Fall Denies Diaz Charge.

New York Times 100 years ago today, July 2, 1913:
Says There Is No Evidence Against Him in Foreign Office.
Special to The New York Times.
    WASHINGTON, July 1.— United States Senator Albert B. Fall of New Mexico dictated to-night to a correspondent of The Times a statement in reply to charges by Gen. Felix Diaz, candidate for President of Mexico, and Señor Pereyra. Acting Secretary for Foreign Affairs of that country, that the Mexican Government had evidence showing that Mr. Fall had fomented revolutions in Mexico and contributed $200,000 at a time to the cause. Mr. Fall said the secret of the fight waged on him by the Mexican officials was that not long ago, in response to a letter from Enterio de la Garza, Provisional President Huerta's local representative in Washington, he (the Senator) wrote to Señor de la Garza declining to use his influence to procure Gen. Huerta's recognition by President Wilson. That aroused the Mexican's ire, and his recent speech in the Senate, as Mr. Fall put it, drove them to desperation.
    Mr. Fall said that When the Senate committee investigating Mexican affairs visited the Mexican frontier Señor Llorente, a Mexican Consul under President Madero, caused the Senators to be shadowed and tried to corrupt Mr. Fall's private secretary. But Señor Llorente, said Mr. Fall, got no evidence then and none since had come into the possession of Mexican officials, unless it was manufactured. Mr. Fall added that the men who were responsible for the death of Madero were quite capable of manufacturing evidence to assassinate a man's character.
    In his statement to-night Senator Fall asserted emphatically that President Huerta never would be able to restore order, because he had the confidence neither of the people nor of his own associates. Among those who distrusted the Provisional President, said Mr. Fall, was Felix Diaz. Once. Mr. Fall added, he thought young Diaz's name might assist in restoring order, but he no longer believed he could do so. All the ruling classes, he said, hated and feared him because of their knowledge that he sympathized with the masses of the people, now in revolt.
    A curious thing about the many enemies Mr. Fall has made in Mexico is that among them every faction that ever came to power is represented. Whereas the friends of Felix Diaz and Victoriano Huerta now assail the Senator for fomenting insurrection among the discontented followers of the slain Madero. President Madero's friends, when he was in power, were equally opposed to Mr. Fall. The records of the Senate Investigating Committee show that President Madero's secret agent, Felix Summerfeld, once a German soldier, attempted to refuse to testify in Mr. Fall's presence on the ground that he was an enemy of Madero. The committee, however, compelled his testimony. Senator Fall's statement follows: "Diaz is right in saying that he has no personal evidence against me and that I have never communicated with him directly. I say that I have never communicated with him directly or indirectly through any one else or in any shape, manner, or form. He knows nothing about any evidence in the Foreign Office in Mexico City or anywhere else which will connect me in any manner whatever with any revolution in Mexico or elsewhere.
    "I do not wonder that Mr. Pereyra does not think it opportune to make public any evidence against me, and it does mean absolutely that he will never do so at this or any other time. No such evidence exists, unless it was manufactured, and those who are responsible for Madero's death, in my opinion, are perfectly capable of manufacturing evidence to assassinate a man's character. The facts now in the hands of the public as to my activity in attempting to procure lifting of the embargo are the facts which I myself have made public in at least three speeches in the United States Senate, and in one made before the Mexican Society of New York."
    "Mr. Pereyra, with the assistance of Llorente, formerly Madero Consul at El Paso, who, acting for the Mexican so-called Government, had members of the Senate Committee followed by his paid spies and who sought, as I am informed, to debauch my private secretary, can obtain evidence on the border or elsewhere. I have already called the attention of the Senate Committee to the telegrams concerning me, emanating from Mexico, and stated to them that they had my permission to make any investigation if they saw fit to do so. I shall not otherwise dignify such ridiculous charges and statements as are coming from Mexico concerning me.
    "The whole trouble is that I know the Mexican people, that I am thoroughly in sympathy with the great masses of the Mexican people and that I am not in sympathy with traitors nor assassins of any race. Huerta and his associates know these facts and they fear my statements concerning them, and are driven to desperation when they threaten any exposé of myself or my acts.
    "Mr. Huerta, in my opinion, will never restore order in Mexico, because no man of his class will ever have the confidence, not only of the mass of the people, but of his own associates, including Felix Diaz. I had thought at one time that there was a bare possibility, not a probability, that if Felix Diaz were at once elevated to the Presidency his name might assist in restoring temporary order in Mexico and give the warring factions sufficient breathing spell to allow time for some possible solution of the Mexican troubles.
    "Enterio de la Garza, who is, I believe, in the United States, and is or claims to be representing Huerta here, has my permission to give publicity to my letter written to him very recently in answer to a communication from him to me, and from my letter it will be seen that I expressed this sentiment to Garza. In this letter — one of two occasions, I think — have I mentioned Felix Diaz's name to any one."
    A report that evidence that a United States Senator had given a cheek to a Mexican revolutionary leader was in the possession of the Solicitor of the State Department was denied in the Solicitor's office to-day. J. R. Clark, who retired recently from the office of the Solicitor of the department, asserted that no such check, nor any other evidence tending to implicate a United States Senator or any other American public man, had come into the possession of the Solicitor's office when he was in charge of it.
    In regard to the charge that a United States Senator had given a check for a large amount, said to be $200,000, to Gen. Pascual Orozco, Jr., the revolutionary leader, officials of the Solicitor's office denied having any knowledge that would tend to confirm the charge. It was suggested that as the Senator accused of having aided the revolutionary cause had interests in Mexico, he at one time or another had been required by some revolutionary leader to make contributions to the revolutionary cause to save damage to his property. But the report that any such amount as $200,000 had been obtained in that way was laughed at as ridiculous. No American rancher had been robbed to that extent it was said.
    One of the department officials suggested if it could be shown that a check for $200,000 made payable to the order of any Mexican revolutionary leader by an American public man was in existence, it ultimately would be proved that the check had been drawn originally for $2,000 or possibly $20,000 and raised to the larger amount.