Wilson Gets Huerta's Views.

New York Times 100 years ago today, August 21, 1913:
Blunt Refusal of All Proposals, but Officials Are Hopeful.
Special to The New York Times.
    WASHINGTON, Aug. 20.— President Huerta of Mexico has taken the ground that the course of the Wilson Administration in its endeavor to bring about a restoration of order in the southern republic is not in accord with the sentiment of the United States Congress and the American people. He has intimated baldly that President Wilson's refusal to recognize the Huerta Government is not a popular policy in the United States, and he evidently has determined to stand pat on his rejection of the proposals laid before him by John Lind, President Wilson s representative in Mexico City. Gen. Huerta has indicated an honest or pretended belief that any measure of reprisal against Mexico undertaken by the President would meet a rebuff at the hands of Congress.
    The Mexican President's views in this connection were made known to Mr. Lind in the interview he had with Gen. Huerta on Monday night. That interview followed the receipt by the American Embassy in Mexico City of the formal response of Federico Gamboa, the Minister of Foreign Relations, to the communication made in behalf of President Wilson and Mr. Lind through Nelson O'Shaughnessy, the American Chargé d'Affaires, which contained the proposals of the United States Government for an adjustment of present conditions in Mexico.
    In a long telegraphic report to the State Department, givintr an account of his interview, Mr. Lind said that President Huerta declined to recede in any way from the discouraging attitude that had been maintained in the Gamboa note.
    It was emphasized by Mr. Lind in his communication to the State Department that President Huerta had been extremely cordial during the interview and had shown an entire willingness to discuss and give consideration to the arguments of the Presidential emissary in behalf of the programme of President Wilson. It is gathered, however, from what was said by officials to-night, that Huerta regards the recognition of his Government by the United States as a condition precedent to a formal consideration by the Mexican Administration of the suggestion of American mediation which Mr. Lind put forward.
    Huerta, it was said, expressed the opinion that such recognition should be given immediately. It is considered evident from Mr. Lind's report of the conversation that the Mexican President has determined the negotiations for peace shall not go forward until that recognition has been granted.
    Although it is plain that Mr. Lind was discouraged over what he learned from President Huerta, he remarked in his telegraphic advices to Washington that he still was hopeful that some form of mediation might be acceptable to the Government of Mexico. On what he based that hope is not understood, as it seems to be clear from his report that he met no encouragement whatever from President Huerta.
    In his Monday night talk with Mr. Lind President Huerta said he had been receiving advices from Washington which convinced him that President Wilson's failure to recognize the Mexican Government as de jure as well as de facto was not popular. Apparently he was very frank. The line of his argument was that President Wilson had made the non-recognition of the Mexican Government a political party matter and that the policy was not in accord with the views of many members of Congress, and at the most could be regarded as being held by an Administration that was in power only temporarily.
    President Huerta, it was said, spoke of the criticism of the Wilson Administration by members of Congress in connection with its handling of the Mexican situation, and brought to bear on Mr. Lind the recommendations made officially by Henry Lane Wilson, American Ambassador to Mexico, that the recognition of the present Mexican Government was necessary to the restoration of peace.
    It also was stated by President Huerta, that the extent of the revolutionary movement in Mexico had been exaggerated, and he maintained that recent and continued victories by the Federal troops showed the movement was disintegrating. He asserted that his forces were able to give protection to American interests, and he felt, in view of that condition, that the United States Government should show a more friendly disposition toward him.
    Although no formal statement was forthcoming to-night in regard to the Mexican situation, officials indicated clearly that President Huerta's insistence on recognition by the United States would have no effect. It was said President Wilson was as firm as ever in declining to grant recognition to the Huerta Government, and that he would not consider the suggestion made by Gen. Huerta in his conversation with Mr. Lind and by Minister Gamboa in his formal response to the American proposals that a plan of settlement through the good offices of the United States would not receive consideration unless preceded by recognition.
    That attitude on the part of the Washington Administration, coupled with the unyielding course of President Huerta, implies that a deadlock has been reached in the negotiations initiated by Mr. Lind with the object of obtaining a cessation of hostilities in Mexican territory and the holding of a constitutional election to choose a President and Congress. Going a step further, it is said, the state of affairs might be construed as showing that Mr. Lind's mission had met failure.
    Many of the things said by President Huerta in his two-hour talk with Mr. Lind were repetitions of the arguments advanced in the formal answer of Señor Gamboa to the proposals for peace made in behalf of President Wilson. That answer contains 7,000 words, according to the estimate of Mr. Lind in a message received yesterday summarizing its contents. Although the complete text of the Mexican note was delivered to the American Embassy in Mexico City early on Monday and the first pages translated into the State Department's secret cipher code were filed in Mexico City for telegraphic transmission at midnight of that day, less than half the text of the note has been received by the State Department up to a late hour to-night.
    Between 4 o'clock Tuesday morning and 9 o'clock Tuesday night, 1,400 words of the note had been received here. Only about 1,500 or 1,600 additional words came to-day, so that something in the neighborhood of 3,000 of the 7,000 words in the communication have been read by President Wilson and Secretary Bryan.
    In terms clothed in the flowery intricacies of diplomatic expression, that part of the note received up to date in the State Department contains an exposition of President Huerta's view, that President Wilson is pursuing a policy toward Mexico that does not meet with the approval of many Senators and Representatives in Congress and a large proportion of the American people.
    Huerta's apparent position is that without popular support there is no justification for the President's course, which probably, in his opinion, could be reversed if the Wilson Administration should meet a political rebuke.
    What step will be taken next by President Wilson apparently has not been determined or even considered carefully. It is the understanding that the President is waiting to receive the full text of the Mexican Government's note rejecting the American proposals before proceeding to change the programme which was intrusted to Mr. Lind.

Wilson Against Letting Arms Go.
    It was said here to-day that the President, whatever his previous views might have been, was not inclined toward the suggestion that arms and ammunition be permitted to be sent from the United States to both factions in Mexico without hindrance. The main argument behind that suggestion was that it would enable the Constitutionalists to place themselves on an equal footing with the Federals and probably would result in the early ending of the revolution one way or another.
    Reports to-night were that President Wilson now was inclined to the opinion that such a course might force the United States to adopt a policy of intervention, and for that reason he was opposed to it.
    It is probable that for the present the Wilson Administration will adhere to the policy of non-recognition of the Huerta Government and also will continue to maintain a strict observance of the neutrality laws with regard to shipments of munitions of war into Mexican territory from this country.
    The Mexican Embassy in Washington offered the only note of optimism in an official statement, in which it was said negotiations between the United States and Mexico were being continued in a spirit of mutual and frank cordiality. That statement was given to the press by direction of the Mexican Government. Its obvious object was to take the edge off the suspicion that the Huerta Administration was responsible for the sensational report sent from Mexico City on Monday evening that to the United States Government had been allowed until midnight Monday to recognize the present Mexican Government.
    Confidential negotiations between the two Governments are being continued in a spirit of mutual and frank cordiality.
    Although the version of an ultimatum presented by Mexico to the United States, as published in certain of yesterday's papers, was so egregiously absurd as to call forth a flat denial almost simultaneously with its publication, this Embassy, in view of the many inquiries it has received, emphatically states that the version is wholly untrue.
    Furthermore, confidential negotiations between the two Governments are being continued in a spirit of mutual and frank cordiality, according to official advices received at this Embassy.

TERMS HUERTA REJECTED.
    MEXICO CITY, Aug. 20.— The proposals of the Washington Government which Mexico rejected in toto were:
    First, complete cessation of hostilities.
    Second, that President Huerta resign in favor of a President ad interim.
    Third, the fixing of an early date for the Presidential elections.
    Fourth, that Gen. Huerta should not be a candidate for the Presidency.
    An additional feature of the American note was the request for a reply to the question as to what in the opinion of Gen. Huerta the present conditions were due and what the remedy.
    Gen. Huerta's flat refusal to accede to the four demands would appear to be sufficient reason to consider that the negotiations between the two Governments were definitely concluded, but in replying to Washington's pointed request for an explanation regarding conditions in Mexico and the cause, Gen. Huerta himself injected into the controversy what might be regarded as a counter-demand, namely, that of recognition.
    In a general way President Huerta puts the blame for Mexico's cruel war upon the United States. He insists that had it not been for President Wilson's refusal to recognize his Administration, he would have suppressed the rebellion long ago, and even now, he asserts, the United States can indirectly enable him to restore order in a comparatively short time. He asks of the United. States Government only recognition and the withdrawal of the American battleships.
    If the United States insists upon the first of its demands that hostilities cease forthwith, those familiar with conditions in Mexico believe that further negotiations will be impossible, since they say that Gen. Huerta is incapable of complying with it. Even though Carranza, ex-Governor of Coahuila, and Maytorena, ex-Governor of Sonora, should agree, scores of minor leaders and thousands of their followers would continue to fight.
    As to the second demand, Gen. Huerta has repeatedly stated that he will not resign and that he regards it as a duty, to direct from the Presidency the pacification of the country. Those closest to him do not believe that the representations of any power will cause him to quit office. The only condition upon which he might be expected to resign at all would be for the purpose of becoming a candidate for the Presidency, which is prohibited in the fourth demand.
    As to the question of elections, these have already been called for Oct. 26, and if conducted in accordance with Mexican law, which provides for certain preliminary work, could not well be held earlier.
    Further negotiations looking to a peaceful settlement of the situation appear now to depend on Washington. If the United States Government is willing to re-open the controversy, there is every reason to believe that the Mexican Government will consent.
    Fedorico Gamboa, the Mexican Foreign Minister, in a statement issued last night said the negotiations between Mr. Lind and the Mexican Government had not been entirely broken off, but that they were being continued confidentially. This communication was made to representatives of the Mexican newspapers for local publication this morning. It was the first news given to the public through the local press regarding the international dispute since Monday morning.
    Ex-Gov. Lind is awaiting instructions from Washington. He still believes there is more than a possibility that the Mexican Government will elect to entertain the peace proposals rather than the alternative.