Taft Stands Firm On Careful Policy.

New York Times 100 years ago today, February 14, 1913:
But Will Be Swift to Act with Congress if a Grave Emergency Arises in Mexico.
BARRETT PLAN OF MEDIATION
Pan-American Official Proposes a Commission to Investigate Mexico's Troubles and Provide a Remedy.Special to The New York Times.
    WASHINGTON, Feb. 13.— Reports of continued fighting in the City of Mexico have not changed President Taft's view that conditions in the Mexican capital do not yet justify military intervention. In this stand the President is backed by his Cabinet. Only anarchy in the literal sense or wanton destruction of the lives of innocent Americans and other aliens will change that determination, if those close to the President are to be believed. Nevertheless, it is thought in the best informed quarters here that if Mexico was thrown into chaos, if no real Government existed, and if foreigners were being slaughtered, the Taft Administration would not wait for Congress to urge action, but would take the initiative in calling on the warmaking power to authorize armed intervention.
    President Taft and his advisers now maintain a waiting attitude. They hold that everything has been done up to this time that circumstances justified. Even if conditions should become worse, the Government's first action would be rather to send more warships to Mexican ports or to dispatch a strong force of marines and bluejackets to Mexico City to provide safe conduct for Americans and foreigners out of the country.
    With regard to one phase of the question Administration officials are emphatic. They resent the suggestion that President Taft is merely preserving the status quo until Wilson succeeds him, so that the Democratic administration will have the worry and responsibility of this problem. The President, according to those qualified to speak for him, will continue to act for the remaining weeks of his term with the idea that he must meet the situation in a positive way and not temporize on the theory that it is Wilson's business and not Taft's.

Barrett's Mediation Proposal.
    John Barrett, Director General of the Pan-American Union, came forward to-night with a plan for ending Mexico's troubles. This he prepared, after consulting prominent Senators and Representatives, Mexicans and other Latin-Americans.
    The plan which is contained in a memorandum, submitted to the President, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, is offered in the hope that it "may provide an immediate solution of the present critical phase of the Mexican problem."
    Mr. Barrett says in his memorandum that he has stood and still stands "emphatically and conscientiously against intervention." His proposal, he states, involves "mediation rather than intervention, international American co-operation rather than individual United States action, and a practical application of the Pan-American rather than of the Monroe Doctrine."
    "In a word," continues Dr. Barrett, "the suggestion is that through the initiative of the United States Government an international commission shall be immediately named, consisting of one of the most available statesmen of the United States, such as Elihu Root or William J. Bryan; some eminent Latin-American diplomat now in Washington, representing a Government sufficiently remote from the United States and Mexico to have no prejudices and yet be kindly disposed toward both, and at the same time arouse no jealousies among the other Latin-American countries, like Señor Don Ignacio Calderon, Minister of Bolivia, or Dr. Carlos Maria de Pena, Minister of Uruguay; and some correspondingly distinguished and influential Mexican, like Señor Don Francisco de la Barra, late Provisional President of Mexico and former Ambassador to the United States, or Señor Don Joaquin D. Casus, former Ambassador to the United States, who shall investigate the whole situation in Mexico on the ground and endeavor to compose it and make recommendations to Mexico which shall readjust the situation in favor of permanent peace and stability; that the President of the United States shall immediately instruct the United States Ambassador in Mexico to present this plan to the Mexican Government and the revolutionary leaders, and urge complete cessation of hostilities, pending the action and report of the commission; and that it shall be made known to the Mexican Government and the people that they will be expected, with this moral support and interest of all America, to carry out the conclusions of such international commission.
    "The selection of Mr. Root or Mr. Bryan will be satisfactory to the people of the United States and will immediately win the confidence of Mexico and Latin-America in the plan."

Predicts Latin-American Aid.
    Concerning the attitude of the Latin-American Governments, Mr. Barrett says:
    "If the United States Government will at once confer with the Latin-American Governments, through their diplomatic representatives here and through its Ministers at their capitals, as well as with the Government of Mexico, I have strong reason to believe that this suggestion will meet with the instant moral support and kindly attitude of the Governments and peoples of all our sister Republics, even if diplomatic delicacy shall deter some of these from official action.
    "If Latin-America and Mexico fail to act on this suggestion, they will be obliged to admit that the United States has first tried to proceed on the fairest lines possible, and with every effort to convince Latin-America, and Mexico of its good faith and intentions.
    "Above all things it will bring for the moment immediate peace to Mexico, the actual protection of life and property of foreigners, which should in due time develop into permanent peace, stability and prosperity for the Mexican Government and people, without striking a blow at Mexico's Independence, and with evidence to all America that the United States seeks no territorial aggrandizement."
    In an explanatory note Mr. Barrett said that "he had reason to believe" that his suggestion would be approved by Mexico, as well as the other Latin-American Governments.
    Ambassador Wilson's dispatches to-day reported that many houses, occupied by Americans, had been seized by Federal troops and the occupants driven to the streets. Homeless and exposed to the fire of both rebels and Federals, the dismayed refugees made their way, at the risk of their lives, to the American Embassy, which is open to all refugees. Ambassador Wilson is now distributing the majority among the adjoining houses by means of a committee which he has organized.
    In one of his dispatches, received this morning, Ambassador Wilson expressed the belief that within twenty-four hours there would be a decisive turn of affairs in the city, but for the present conditions were just what they were two days ago.
    Another dispatch told of the destruction wrought by guns in the foreign residence quarter and of the efforts of Ambassador Wilson, the German Minister, Herr von Hintz; the British Minister, F. W. Strong, and the Spanish Minister, Señor Cologan y Cologan, to get Madero and Diaz to limit the zone of fire so as to protect the foreign and non-combatant population.
    This appeal failed of results and the change of position of the two forces early in the day had the effect of putting the foreign residents in greater peril of life than at any time before. Many houses that had previously escaped were hit by shells, their occupants fleeing to the outskirts of the city for safety. Mr. Wilson protested against continuing the fighting in the heart of the city. President Madero would give the diplomats no assurances. He put all the responsibility for the situation on Diaz and expressed his purpose to subdue the insurrection, if possible. The diplomatic delegation then succeeded in reaching Gen. Diaz. He said he wanted to end the struggle "With, as little bloodshed as possible, but gave no promises of safety for foreigners.
    Ambassador , Wilson was unable to give any definite estimate of the number of the killed in the three days' fighting, or details as to Americans who had been wounded, except that one of these was Allen Bland, a printer.

Sheltering Hundreds of Homeless.
    All dispatches to Wilson from the State Department urge the Ambassador to exert every influence to keep non-combatants from the streets. He reports the wounding of several American men, and says he has given refuge to 500 to 600 Americans.
    The White Cross Society reports that it is caring for approximately 1,200 wounded. The Red Cross has not yet made a report. Neither organization is being respected by the Federal forces. The President of the latter has been killed. Some members of the White Cross detected by Diaz's adherents in the act of conveying ammunition were executed.
    Ambassador Wilson was to-day ordered to draw on the State Department for $10,000, to be used for relief of the destitute or for getting Americans out of Mexico.
    Approximately 300,000 American citizens are temporarily or permanently residing in Mexico, according to estimates made by the State Department. To more that 47,000 Americans have been granted passports to Mexico. Although the laws of Mexico do not require passports from American citizens most of these ask for certificates when they expect to remain a long time. An accurate census of Americans in Mexico has not been made, but State Department officials estimate that only one person in five or six asks for a passport.

Ships and Troops Ready.
    Prepared for a further call for battleships, the Navy Department has kept Admiral Badger at Guantanamo advised of developments. The ships, with banked fires, are ready to move at once to Vera Cruz or Tampico.
    The Marine Corps is prepared for immediate embarkation of its companies at the Atlantic Coast navy yards and stations. The marine force on the Panama Canal Zone also is ready to move. Telegrams to the War Department from the three posts in New York State, where the regiments of the First Brigade are stationed, report that body of about 3,000 men in condition to start for Newport News within three hours after an order from the Chief of Staff.
    It has been suggested to the President that it might be prudent to send the First Brigade to Vera Cruz at once, even if the troops are to be kept aboard ship indefinitely as were the 1,000 marines on the Panther which lay in Santo Domingo harbor more than a month last Summer. But because there is some fear that such a gathering of a foreign military force in their ports, even if not landed, might inflame the Mexican public to acts of violence against Americans throughout the country, the authorities hesitate to take such an action.