Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1909-10-23
TAFT And DlAz met
ON BORDER LINE BETEEN TWO
THE TWO COUNTRIES.

tuccI4iS was uOst OOluldl-Dotu
Praised Each Other Highly-Held
Short Meeting sin Private Room
Grand Military Display-President
Taft First to Speak.
FL Paso, Texas, Oct. 16.-The long
expected meeting between President
Taft of the United States and Presi
dent Diaz of Mexico occurred here to-
day. Outwardly it was attended with
a display of soldiery, a blare OF
trumpets, booming of cannon and a
pomp of ceremony suggesting supreme
authority, but in the actual handclasp
of the two executives and in the ex
change of courteous words that passed
from lip to lip there was simple but
cordial informality.
President Taft was the first to speak
President Diaz assured President Taft
of his high esteem of the American who
had accomplished so much in the Philip
pines, in Cuba and elsewhere, and who
had now the honor to be the chief exec
utive of so great nation as the United
States.
President Taft, in simple, American
fashion, declared he was glad to meet
President Diaz. He was glad to know
the president of such great nation I;
especially glad to know the president
who had made the nation great. Both
presidents dwelt upon the cordiality
L. = Lat a. L.,
United States and Mexico.
President Taft declared that today IS
meeting was not necessary to make
stronger the bonds of friendship; it
merely typifed the strength of the
4 bonds as they already exist Less than
a score of persons were present to
witness the meeting of the two execu-
tives.
Even these were excluded later
when President Taft and President
Daz withdrew into an inner room of
the Chamber of Commerce building,
where the historic meeting occurred
and where they were attended only by
Governor Creel of the state of Chihua-
hua, former ambassador from Mexico
to the United States, who acted as in
terpreter.
Crossing the Border.
The scene of the day ceremonies
shifted from time to time from the
little American city across the shallow
wandering Rio Grande river to the
Mexican town of Ciudad Jaurez
) In the custom house there President
Diaz received a return call from Presi
dent Taft and again late this even
ing entertained the American presi
; dent and a large dinner party at &
state banquet, which, in all its sur
roundings of lavish decoration, of bril-
liant color, of wealth of silver plate
J handed down from the time of tn,
Emperor Macmillan, probably wal
the most notable feast ever served OF
the American continent.
, 1t was at this banquet that the NOR,
, formal and public expressions of re
gard between the two executives al
the representatives of the people @.
D the United States and of Mexico wer,
exchanged. The banquet also marked
!, the end of the ebay of internationa
, pageantry-a day of. cloudless skies. ,
Disputed Land Neutral.
An interesting incident of the da,
was the declaration of neutrality owe
o Ell Chamizal territory, a part of tn
city of Ell Paso, over which Mexic
is contending for sovereignty. TIL
Chamizal territory was formed whel
the Rio Grande took one of its period
. icai spells of contrariness and change
9 its channel mile or two to the west
= ward.
D The contention of American authori
ties is that the change was gradual an
e due to natural accretion from tn
b American side. The Mexican authori
ties contend that the change was du
u to an avulsion of or sudden chang
i. of course and that the United State
gained no additional territory by tn
y shifting of the natural boundary line
) The matter still is in dispute. !
a was agreed between the government
of Mexico and the United States toda
that this territory, which lies on tn
American side of the internations
bridge, shall be regarded as neutrs
= and that neither the American no
Mexican flag should anywhere be di,
5 played thereon.
AS President Diaz made his wa
/ through the Chamizal this morning t
visit President Taft the road was line
! with American troops. AS Presiden
!. Taft passed over the disputed groun
to return the call the way was line
+: with Mexican soldiers.
.