The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-12-31
KNOX IS MUDDL|NG
AMERICAN AFFAIRS
0utgeneraIed by Diaz He Is In
New Race
iATINS LAUGHING AT US
One Diplomat Says America Has Lost
More Prestige in Fifteen Days
Than Had Been Gained in
AS Many Years.

from Washington Walter Wellman saws:
Diplomatic relations between the United
States and Mexico are now somewhat
strained. No serious trouble beyond loss
of prestige and trade is looked for.
Smarting under the chagrin of being
! outplayed at the diplomatic game by
President Diaz and Senior Creel Score
tary OF State Knox has sent to the Mex
| lean government a note which amazes
/ the foreign contingent in Washington as
! another example of the current shot
gun diplomacy"
The imprisonment of James A. Cook. an
/ American citizen. at Guadalajara is the
pretext for Secretary Knox's brusque-
! ness toward Mexico but the cause is
! found In Mr. Knox's anger at Mexico
! because that government outwitted and
4 outmaneuvered him in the Nicaraguan
/ affair
! Meanwhile all Latin America as REPRE-
scented here. is boiling with Indignation at
| the United States, and such statements as
the following, made by serious and re-
( sponsible student of South and Central
American affairs, are common:
'grhe United States has lost more pres
/ tige. during the last 10 days than it had
gained in the previous 15 years.
! 1t Is further declared to be the intention
Of President Diaz to receive the late Pres
ident Zelaya his guest at Mexico City
and shower honors and courtesies on him
as a mark of Mexican contempt for the
state department at Washington
Worse still, there is trustworthy infor-
nation to the effect that nearly all of the
! South and Central American governments
have lost faith in the United States both
as to the fairness and justice of its
procedure, and to the frmness with
which it may be expected to pursue its
policies.
the present diplomacy of the United
States is "a big, fat blur and say that
while Uncle Sam may buster and brow
beat he is not to be feared, because he
is sure to back down in the end. They
instance the humiliating retreat of Secre-
tary Knox IN the affair of the Alsop claim
against Chile. wherein he issued an in
sulting nltimatum. was called by the
Chileans and then had to appeal secretly
to the Brazilian secretary OF foreign ar
fairs to help him save his face.
They cite, also, Secretary Knox's some
what ridiculous clustering attitude about
arresting and furnishing Zelaya. which
in the end he rneekly forced to
| abandon, and permit Diaz to carry him
off in triumph.
I'm future" say the Latin-American
diplomats. I'VE shall call Mr.. Knox's
bluffs as often as he makes them The
/ United States has lost its influence with
Z
Last August James a. Cook an Ameri-
can citizen, serving as a railway con-
ductor in Mexico. was arrested and i'm
prisoned for alleged completely in a train
robbery. This government asked by
some OF Cooks friends to it's good
offices and diplomatic inquiry to the
case was made November 2s The at
titude of the Mexican government is that
| Cooks case must follow the law and
| the regular course and that In due time
he will be brought to trial Apparently
the state department did nothing more
till last week, when Mexico got the best
of Mr. Knox in Nicaragua, and then our
government suddenly warmed up about
Conductor Cook. On December 20 the
/ following sharp message was sent TO AM
| bassador Thompson at Mexico.
| What reply has been received, il any.
| to embassy's note to foreign office dated
! Imprisonment without trial causing con-
sidera BILE agitation in various parts of the
| United States, and arousing not lit
| tie criticism and unfriendly feeling. De-
partment would consider 1t most I'M
| fortunate, which feeling will no doubt
share, If disposition of this case were
| such as to afford occasion for undue agi-
tation in this country President is being
importuned to take action and has asked
department for report You may inform
ally show this cable to minister for for
eign affairs
Dipiomatists see in the phraseology of
this remarkable diplomatic cable another
outcropping OF the policy of buster and
| BLUM. 1t is learned that Mexico resents
not only the manner but the substance
| of the state departments inquiry, the
manner because of it's turbulence, the
| substance because the Washington gov
eminent already has been informed that
4 Cook is held In pursuance of the law and
| cannot be released on bail because that
! lie forbidden by the Mexican statutes
| The Central Americans declare it is a
| strange thing for the foreign affairs min
| lister of the United States to demand that
! the laws OF friendly state be violated
| for his satisfaction. At the same time
| everyone knows President Diaz could Sc
cure Cooks release on bail If he wished,
| but obviously he does not wish The
| dictator of Mexico is as little in love
| with Secretary Knox as Secretary Knox
| is with him.
1t is an open secret in washington
| that pretty game of cross purposes Is
| now going on between the Pittsburg dip
lomatist and the willy old Mexican chief
tain.
| Secretary Knox scored one in getting
| Zelaya out of the executive chair at
| Managua. a good piece of work so far
! as results are concerned, but done In a
| bungling way. Mexico scored not only in
! having DR.. Madriz elected president, but
In carrying Zelaya OF in triumph to be
feted at the palace of Diaz. Mr. Knox
was furious when he found he had to
march down the hill again after all his
| talk of furnishing Zelaya common
criminal, and vowed he would get even
| with Diaz. The Cook episode follows
| swiftly after and, according to the ver-
| sion given out at the state department
| today. Mexico snubs the United States
and calls Mr.. Knox's bluff bq refus-
| ing to answer. Under the influence OF
Mexico and recent events a number OF
| Latin-American states have resolved to
| treat the Knox diplomacy with cool IN
| difference.
| 1t is pretty well understood that but for
| President Tafts Arm refusal to permit
| any such thing. Mr.. Knox would have
used American war vessels to prevent
Zelaya's escape.