The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-11-18
WILSON TO Get
MEXICAN BOARD
STATUS REPORT
Atlantic City Conference
Making No Progress,
Takes Recess.

problems which have at times brought
it to the verge Of war with this coun-
try.
The commission adjourned this af-
ternoon until Monday morning, in
which action there does not appear to
be any, significance to justify either
the belief that there has been break
| in the negotiations or that the outlook
| for an agreement to control the fu-|
| ture relations Of the two countries
! is any brighter than it was a week
! ago.
| It is not denied that there have
| been tentative propositions" which
Mr.. Lane as chairman of the Ameri-
can Commission will submit to the
! President today and which Mr.. Ca
| brera. the chairman of the Mexican
| Commission, is free to transmit to
| First Chief Carranza.
| The Proposed Mining Tax.
| Mr.. Cabrera has gone to New York
/ or Philadelphia to discuss with repre-
| sentatives of mining companies hav-
| ing extensive interests in his country
the Carranza Governments plan to
tax the products of their industry.
The fact that he is devoting a great
deal of personal attention to this
phase of tie problems which the
present commission has. been trying
to solve for three months indicates its
Importance to the Carranza Govern
ment, and incidentally furnishes the
one streak of silver lining in the
| otherwise pessimistic prospect for ar
ultimate agreement between it and
4 the United States.
The proposed mining tax means t..
Mexico ready money with which
Z repair a lot of the damage done
warning factions in the last five c
six years. This supply of money ca
only be secured if there is an am
cable adjustment of the issues be
tween the United States and tn
Carranza Government.
| Consequently Mr. Cabrera's activit..
/ in evading acceptance or rejection o
the tentative propositions" sub
nitted in part by both. commission:
and designed to remove disputes
a military sort, is interpreted by tht
! optimistically inclined to mean that
his Government is moving with eau
ton until it is assured Of the material
| advantages it desires to derive from
any agreement it may decide to me-
/ gotiate with this country. Certain it
is that Mr.. Cabrera manifestly at
taches far greater importance to this
phase of the matters engaging the
attention of the joint commission than
to the desire of the United States
| to obtain some satisfactory guarantee
| for the protection Of it's official in
terests along the frontier }and those
of Americans doing business under
the laws of Mexico.
Mexican Suspicion.
! The ambition of, the United States
to compel respect for it's rights and
to assist the Mexican people to estab-
|lish a stable government has been re-
Ivea1ed with direct frankness that
would convince a people less suspi
cious than the fMexicans appear to be.
Yet it is not to be denied that almost
every suggestion looking to the con-
summation of this object has been
viewed in the light of a gold brick
offering
/ The fact is shown by the constant
reiteration of the offenses which the
Mexicans allege against the United
States, some Of which date back more
than half century. Every humane
land benevolent suggestion made by
the American commissioners, with pos
lively inconsequential character, has
lbeen subjected to the most searching
test, bred by suspicion.
i The Mexican commissioners, versed
lin che su'btleties Of Castilian culture
and the wileS of Latin American Dip
1omacy, seem to have been warned to
keep a sharp eye on the representa-
tives Of the Colossus of. the North
There is no denying that they have
literally obeyed orders. They appear
to suspect even the semicolons and
lcommas that punctuate the fragment
airy tentative drafts prepared under
the most secret conditions.
Contrasted with the frankness Of the
three American commissioners has
been the conduct Of their Mexican con-
ferees. The latter have interposed
technical objections at every turn,
levaded direct responses, insisted on
the greatest mystery and secrecy and
tried the patience Of their co-laborers
In inconceivable ways too numerous
to mention.
/ Pride and Prestige.
Proffers of help in disposing of
troublesome Mr.. Pancho Villa and his
4 merry marauders have been rejected
as repugnant to Mexican pride. 1t
would not do for an American mill
tary expeditionary force to round up
the arch enemy of the Carranza Gov
eminent, because it would destroy its
prestige with the people it is trying
| to govern in a haphazard manner.
The Governments request for the
submission Of an intelligent and
workable plan for patrolling the
frontiers has likewise failed to pro-
duce one acceptable to this country.
The withdrawal of the Pershing
force without qualification is the one
| concession that the Mexican Commits
sioners have demanded from the
start.
Every other feature of the pro-
gramme proposed by either or both
sides inevitably turns on this propo-
sitiop. 1t is the one concession that
this Government has declined to make
until this Carranza Administration
proposes a substitute that will justify
the United States in directing the
withdrawal of the Pershing force. AS
none is Forthcoming, the tale of the
long-drawn effort of this country to
help Mexico find, herself goes back to
the beginning.
| Presumably acting with the sane
| ton of Carranza and his Ministers,