The Sentinel=record., 1911-05-11
Washington is
DEEPLY PUZZLED
REBEL OCCUPATION OF JUAREZ
BRINGS UP NEAT lNTERNA-
TloNAL QUESTION.
Port OF Entry Must be Opened and
Madero and His Forces Now Hold
Tic Custom Houses.

/
Washington, May 10. News Of the
fall of Juarez came to official Wash.
ington from various sources from the
tsecret service agents Of the depart.
ment OF Justice, who have been watc b
ing the border; from the collector OF
customs in IN Paso and from the
signal service men of the army.
The army authorities here believe
General Navarro's soldiers, who have
stood nearly a year of field work ana
consequently may be regarded as vet
Grams were more than match for
a considerably larger number of un
trained and i'll organized rebels TO
their mind it was evident that there
had been lack of information as to
the real numerical strength of the
Madero force.
Whatever the number might have
been, it is now anticipated that it viii
soon be largely augmented The news
CT Madero's victory VIII spread rapid
ly throughout Mexico and without
doubt recruits will swarm into his
camp. Logically with heavy rein
forcements, his next move would be
a march on to the capital itself, in
cidental'y stopping on the way to be
siege and capture all of the consider
able cities and towns in his path.
There will be one formidable OBJ
stacle to such campaign-the diff
Guilty of arming and supplying with
ammunition his augmented forces.
He can scarcely obtain these sup
plies from Texas, for the adminstra-
ton holds to its decision that arms
cannot be permitted to go to the re-
be,s across the line before recogni-
ton of the belligerency of the Made
|roists, Arms and munitions of war
cannot be otherwise gotten TO Ma
Idero's army until he captures some
seaport and establishes safe lines of
communication with 1t
So this question of the recognition
of his beligerency assumes the first
degree of importance to Madero and
an effort to secure such recognition
from the state department Is expect
ed. Indications are that such a re-
quest will not be granted for the
present at least. There is this serious
objection to doing so; by that act
the Diaz government would be re
lieved of all pecuniary responsibility
for any damage inflicted upon Amer
icans by the rebel operations.
The large American business inter
ests in Mexico, which have suffered
severely by the instruction would
raise strong protest against the
adoption of course that would pre-
vent them from reimbursement for
their losses Another consideration
lis that il would oblige our govern
ment to treat the Diaz government
precisely as it does the rebels in the
matter of denying them the right to
import arm and munition of war and
would subject American goods en-
tering Mexico 10 seizure as contra
band at the whim Of the rebels with
out any recourse.
Technically there is no difficulty In
finding ground for refusal to ac-
cord belligerent rights to Madero,
for he has not yet set up fully
equipped government in stable
capital and possesses no considerable
seaport-things usually regarded as
conditions precedent to recognition.
Just to what extent Madero has
benefited by the capture of Juafez in
changing his status in the eye of in
ternational law. the officials here are
not disposed to declare. But offhand.
it Is said, the United States will be
Obliged to recognize his de facto
control of Juarez. an international
port OF. entry. In the end he will be
able to receive merchandise through
his custom house and collect tariff
taxes. 1t is true that when Agua
Prieta for a short time was in the
possession OF the rebels. the United
States custom house in Douglas. ad-
joining that place WAS closed by the
collector, preventing the exchange of
goods. But il is admitted that had the
rebel occupation continued for a few
dys longer that action of the coIlec-
tor which was not directed from
Washington would have been dis
avowed and trade relations between
the two towns would have been re.
established
Mails to Mexico City are interrupt
ed but Postmaster General Hitch
cock announced today that commune
cation via Laredo is open and mails
are moving in the usual manner.
7 wish tn auno,trca IN tho t,4httn tba =