The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-06-19
AMERICAN PEACE ;, ENVOYS ANSWER MEXICAN PROTEST Give Out Statement Explain
 ing Attitude of U. s. ; In Controversy .- NEUTRAL UNFIT
 FOR PRESIDENCY Wilson's Only Desire Is for Mexican
 Peace, Declares Note-Critical Period of Mediation Ex- pected Soon

Niagara Falls, Ontario, June 1s.-The American delegation to the Mexican me- diation conference tonight made a pub | lie statement issued with the consent of the Washington government, replying to the statement given out last night by the Mexican delegation. criticizing the American plan for the establishment of Ia provisional government in Mexico with b constitutonalist at its head.
 Suggestions that President Wilson had any intent to destroy the electoral lib- lerty of Mexico are utterly repudiated" ,by the American representatives The statement covers the whole range of crit icism by the Huerta delegates. Coming on the eve of the full conference Of ,nediators and delegates, which may be postponed until Saturday, the statement stirred the mediation colony. It was in- terpreted as foreshadowing the unalter- able position of the United States in fu- 1ure parleys.
 Content of Statement
 The statement in substance follows:
 'The American representatives do not fhink it is conductive to the interests Of mediation to publish it's pendency the various plans or the contentious of parties, but as the Mexican representa- A tives have given out a formal state sment of their objections to the appoint nent of constitutonalist as provisional President because among other things an election conducted by such provisional President would not represent the will of the people, 1t has been thought necessary to give a part of the answer to the let ter written by MT Rabasa.
 Tn that answer the American repre- sentatives utterly repudiate any sugges- ton that the American President has any intent of destroying the electoral liberty of Mexico and insist that the Mexican representatives entirely under stand the motives and objects of the President who recognizes the facts, and z sees in the past success of the constitu-
 tionalist army. indisputable evidence of the approval of the Mexican people. But
 he also sees the full triumph of that simy means an indefinite continuance of
 war, with the suffering and boodshed ard death which every war involves.
 These consequences the President seeks to prevent through mediation. but we greatly fear the language of the Mexican |. note implies that his efforts may be thwarted because of the unwillingness to
 have a. .constitutionalist as provisional President. event though that promises the only practical means by which the hor- TOTS of war can be averted.
 Hope for Cooperation
 Hope is expressed that the Mexican representatives will not further oppose \ the plan which promises peace, when } its rejection means suffering and death eto so many. We are convinced that your objections to the plan itself and
 faar nf Ina tl,.t h may follow it's adoption are not well
 founded; and that in attacking the de- tails you lose sight of the large and controlling motive which from the begin ming of this trouble has been in the smind of the President, and which has influenced the American representatives in all that they have said or proposed to the mediators.
 The American government seeks only to assist in securing the pacification of Mexico. It has no special interest in the method or the person by which that great end is to be accomplished and if it presses for any particular method, pr for the selection of a particular type of man.. it only is because it believes them to be the only means to the de- sired end.
 Tt would be easy at this conference to write an agreement which many would consider desirable, but unless the most excellent of plans and the most excel lent of men are accepted by the constitu- tionalists We only would have a paper plan, wholly ineffective to secure peace In war-worn Mexico. To bring that war to close to restore peace and constitu- ' ticnal government is the aim of the Presi- dent; and that end only can be attained by consulting the just wishes of the constitutionalists. who are not ir numeri- cal majority. but are the dominant force in the country.
 If those selected by the medators to administer the provisional government have the confidence of the constitutional fists long step will have been taken . towards the qualification of Mexico with out, furnishing any occasion fer alarm to those MT. Rabasa represents. for if the plan is accepted both by Gen eral Huerta and Carranza the cessation of arms follows and provisional gov ernment is established < to call an election at which every qualified voter may cast his ballot for the President of 1 his choice while if the plan indorsed by the Mexican representatives should be adopted and a neutral should be chosen. we would have secured no practical re- ssfits, but still be confronted with the insurmountable fact that the constitu- !. tionalists. now almost completely trium- phant, would reject the plan, repudiate the man and press forward with renewed ! zeal to Mexico City with all the loss of blood and life that may involve.
 As to Neutral
 Tn reference to the suggestion that the provisional President should be neutral it is said that 1t is manifest that in such N