New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-06-20
The United States Was Forced INTO
False Position at Niagara FallS'

Tho ,o+tors exchanged between the American "l,
y1uerta delegates to the Niagara rams ,o,
uncover the handicap against when ineui''''N ,,o
boon all along contending. That handicap 40 o
Tr,bune has repeatedly pointed out, Is the
-, .ro conference of representatives or the III
- tbird element which has to be considered III
anv rational plans of pachcation in Mexico 10.
Nv American and the Federal Mexican delegates
have locked horns over the choice OF lIo'
president and the mode of securing subsequent
fair election chiefly because the Unteu 0Ia'e' A'0
been compelled not only to look AFTER us Own -
terests but also TO guard against the apPIo,"'' -
r., o,foranca Of settlement which will be ui-
a,o,to,lo IN the Mexican COnsututOnaiistS JUS
tice Lamar and Mr.. Lehman have been ooiiseu ~
vnooL for the Constitutonasts and in speaking
Cor tbern have necessarily been brought more direct
IL into ontaronism with the Huerta delegates IMAM
+bev 1vould have been had they been repreSehVIns
exclusively the views and interests of the Cm'eu
States.
The initial error committed by the mediators mas
returned again and again to plague the conference
II an all round pacific settlement was the ann VI
the mediators they should have bent theT eneI-
rios from the very beginning to securing represe'"
tion before them Of all three parties IN interest
They should have gone out OF their way 10 eii-
courage the Constituencies to participate siice
tho latter were only indirectly concerned III ue
,7,nt,re Of relations between this country and the
tInerto Government which the starting point
NJ mediation. But instead of making all reasonable
concessions for the sake Of getting the reVoiuuon
ists into the conference the mediators took the
onnosite course They laid down as a condition OF
sdmittance the declaration of an armistice, al
though they must have known that the CohsuIu-
tonaIists could not afford to interrupt hostiiues
and from military point Of view would have peeh
very foolish to do So
Barring out Carranza put the United States in
the position Of having to dodge any tWo-sided set
Element which # might afterward be obliged 10
thrust down the throats OF the ConstitutlonaliSs'
Had there been an equal representation OF all
fbree interests the American delegates might have
worked with the Huerta agents to modify the de-
uands Of the revolutionsts and with the revolu-
tionists TO moderate the claims Of the Federas AS
II was the negotiation was carried at long range
and with increasing chances Of friction and mis-
understanding between the American and the Next
can representatives
The responsibility for a disagreement over the
choice Of Provisional President and the methods
TO be followed in eecting a new President should
have rested on one or other of the two Mexican fac
tons. or on both As it is, an attempt will be made
TO nut the blame for the fascO the United States,
which was not allowed to exercise its proper func-
ton as an arbiter between the rival Mexican parties,
but had TO become more or less a partisan Of the
unrepresented one
We still hope that mediation will not fail But
if it fails the chief for its failure will be
beyond reasonable dispute.