Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-01
RUMORS ARE BRANDED AS
SENSATIONAL AND FALSE
Presidents Report to the Senate
Precipitates a Debate.
LODGE EXPLAINS HIS POSITION
Aimed to Prevent Any Embarrassing
Developments-Favors Discard
ing Monroe Doctrine If It
Is Inadequate.

hiesiuehl ldIt To-Day informed the Sem
ate that the Departme of State has no
evidence whatever adequate to show any
acquisition of land. or any intention or
| desire to acquire land, whether directly
or indirectly, in Mexico by or on the part
of the imperial japanese government. The
Presidents message was in response to a
Senate resolution calling for information
| regarding an alleged purchase of land al
| Magdalena bay by the Japanese govern.
ment, or by a japanese company.
The message precipitated a debate in
the Senate. Senators Bacon and Lodge
concurred in the opinion that if the Mon
roe doctrine did not cover the situation
| a new doctrine covering it could be Gre
ated.
| Explaining his reasons for calling for
the correspondence, Mr.. Lodge said 1t was
| to prevent the development of any en-
barrassing situation with reference to
Mexico and Japan.
He said the time had come when the
United States should take the position
| that neither directly nor indirectly could
any foreign government obtain the con-
| trol of land in this hemisphere that might
| constitute menace to the United States.
Senator Rayner said that IL japan es-
tablished base Of supply or coaing sta
tion in Mexico he would regard the act
Il
Mr.. Rayner strongly contested the right
| of the United States to interfere with the
rights of Mexico to sell land to foreign
citizens, and presented resolution d.
| recting the committee on foreign reia-
tions to investigate the question.
The resolution and the Presidents mes
| sage were referred to the committee on
foreign relations.
Finds Naught to Alarm.
With his brief message the Presi-
dent TRANSMITTED full report from Secre-
tary Of State Knox.
There is nothing on file in the Depart
| ment of State" said the Secretary. that
| has justified any inference that the Mexi-
can government, or the imperial Japanese
government has been occupied with any
disposition of land near Magdalena bay
| by which the latter government would
acquire land there for any purpose.
I'm these circumstances the Department
| of State felt no necessity for further
steps in the matter Of any Of these ru-
mors, which are of a kind that all too
! frequently occur to the detriment of pub
lie opinion In the respective countries and
are so alien to the e"cordial relations OF the
governments concerned.
Mr. Knox said that the japanese am
bassador had Informed the department
| that he had apprised his government OF
the rumors in question, which had come
| to him through the public press, and sub
| sequently the ambassador made, with his
governments authorization. an unre-
served and categorical denial of the ru-
mored purchase of land by the japanese
government or by a Japanese company,
characterizng the report as entirely SEN
sational and utterly without any founda-
ton whatever, the Japanese government
having never directly or indirectly at
tempted or contemplated the acquisition
of any land at Magdalena ay for any
purpose.