Arizona republican., 1915-03-06
President Confronted With One of the Most Serious and PerpleXing Develop ments Ever Arisen in the Mexican Situation
MEXICO NEEDS NO
 FOREIGN AID
This is Message General Oregon is Credited With Having Sent International Relief Committee WhOI Offer Succor
ASSOCIATED PRESS pIspArcH1

1 WASHINGTON, March 5.-Presi-
 dent Wilson is confronted with one
 of the most serious and perplexing developments that has ever arisen l in the Mexican situation. Mexico City is on the verge of starvation
 General Obregon, the Carranza com-
 mander, refuses to permit the inter
 national relief committee, composed of wealthy members of the foreign col
 ony. to succor the needy.
 Mexico needs no foreign aid," the general is reported to have said All merchants who closed their
 stores have been ordered to reopen them under threat of punishment About 200 of them, all Mexicans, have
 been imprisoned. The people of the
 city are living in terror of another evacuation, since Obregon announced he will not prevent footing or pillag- ing for food or money
 Secretary Bryan announced he had
 sent an urgent telegram to Consul
 Silliman with instructions to lay the
 situation earnestly before Carranza, so that Obregon will be directed to ac-
 cept the proffered aid ot foreign resi- dents.
 Freight service is suspended between
 Mexico City and Vera Cruz. Trans
 portation facilities for relief purposes
 are withheld by Obregon on the
 ground of military necessity Talk
 of an allied expedition similar to the one that went to the relief of the
 foreign legations in Peking during the
 Boxer uprising are again heard in of ficial quarters, where it is generally admitted a grave condition of affairs
 has arisen. Tonight the president re-
 ported he is studying the various phases of the question closely. The Brazilian. British. Spanish and
 Italian ambassadors called separately
 at the state department. bringing pes simistic reports of the situation which corresponded to reports already received by the American government
 The foreign diplomats suggested no
 solution. The president was advised
 of all the facts late today as revealed
 in the official messages and reports from the foreign ambassadors. Should Oregon continue to refuse outside aid. drastic measures might be neces- sary is the view of all foreign diplo- mats.
 The situation was described by them as more intolerable than ever before since the revolutionary troubles began in the southern republic. For the present the outcome of telegra phc correspondence with Carranza will be 1 awaited. Hitherto he has been re- ported as standing by all the activi- ties of Obregon. whose purpose, ac- l cording to official reports. seems to be to force the lower classes to enlist in the Carranza army or starve. All
 sorts of wild rumors are afloat in Mexico City due to the incendiary ut terances of Obregon, who in newspa- per interviews has practically sane tioned plunder for food.
 CarranZa has been asked by the
 American government to instruct Ob- regon to take some measures to pro- tect the lives and property of for eigners in the event of evacuation. The people fear the water supply will be shut off and, the electric light