Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-09

being hampered constantly by the
press of other Latin American work.
ton of a separate division of Mexican
affairs would be the only remedy, Sec
rotary Lansing acted promptly. and to-
day the division of Mexican affairs
and privileges thereunto appertainine.
Secretary Lansings order divorcing
Mexican and Latin American affairs
set forth that the new division would
handle 'al1 correspondence in relation
to Mexico. except routine correspond
ence reiating to deaths. marriages. cit
izenship, passports. sanitary reports.
invoices bills of health and
similar subjects"
It seems only natural. of course. that
the official Mexican funnel" of the
department should funnel through
mass of freakish detail as well as the
more solid facts of government. The
Mexican trouble. throughout it's course.
has been fat and succulent morsel for
those individuals who go through life
with bag full of international
panaceas. Every little while such a
person strays in with a new idea and
1t is up to the Mexican division to give
him that hearing to which every free
how silly, is entitled.
Such matters. however. relieve the
tedium of official routine. of which
there is constantly mass on hand
The great bulk of the divisions work
concerns inquiries relating to economic
conditions in Mexico, the posi- bility or
advisability of investments in GER
tain parts of the country. well as
questions touching upon the safety
of American interests.
There is also steady stream of in
quiries concerning the welfare of
Americans in Mexico, or the safety of
even Mexicans who have friends in the
United States. Under this head come
requests to forward funds to certain To-
calities for the use of individuals who
are believed to he in need
Concerning the schemes laid before
the Mexican division which purport
to be immediate solutions for the
troubles below the Rio Grande, per-
haps one of the most startling plans
of all was one which was submitted not
long ago by a man who gave every
indication of probity and sanity. The
idea itself was not altogether illogical
but one to which the United States gov
eminent could hardly subscribe.
This man. in calm. even manner.
laid before the division a scheme for
a concerted movement on the part of
all the pan-American countries to make
up joint fund and send the cream of
their secret service men into Mexico.
months, until they had reached an
agreement as to which of the Mexi-
can factions were actually opposing
peace in the country. Once this deci
sion was reached, the pan-American
countries were to set aside $4,000 of
the fund as a reward for the secret
service man who would assassinate the
leaders of this rebellious faction.
The plan he proposed, however. was
not to stop at Mexico. Once the quietus
had been administered to the proper
persons there, this same force of Sc
cret service men was to be sent into
Europe to calmly and methodically as
sassinate the rulers of the warning ma
lions, on the theory that the people of
Europe opposed war and that the con-
fict was being continued by those in
power.
Such chaff as this rarely comes to
the ears of a busy Secretary of State,
except, perhaps, as a story he may he
told in a spare moment. Naturally, the
man who proposed the plan way cour-
teously told that, unfortunately, the
laws of the several pan American coun-
tries opposed such an idea, although
the Mexican division was not prepared