No Backward Steps In Mexican Policy.

New York Times 100 years ago today, March 11, 1913:
Wilson Administration to Keep Ships and Troops on Guard.
HOPES TO AVOID CONFLICT
Secretary Garrison Plans to Minimize Border Troubles by Establishing Camps Further Back.
Special to The New York Times.
    WASHINGTON, March 10.— The policy of the Wilson Administration in regard to the use of the army and navy in or near Mexico has been made clear in statements by the new Secretary of the Navy and the new Secretary of War. The battleships now at Mexican ports will remain there, indefinitely, and there is no intention to order the troops now concentrated on the international boundary back to their posts. In fact, the policy of the United States toward Mexico will remain precisely the same, so far as the show of the strong hand is concerned, as it was under President Taft.
    If at any time there had been any other purpose cherished by President Wilson or any of his advisers, their responsibility to public sentiment and to the business interests of the country, it was explained to-day, would have quickly convinced them of the wisdom of continuing the same attitude toward Mexico as the Taft Administration. The Secretary of War has made it his first business to become acquainted with all the details of the problems connected with the maintenance of order along the boundary and the difficulties in the way of enforcing the neutrality laws. He realizes the importance of keeping the troops now employed in patrolling the boundary in their present stations.
    Secretary Garrison has, however, sent an order to Major Gen. Tasker H. Bliss, who is in command of the Southern Department, which embraces the entire Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona districts abutting on Mexico, to make a personal inspection of the frontier and report as to the advisability of drawing the United States troops back a reasonable distance at any point, so as to avoid any possibility of a clash with Mexican troops through some slight incident, such as recently occurred at one or two points. Secretary Garrison has left to Gen. Bliss's discretion the selection of places where the troops should be kept stationed close to Mexican territory, but at all others the plan is to move them back so as to avoid brawls.
    It is believed that the neutrality laws can be as well enforced with the troops withdrawn some distance from the border, and that the protection of American life and property will not thereby be neglected. Of late the efforts to get arms and ammunition from this country into Mexico have stopped. There is now an expectation that the friends of the late President Madero may undertake to foster another revolution, and that the attempts to violate the neutrality laws will begin in force before long.