estimate that all Americans in Mexico, except those residing in isolated regions, can be brought to the United States in three days. It is believed, also, that almost all of those who are in remote places can reach American territory in eight days.
    The Navy Department is prepared to do its share of enforcing the rule to be put into effect against the shipment of arms into Mexico from the United States for the use of Government forces. Secretary Daniels declined to make any statement of his plans in that connection, however, and looked startled when he was asked if the navy programme contemplated a search of ships entering Mexican ports on the suspicion that they might be carrying munitions of war to the Huerta Government. He would not discuss the suggestion.
    There is a belief here that if the alternative Wilson programme is put into effect, as now seems certain, this Government will endeavor to effect an arrangement by which other nations will prohibit the shipment of arms and ammunition in ships of foreign register to Mexico. Foreign Governments, it is argued, are almost as much interested as the United States in having normal conditions restored in Mexican territory, on account of the danger to the lives and property of their subjects or citizens in the present state of affairs.
    With the reading of Mr. Wilson's address to Congress to-morrow, the White House will make public the text of the note to the Mexican Government containing the American proposals for peace and the response of the Mexican Minister of Foreign Relations rejecting those proposals. It was said to-night the "certain supplementary suggestions made by Mr. Lind," none of which has been disclosed, might be included in the communications made public tomorrow.
    Secretary Bryan who had spent the night in the State Department awaiting advices from Mexico City, went over to the White House early to-day with the full text of the small-hours message from Mr. Lind containing the request of Minister Gamboa that the President should defer reading his address to Congress until to-morrow. The President thereupon sent word to the floor leaders of the Senate and House of his change of plan.
    When the Senate and House met, a concurrent resolution was adopted for the assembling of the two houses in joint session in the hall of the House of Representatives at 12:45 o'clock to-morrow afternoon, to listen to the President's address.