Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-21
MEXICO AND GUATEMALA
A Detailed Statement Of the Dispute by the
Mexican Minister.
The Contentious of the Two Countries
as to the Boundary Lfnc-The
Pending Question:

Fend1nG QuesttOnss
Senior Romero the Mexican minister, has
given out the following detailed statement
concerning the Guatemalan-Mexican dis
pute:
by the stipulation Of the preliminary
agreement signed in New York on August
Il, 1852, about actual possession, Guate-
| mala recognized that Chiapas and Soco-
nusco belcr ged legitimately to Mexico. and
agreed that a boundary line between tho
two countries should be fixed on a final
boundary treaty to be signed at the City Of
Mexico. and that the boundary between
| Chiapas and Soconusco- on Il the side of
Mexico and Of Guatemala's side on the
| other, should be the line de facto existing
then and recognized by the Inhabitants OF
| both countries. that is. the actual posses
sion OF either. With a view to prevent one
country occupying portions Of the territory
| belonging to the other during the time
| elapsing between the prelimfnaries and
treaty. SO as to be in actual possession of
that territory when the treaty was signed,
| 1t Yves stipulated in the preliminaries that
actual possession should be respected until
| the line was agreed upon. But Guatemala
contends that such stipulation means that
each country shall remain in possession Of
the territory which she possessed before,
but which under the treaty had to pass to
| The other country, and this construction il
| against the expressed provision of article q
or the boundary treaty, which expressly
declares that each country should enter in
possession of the territory newly acquired
| within six months from the first meeting of
| the boundary commission, which meeting
| took place on November 1, 1888. In accord
| ance with the Mexican government UNDER
| standing of this stipulation, Mexico trans
| ferred TO Guatemala. long ago. Ayutla and
| several other towns, farms and settlements
| which were within her territorial limits be-
| fore the line agreed upon in the treaty. and
which passed to Guatemala under the same,
| and Guatemala received them, and is now
| In possession of the same.
Only the Beginning Of Negotiations.
Besides these considerations, the pre-
liminary agreement was only the beginning
of the negotiations which eliminated in the
boundary treaty of September %, 1882; that
IS, both parties agreed by the preliminares
to accept some principles to be embodied
| and carried out in the final treaty. The
| preliminaries were superseded by the
| treaty and they are therefore binding only
| IN such stipulations as were embraced in
| the treaty, and such others as do not ap-
| pear in that instrument, can have no bind
| ing force whatsoever, because the preIim-
inaries were not ratified by the Mexican
| senate, and under the Mexican constitution
| that was an indispensable condition to give
them validity. Not even the Mexican gov
| eminent approved of them when submitted
| to its consideration.
| This is exactly the case about another
| stipulation of the preliminaries to the eff
| 1ect that both countries should ask for the
| arbitration of the President of the United
| states IN case they could not agree upon q
| boundary line, under the basis of actual
possession. AS they did agree upon a line,
| in the final treaty of September 81 1882
| that stipulation ceased to have any force
| Besides it was not incorporated In the
| treaty, and the preliminaries containing it
were not ratified by the Mexican senate.
Each country appointed commission Of
engineers to survey the ground and mark
| the boundary line. Each commission work.
ed independently of the other, and in some
cases the result of their technical work,
| making parallel of latitude or a meridian
of longitude, differed somewhat, but in all
such cases the respective commissioners
| adjusted the difference by mutual agree
ment, and in no case have the respective
| governments, as has been stated, agreed
| to accept a third demarkation drawn even
| ly between the conflicting lines drawn by
their commissioners. There was only q
point in which the commissioners differed
and the respective governments solved the
difficulty, and that was the incident refer
ring to the Usumacinta and the Chixoy
| rivers, and in this case Mexico yielded and
| accepted Guatemala's contention.
Another Serious Mistake.
Another serious mistake is the state
Tent that Mexico sent troops to her from
tier with Guatemala in consequence of the
| delay and difficulties which occurred
| in surveying and making the line, and
| that Guatemala's invasion of the disrupted
| territory took place after Mexico had
sent there her military forces. In point
of fact Guatemala has invaded twice
| that territory, once in 1891, and again
very early in 1894, and Mexico did
not send any troops to her frontier
| until long after the second invasion had
| taken place. and after Guatemala had re-
| fused to apologize for the same, and 1t has
| mr. lad vet ha tod
| This fact puts this incident under a very
| different light.
Mexico and Guatemala agree that the
| boundary treaty of 1852 Is binding on both
| countries, and there is, therefore, no need
of any new convention, as has been sus-
| gested. In fact, Guatemala has not even
The treaty of 1882 provided for placing the
| monuments to mark the boundary line. and
| there is no need Of any new convention or
ganizing new commission for that pu--
pose. Both governments have signed a con-
| vention extending for two years. the time
| in which the whole work of marking the
line with proper monuments will be 40.
complished. The Mexican senate ratified
| that convention, but the Guatemalan con-
gress failed to do So 1t is expected. how
| ever, that 1t will be ratified In Its next ses-
| sion, which opens soon.
las a matter of fact, the survey of the
| whole line has been finished. and there is
| rot any disagreement about II between
| tie respective engineers, but the Guate-
|
SINE of Inc minutes and charters of the
| survey, and the monuments In such por-
items of the line have to be placed by both
| commissioners, after the pending conven-
| ton has been ratified by Guatemala.
There is difference of opinion be-
| tween the two governments about the con-
| struction of the boundary treaty in SO far
| as the boundary line is concerned, and
| therefore no need of arbitration for
| that purpose.
/ The Pending Question.
1.-The pending question between Mexico
and Guatemala is a very plain one. Each
| country claims that under the de facto line
| existing before the treaty Of 1882 she was
| ir possession of the disputed territory.
and both agree that 1t belongs to Mexico
| under the line marked by the treaty. AS
| the treaty line is paramount, Mexico con-
| sidered the action of Guatemala in send
| ing an armed force to destroy the log
| camps established there by Mexicans who
were cutting wood under grants of the
| Mexican government, seize the logs and
arrest the men as an unwarranted in
vason of her territory, and has asked
Guatemala to apologize for II, and to pay
an indemnity to the victims of the out
rage. If Guatemala wishes to settle the
q, fnr har lya &c fnr