The Holly chieftain., 1914-07-24
Hls Flight Follows Twelve Months
Of What May Be Called
Tottering.
FALL CERTAIN FROM FIRST
In the Absenes Of Recognition by the
United States Il Was Recognized
That the Dictator Would Be
Unable - Retain Power.

Washington.-Just one year has
elapsed since President Wilson an
nounced that his Mexican policy then
consisted of the edict that "Huerta
must 60" and assured the American
public that the Mexican president was
"tottering." and soon would fall.
For the first four months of Presi-
dent Wilson's administration he was
absolutely silent regarding the Mexi-
can situation, though 1t gradually be-
came known that he did not intend
to grant official recognition to the HUI
erta government Late in June. 1918,
representatives of . number of Euro
pean powers drew up letter Of pro-
the United States had largely contrib
uted to. the anarchical conditions in
Mexico and that 1t ought eitherto rec
ognize the Huerta government and dis
courage the revolution or assume re-
sponsibility for the pacifcation of
Mexico. This joint document reached
the hands of President Wilson, and re-
suited In action by him.
Lind Sent to Mexico.
Henry Lane Wilson, hold-over am
bassador to Mexico, was recalled, and
after a scant hearing at the White
House was asked to resign. John
Lind. former colleague of Secretary
Bryan In the house of representatives
and former governor of Minnesota.
was designated the presidents conf
dental agent and sent to Mexico In
an endeavor to get Huertas sanction
to plan for his elimination
Mr.. Lind presented four proposals to
President Huerta. through his minis
ter of foreign affairs, the Mexican
president declining to receive the
American emissary because he had no
credentials. These proposals, or rath-
er demands, were for:
The resignation of Huerta.
The establishment of a provisional
government, pending the holdings Of
elections.
The elimination Of Huerta as can
didate for the presidency by election.
The conclusion Of an armistice be-
tween the contending forces.
U. s. Backs Down.
In the correspondence that ensued
the United States receded from its
proposals one by one until there re-
mained only the demand that Huerta
be not a candidate in the elections due
to be held In the fall. It was general
ly conceded that in the Lind corre-
spondence Huerta's foreign minister,
FREDERICK Gamboa, had decidedly the
best of 1t, and the administration was
finally left to content itself with Gam
boa's statement that certainly Huerta
could not be candidate to succeed
himself because of constitutional
prohibition to that effect, as the net re-
suit Of the Lind discussions.
President Wilson addressed con-
gress on the subject Immediately upon
the failure of the Lind mission, urging
policy Of patience, while Lind went
to Vera Cruz, where he remained al
most continuously playing the role Of
reporter to the president until April
last.
Soon thereafter William Bayard
Hale, the presidents campaign biog-
rapher, who had also been serving In
Mexico City. as an unoficial observer
for the president, was assigned on an
other secret mission and went to the
Mexican border to ascertain the pur-
pose and character Of the Constitu-
tionalists.
v. 8. Backs the Rebels.
His reports, combined with other In.
formation possessed by the president
are considered to have been chiefly re-
sponsible for the presidents decision
to back the Constitutionallsts Just as
far as possible. This policy of sup
port for the revolutionists was never
omcially announced. but became In
creasingly evident.
Meantime Huerta had found, so 1t
was officially asserted In Mexico City.
that the congress. consisting largely
Of Maderistas. was conspiring against
him and defeating his governmental
projects. He accordingly. In October,
arrested a large number of the deputies
and put them in prison. where many
Of them remained for considerable pc.
RODS. He declared himself virtual
dictator. pending, he said. the elec-
tions. at which a new congress was to
be chosen and candidates for president
voted upon.