The Washington times., 1914-06-17
MEDIATION COSTLY,
. BUTLESS THAN WAR
Much Dignity Is Displayed, But
Justice Lamar lust Can't
! Help Laughing.
By FRED S. FERGUSON.

HN .. rLNSSSSN'
NIAGARA FALLS. Ontario, Junr Il
As mediation now swings on through
conversation after conversation ana
conference after conference. this neck
Of the woods is a dull and uninteresting
spot for Mr.. Ordinary Man Far back
through the ages the cry Of all reVolu-
riouists has been TO restore the land to
the moor peons Of Mexico. but if a poor
peon showed up around the Clifton Ho-
tel where they are now endeavoring TO
settle his affairs he would probably not
only lose his lands. but his shir;.
II is pay pay, pay, and the meIators
and delegates to the mediation confer
ences are paying at lively rate. When
It is all put down in cold figures the cost
Of the conferences here will be astound-
INK. After the first furry when special
correspondents and near diplomats from
every direction 1ocked into Niagara
Falls the colony has now simmered
down until there are approximately If
ty-siX, including the mediators and their
suites. the Americans, MeXicans and
newspaper correspondents. A conserva-
tive estimate of the average cost of
''rnediating'' to each of these fifty-siX
is s25 a day in hotel bills, meals and
automobile hire. This makes the ay-
erage daily ordinary living expenses
Of the colony s1,499 per day. Figuring
on this basis mediation in the Mex
lean .rouble has cost $4,000. But war
for the same length of time would have
Gust far more, not TO mention the cas-
uslties.
This does not. of course, include the
SsIaries, of clerks and the various sec
-sries of the three medYtors and
the American and Mexican delegations.
There is also the inestimatable amount
spent in telegraph tolls by newspapers;
the cost of transmitting long code rnes-
sages between the Prospect House and
Washington; similar messages received
and sent froT- Mexico City and the com
Inunication the mediators have had with
their own countries. But mediating is
great little sport with no time for
thought as TO expenses. The following
IS the general scheme of mediation as
followed At Niagara Falls:
Beginning of the Day.
At IL o'clock each morning da Cana,
Of Brazil Naon of Argentina, and Suar-
ez, of Chile so to their conference room.
There is no set schedule for the hold
ing of conversations with the Mexican
or American delegates. Sometimes an
engagement may be made in advance,
but not often. After gathering in the
conference room and diplomItically dis
cussing the carpet on the floor, OF the
weather, the MeXicsns or Americans
may be invited to appear or may ask
that they be heard. II it is the Amer
icsns who are to be heard, the state
Department chauffeur is aroused from
the rear seat of his machine and he
rolls up in front of the Prospect House.
Justice Lamar, Frederick W. i-ehmln1
and their secretary, H. Percival Dodge,
followed by Robert F. Rose. ponderous
representative OF the State Department
enter.
The car progresses from the Prospect
Dodge, Rose. and the chauffeur pay 10
cents each to pass on to Canada. The
car circles the Clifton Hotel. Stopping
at the door the mediation delegation
alights, automatically and with great
dignity. Judge Lehman. however.
can't suppress a laugh, and so he
laughs. Newspaper men greet the dele
gates, and learn nothing. They enter
the elevator. ascend to the conference
room. the doors are closed. and media
don is on.
The Secret Service guard at the Cliff
ton has been reduced by two men. but
whenever a conversation is In progress
pair of the Kings sleuths race back
and forth before the door. They march
solemnly and with dignity beftting the
occasion. After a time the American
delegates come down stairs. Justice
lamar may or may not have something
TO ssv. lie is extremely careful Of
o--cry word he uses. He talks slowly
and with extreme caution. When he IS
through. the job OF the newspaper men
r. 20 decide what he meant.
No Fish In Tub.
Justice Lamar compares the work of
the correspondents here TO fishing in a
hath tub. When there are no develop
00cnts. he will say:
Now. there really are no FISH in
this tub. There is nothing tD say.
Al other times he will declar-:
E-k, il y H.
al night, but | can't tell you what they
interviewed alone the justice s very
pleasant II seems actually 10 pain him
sometimes that he cannot answer Ques-
fio0s asked him.
When the Mexicans confer with the
nediators they do not cause as much
fuss about the hotel as the Americans.
Hsr-Ing their rooms on the same floor
IS the conference room. they slip IN OF
out UIthout attracting any attention.