Ultimatum Story A Mexican Ruse.

New York Times 100 years ago today, August 20, 1913:
Issued to Influence the Public — Press Ordered to Hold Denial 24 Hours.
DEVICE TO HELP HUERTA
Southern Government Disclaims Responsibility for Alleged Recognition Demand.
WILSON STILL IS HOPEFUL
Mexican Response Rejects Mediation, but Lind Reports Cordial Talk with Executive.
Special to The New York Times.
    WASHINGTON, Aug. 19.— The negotiations instituted by John Lind, President Wilson's special representative, with a view to bringing about a restoration of normal conditions in Mexico are still open. Altogether, the situation to-night is somewhat more favorable, from the American viewpoint, than was thought early this morning, when pessimistic advices from the City of Mexico indicated that Mr. Lind's mission of peace had failed.
    The sensational announcement from the Mexican capital that the United States Government had received an ultimatum giving it until midnight Monday to recognize the Huerta Administration seems to have been a canard, but a canard that had Mexican official sanction. No doubt is felt in Government circles here that the announcement was put out with a deliberate object, and that the newspaper correspondents, to whom it was communicated, accepted it as authoritative. The purpose of this has not been disclosed, but officers of the Wilson Administration have reason to believe the story was for Mexican home consumption.
    The Huerta administration is insistent, however, that a formal recognition of the Mexican Government ought to be given by the United States as a condition precedent to further consideration of this Government's desire to serve in a mediatory capacity. But it is not understood that there has been a point-blank refusal to continue the diplomatic exchanges unless recognition is accorded.
    The stage of amicable disputation has been reached, and this will give the Wilson Administration the opportunity of exercising its persuasive powers on President Huerta and his Ministers without conceding what it apparently has determined to resist vigorously — a formal acknowledgment that the Huerta government is the government de jure as well as de facto in the Republic of Mexico.
    Corroboration of the view that the sensational statenient was put out for publication by a Mexican official or officials is found in information from the City of Mexico that the newspapers of the country were forbidden to publish the official denial of the ultimatum story given late last night to Nelson O'Shaughnessy, the American Charge! d'Affaires, by Sefior! Federico Gamboa, the Mexican Minister for Foreign Affairs. Advices from Mexico City are that the publication of the denial was forbidden for twenty-four hours.

Plan To Benefit Huerta.
    The general opinion here as to the purpose is that announcement through the Mexican press of President Huerta's defiance of the United States was expected to arouse the people to enthusiastic support of Huerta. The Mexican Government — or some of its otficials, at least, it is surmised — felt that the denial never would catch up with the original story.
    Although President Wilson and other officers of the Administration were relieved by the repudiation by the Mexican Government of responsibility for the canard, that relief gave way to indignation when it seemed to have been established that a high official of the Huerta Administration had fathered the false report that an ultimatum had been delivered to this Government. The first news about the alleged ultimatium that reached the Administration authorities here came in press dispatches from the City of Mexico shortly before last midnight. Mr. O'Shaughnessy's telegram of denial reached the State Department about 4 o'clock this morning, when President Wilson and Secretary Bryan were in bed, Mr. Bryan's rest had been broken by a telephone message from Joseph P. Tumulty, Secretary to the President, who informed the Secretary of State of the press bulletin announcing that an ultimatum had been issued. The President and the Secretary of State did not know of the denial until they arose to-day. Mr. O'Shaughnesy s telegram follows:
    The correspondents have cabled that the Mexican Government has stated that its note to Lind demands that the United States recognize the Huerta Government before 12 o'clock midnight to-day or a statement to that effect which brought the matter to the argent attention of the Minister of Foreign Affairs at 10 P.M. He immediately saw the President and Minister of Gobernacton (Interior,) Senor Urrutia, who is supposed to have given out the statement, and he authorized me to deny this statement to my Government as having no foundation in fact.

Mexico's 7,000-Word Rejection.
    Chronologically, the present condition of the diplomatic exchanges between Mexico and the United Staets was Initiated with the delivery yesterday of the Mexican Government's answer to the proposals for peace made by Mr. Lind through the medium of Mr. O'Shaughnessy. That answer was dated Aug. 16. It is a document of 7,000 words and, generally speaking, embraces a rejection of all the suggestions made by the United States for an adjustment of the perturbed situation in the Mexican republic.
    A summary of that long communication was telegraphed in cipher to the State Department by Mr. Lind early yesterday, and the receipt of the summary supplied the occasion for the conference in the White House yesterday afternoon between President Wilson, Secretary Bryan, and John Bassett Moore, counselor of the State Department.
    The summary gave the impression that the American proposals had been rejected flatly and finally. But when the text of the note began coming to the State Department, there was seen to be ground for encouragement in its general tone and the impression its language created that the negotiations had not been terminated. The full text of the note has not been received here. When all of it has been delivered, it will have consideration by President Wilson and Secretary Bryan and instructions will be sent to Mr. Lind as to the character of the counter-response he should make. Until then the diplomatic aspect of the Mexican situation will remain as at present.

Message Comes in Slowly.
    It was not until 4 o'clock this morning that the first sheet of the cipher telegraphic dispatch from the American Embassy in Mexico City containing the text of the Mexican Government's response was delivered to the State Department. Up to a late hour to-night only 1,400 words of the 7,000 promised had been received. The first shout was filed in Mexico City last midnight. Apparently that delay was due to a variety of causes, among them the necessity of translating the Mexican note from Spanish into English and its further translation into the State Department's secret code symbols. Additional delay was caused at this end by the translation back into English from the official cipher.

Lind Has Talk with Huerta.
    Mr. Lind preceded the transmission of the text of the Mexican response with a brief statement that by invitation he had spent two hours in conference with President Huerta last night.
    "Very cordial," added Mr. Lind, and those two words gave the only encouragement President Wilson and Secretary Bryan had received concerning the Mexican situation since they learned yesterday of the rejection of the American programme.
    Mr. Lind, it is understood, did not go into details in ragard to his conversation with President Huerta, but the fact that the conference was at the Mexican's invitation and that Huerta was "very cordial" has served to encourage Administration officials. It was almost cheerful in the White House to-night. President Wilson felt so good that he took a walk down Pennsylvania Avenue, accompanied by some of his Secret Service gruards. He stopped in front of the Washington Post building and read bulletins about the Mexican situation and Harry Thaw.

Congress Debates Headed Off.
    A general disposition in the Senate to demand a definite statement from the Administration was headed off by Senators Lodge, Bacon, and Stone, who had direct information from the White House.
    Senator Penrose had prepared to speak again on his resolutions asking for reports on Mexican conditions and the official status of Dr. William Bayard Hale. Senator Lodge urged him to delay, and after a conference between them on the floor, Senator Penrose took his seat without raising the Mexican question. He asked afterward that his resolutions be permitted to go over for two or three days without action.
    The Poindexter resolution, asking what measures had been taken to protect Americans in Mexico, also went over without debate. Conferences were held on the floor throughout the session, and a disposition on the Republican side not to force a discussion, but to await developments, grew stronger.
    Chairman Bacon of the Foreign Relations Committee reiterated that the United States would stand unassailable in the eyes of the world, whatever the outcome of the negotiations, because of its consistent effort to bring about peace in Mexico.
    The acuteness of the Mexican situation was recognized in the House to-day, when objections from both Democratic and Republican sides prevented consideration of any measures on foreign subjects. The Republican leader, Mr. Mann, cautioned the House to "sit quiet and keep cool."
    Representative Clark of Florida, Democrat, asked permission to address the House for thirty minutes next Friday on the Monroe Doctrine. Instantly Representative Foster of Illinois, Democrat, objected, protesting that "the present strained situation in Mexico is no time for the introduction of a subject like the Monroe Doctrine." The objection was sustained.
    No Americans or other foreigners were killed and only one American was injured slightly in the recent fighting around Torreon, Mexico. A wireless from Tampico reports Americans generally around Torreon well. Consuls at Acapulco and Nogales report conditions quiet.
    It is estimated that there are fewer than 20,000 Americans in Mexico, whereas there were 40,000 before the revolutionary troubles started.
    Mediation in Mexico by Brazil, Argentine, and the United States was proposed to-day bv Representative Towner of Iowa, Republican, in a resolution which was referred to the Foreign Affairs Committee.