The Washington times., 1915-06-23
U. S. Expects Substantial Be-
ginning Toward Restoring
Peace There in That Time.
TAGLE MOST FAVORED MAN
Carranza Recognized As Chief
Obstacle in Way of Com
posing the Situation.
BY JUDSON C. WELLIVER.

by JUDSON y. WELLlVER.
within thirty days there must be
substantial beginning in the way Of ac-
commodating factions and restoring
peace in Mexico, or the wheels will be
set in motion by the Washington Gov
ernment in the direction OF Intervention.
This is the substance Of opinion to
this day among representatives Of all
the Mexican elements, as we'll as Ad-
ministration officials.
Convinced that the determination has
been reached by Washington, the Car
ranzistas are making every effort to
compose differences by the process of
wiping out all opposition. The Willis
tas, on the other hand. are trying. -ac-
cording to advices from the Villa head
quarters. to avoid another battle in or
! der to give an assurance of their good
faith In the repeated statements that
they are willing to compromise and set
tie the difficulties.
Both Leaders Must Go.
The military situation, on the face
of things, seems decidedly TO favor
Carranza. But the Washington Ad-
ministration does not. Duval West, the
| Presidents most recent emissary in
Mexico, wrote letter to Villa congrat-
ulating him on the excellent condition
of order and comparative prosperity
that he had established in those parts
of the country where he was in con-
troll. Villa quoted from this West let
ter in one of his recent pronunciamen-
tos and the circumstance emphasized
the general understanding in Washing
| ton that the Administration wants to
compose" matters by getting rid Of
| Villa, who has all along said he was
willing to step down and out, and of
| Carr;.nza who has persisted in refus-
| ing to accommodate himself to the
wishes of the American Government. Z.
| The impression that the Washington
| Government means business. has been
| gaining ground with both sides. The
Villistas have welcomed 1t, provided IT
| would help them to readjustment
without yielding to the dictatorship of
Carranza. Carranza is on record as de-
claring that for the proper settlement
have to be a long period of extra-con
stitutional government: His enemies
believe that during this period he in
tends to be dictator. and they fear that
a system Of reprisals Will be instituted
in which people who have been an
tagonistic to him will suffer. More
over, they have been cultivating among
foreign governments the belief that the
acceptance of Carranza as dictator
would surely be followed by a reign of
reprisal.
There seems to be no foreign state
with important interests in Mexico that
favors the retention of either Villa or
Carranza in power. The Washington
Government is understood to have the
acQuiescence of the European powers
in its effort to effect a compromise that
will place a new man at the head OF
Mexico. But there is no agreement as
to whom they should name.
Iturbide Not Favored.
Eduardo Iturbide. grandson of the ia
nous Iturbide who once made himself
head of Mexico. Is now in Washington
and Is regarded as the candidate Of the
British and Spanish governments fol
Mexican leadership. But the supporters
of neither Villa nor Carranza are re-
garded as likely to accept him. They
Insist that he is the candidate of the
old cientifico element, the ancient privi.
lege-holding. land-owning aristocracy
that was represented by DiaZ. and that
with him as the head of affairs there
character by way of gain from the
years OF revolution dating back to
1910.
From the Villa camp has come sug.
organize the government Francisco
Madero was regularly elected. con.
stitutional President. He resigned. and
the congress accepted the resignation
a little time before he was murdered
Under the Mexican law of succession
the minister of foreign relations be.
came Uhe vice president having also
been removed) the next official in line
for the Presidency. He was Pedro
Lascurain. Lascurain became a mere
tool Of Huerta. who had seized the ac'
tual authority. Lascurain appointed
Huerta to be minister of the interior
and then himself resigned. The next
man after Lascurain was the minister
of finance, who had resigned; and this
brought the succession down to the
minister of justice, Vasquez Tagle.
Tagle May Be the Man.
Tagie never resigned, and 1t is con,
tended that he is now. under a strict
construction of the constitution, the
rightful man next in line for the Presi
dency. He is a middle-of-the-road man
of progressive purposes; was in sym,
pathy with the purposes OF the Msderc
not only of Madero, but OF the reason
able and really Intelligent followers oi
that regime.
selection of Tagle, II Tagle will be sat,
isfactory to Washington. 1t is known
that some of the people closest to Car
rama have urged him to assent tC
this course, and have warned him thai
there is not much time to be lost in
agreeing upon something that will stay
the hand of the Washington authori
| ties.
Tagle has remained in Mexic,
throughout the troubles, and it Is do
clared that the military leaders of botf
sides could be brought to support hin
for the Presidency until an election
could be held. provided only that Car
rama would assent to this course.
Carranza the Obstacle.
The personality of Carranza is seem
ingly the one obstacle. He is q stub
born man, surrounded by advisers whC
just at present are divided as to wha
II ought to be done. Some even amoItl
those who have stood by him through
/ out feel that IL would be a mIsfortun,
-