The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-18
Mexican Situation Has Be- come Too Grave For
 President
INTERVENTION WILL
 MEAN A LONG WAR
Administration Played Last Card To- day-In Spite of Protest Doug- las and Agua Prieta Episodes
 Have Been Repeated

NdSn1nSlOn, Apfll lt-f sldenl ldlt felt tonight that he has ,S personally all that can be done D AS. lief execu- tive to control the s sSsss along the Mexican border. He .sp IS advisers be- lieve that now o;S ess must say whether the situs .o,o grave enough to
 warrant interw .SsS and it's conse- quences. CcT
 Through tF Q -S c department the ad-
 ministratior ed what might be re- garded as it's t card today. It reiterat- ed in no uncertain fashion the represen-
 tations made to Mexico a few days ago that affairs like that at Douglas and Agua
 Prieta last week must not be repeated.
 Instead of awaiting the customary period for formal reply from Mexico, the de-
 partment asked for immediate assurances | that there be no more fighting that endan- gered Americans in the border towns. h. formation was requested also as to what
 measure the authorities had taken to pre- vent future combats of this kind. A few
 hours after the department announced
 that it had issued this second demand the dispatches from Douglas began to come
 into the war department showing that the second battle of Agua Prieta had be- gun. Tonight no reply had been received from the Mexican authorities.
 Taft Much Worried
 The President is plainly worried He talked but little. the White House folks said, about Mexico today but the bulle- tins that came through the war depart ment and through the press were taken to him wherever he happened to be and
 read with interest. He did not conceal the fact that he was intensely interested in the news from Agua Prieta.
 The President had two important con-
 ferences. He talked with Secretary Knox in the afternoon and tonight he had a conference with Ambassador Bryce oi Great Britain. The official explanation oi
 Mir Bryce's visit was that he came tc talk about the proposed arbitration | treaty between the United States and Great Britain. It is practically certain
 however. that Mexico figured in the con-
 versation. It is believed the ambassador explained to MT. Taft the landing of the
 British marines at San Quentin, Mex,
 last week. He was able to tell the Presi-
 dent that the landing was only after | Americans, and it was explained that Americans came first and British sub jects asked for protection that the Brit
 ish vessel of war put the marines ashore In connection with Mir Bryce's visit a suggestion that there might be joint | intervention in Mexico by the United l It was pointed out that any such joint | intervention would be construed as ar acknowledgement by the United States that this nation Is unable to handle the situation and that, 1t would be almost | an abandonment of the Monroe doctrine Is Now Up to Congress
 President Taft has told callers he does not contemplate sending special
 message to Congress relating to the condition of affairs in Mexico He has shown to leaders of both the Senate and House the confidential correspon- dence dealing with Mexico He feels
 that few, If any of those who have been taken into his confidence have failed to agree with him that the move ment of troops to Texas was justified He thinks that since the leaders in Congress have practically all the in- formation he has, 1t is their duty to take any further action. The President himself has let 1t be known that nc United States troops would cross the line unless authorized by Congress and Secretary of War Dickinson confirmed that statement tonight.
 No one here doubt that intervention would mean war. War in Mexico, the Presidents advisers say, would mean a conflict that would rage for months probably years. The topography oi Mexico, the mountains, the insufficient means of quick communication and a dozen other things that must be figured would have to be met. Intervention would mean a long drawn out struggle in which the Mexican federals and Mexican insurrectos might soon be found fighting side by side. Further more, intervention would be likely tc dissipate all the good feeling that years of careful displomacy has created be- tween the United States and the Latin. American countries.
 Third Assistant Secretary of State Hale said today that Senor Manuel Dc Zamacona the new ambassador from Mexico, would be presented to Presi- dent Taft at the White House Wednes day afternoon.
 One of the dispatches made public al the White House from Colonel Shunk the commanding officer at Douglas said the three insurgents without arms surrendered to us,' and that they are now being held as prisoners.
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