The Washington times., 1911-03-10
ARMY ORDERED OUT
To APPEASE MEXICO
Constant Complaints of Bor-
der Conditions Bring
Mobilization.

NEW YORK, March 1o.-Senor
Manuel A. Esteva, the Mexican vice
consul, with Offices at 80 Broadway, made
public late yesterday afternoon what
is believed to be the most important
bearing on the purpose of the United
States Government In sending 2o,0oO
troops to the borders of Mexico. Senior
Esteva had previously been in confer
ence with Senor Jose Yves Limantour
at the Hotel Plaza.
Going back to the first days of the
present year, Senior Esteva set forth a
series of representations which, he
says his government made to President
Taft regarding the open and wholly
unchecked support which the people of
this country were giving to the revolu-
tionists.
Whether these repeated and persis-
tent representations from the Mexican
state department wearied President
Taft, or finally convinced him of the
justice Of the Mexican attitude, the
vice consul made no attempt to say.
But from his, and he was sure. from the
Mexican viewpoint, the conditions as
presented to the United States Govern
ment fully warranted the ppresent
action which was so drastic, apparently,
and came so Unexpectedly, as to take
the public of both Mexico and this
country by surprise.
Diaz Not Sick.
The whole present trouble, with the
misunderstanding of this Governments
purpose by both the American people
and his own countrymen, Vice Consul
Esteva declared, has grown out of the
fact that both publics have not been
and were not till now, informed re-
garding what has been going on be-
tween Mexico and this country on the
subject of the Madero insurrection since
the first of the year.
1T is doubles not known in the
United States" Senor EsteVa said, that
at least one-half of the men now fol-
lowing Madero through the mountains
of Chihuahua are American citizens.
But the Mexican government knows 1t.
and has known IL all along, and as early
as January ! so informed the State De-
partment at Washington. IT Is also not
generally known that every pound OF
ammunition and every gun used by the
Madero forces. almost every horse, and
much of the provisions they consume
are and have been carried across the
border of this country into Mexico. But
the Mexican government has known
that, and long ago SO informed Presi-
dent Taft.
When the first representa- ton of these
facts was made to President Taft an In
creased number of soldiers was ordered
to the Mexican border to enforce the
neutrality laws and put stop to the
wholesale smuggling of arms, ammouni-
ton, and other supplies to the insur-
rectos.
, Situation Did Not Improve.
This was early In January. But the
situation did not improve materially.
The smuggling went on, assisted by the
various juntas, which have headquarters
in various California and Texas cities.
The troops, even now augmented, were
apparently as inadequate as ever to en-
force the requests from the Mexican
government that no more smuggling be
allowed.
Not a month passed before the Mex
lean government again reported to
Washington that conditions In violation
of the neutrality laws of both coun-
tries were as bad as ever. IL not worse:
This had the effect of causing President
Taft to order 5000 troops to the Mexican
border, and they have been there ever
since. But Ii must be remembered that
the border stretches 1000 miles or more,
and II has been shown that even these
6 900 men, with those who had previously
been sent, have not been able to cut on
Madero's supplies from this country.
This, too, was but recently oficlaHy re-
ported to President Taft
I'VE have known from the trst that
the insurrection would die of Its own
accord unless fed from this side OF the
border"