The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-26
Named to Succeed Greet as Minister of Foreign
 Relations
SAYS GOODBYE TO
 PRESIDENT TAFT
InsurrectO Junta Says Reforms Must Follow Soon or Cabinet Resigna- tion Will Have No Effect
 on the Civil War

Washington. March 25.-Francis De La
 States. was today named minister of for 1 eign relations of the Mexican cabinet
 by President Diaz. Senor De La Barra has telegraphed his acceptance to Mex | leo City.
 | Immediately after telegraphing accept
 ance to Mexico City, Senor De La Barra
 went to the White House and informed
 President Taft The President expressed
 pleasure at the ambassadors appoint
 ment and congratulated him warmly. As the ambassador had decided to leave here tomorrow for Mexico City, the Pres-
 ident bade him farewell, giving him a picture of himself. autographed with a salutation of personal regard.
 | Senor De La Barra also called upon Secretary of State Knox and informed him of the appointment. MT. Knox con- graduated him and bade him godspeed.
 The new minister of foreign relations 1 in making the announcement to the As
 sociated Press of his appointment said l he did not know whether any member of the new cabinet had been decided upon. The fact that Ambassador De La l f3dTEd was a llkeIy Cdnuludte TOT tn6 posl of minister of foreign relations had been l known by friends in Washington for some time The ambassador, however. l had always expressed a desire that pub | licity should not be given to such infor- nation. His reason was that while le ! would feel 1t duty to his country to accept the post If it were offered him, he really preferred to remain in Wash | ington, where, in the position, of ambas- sador, he might continue in the work l of cementing the friendly relations be-
 tween Mexico and the United States Receives Message
 l A message reached the ambassador at l. o'clock from Senor Greet, who resigned l yesterday as minister of foreign rela- l tions, in which the latter announced to Senor De La Barra that it was Pres dent Diaz's wish that he accept tho | post.
 | The ambassador wired his acceptance
 at once, and immediately called on Pres l ident Taft.
 My meeting with President Taft and 1 later with Secretary Knox" said Senor De La Barra, was most cordial They expressed the hope that Mexico would enter upon an era of peace, and l said good-py with the keenest appreciation Of the friendliness to the United States for Mexico As for the position in the cab inet I felt it my duty to accept because I thought conditions in Mexico made | it urgent
 The ambassador declared he had not the slightest idea who would succeed
 him in his post at Washington. Asked if he thought Senor Creel, who once was the Mexican ambassador here, might return, he answered that he had abso-
 luteiy no information upon the subject. | Senor De La Barra has not been iden- Itihed with any particular political party in Mexico, and the significance of his appointment is that it is consistently expected to meet the hearty approval Of all factions in that country. He has de- voted himself to the foreign relations of | Mexico, having been ambassador to va rious countries.
 When it became known that Senor Creel would resign the ministry of for eign relations, those conversant with Mexican affairs without hesitation picked Senor De La Barra as the, most likely successor because of his familiarity with the country's4 foreign affairs. He always has taken a. deep interest in arbitration and universal peace, and has taken a prominent part in furthering the cause of arbitration among Washington diplo- mats.
 He has made a special study of inter national law, and.was many years 8 pro- lessor inv Jurisprudence and logic at the l University school in Mexico City. For | five years he was a member of the Mex | ican federal congress and in 1902 was appointed minister to the Southern American republics on the Atlantic side. In 1904 he became Mexico's representative at Belgium and The Netherlands, and during his four years in Europe success | fully negotiated treaties for his country with Italy and Holland He represented Mexico at The Hague conference of 1907. and became ambassador to the United l States in 1908.