Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-04-14
Mexican Note Not Surprise,
War Department Is Preparing
OFFICIAL TEXT OF
MEXICAN REQUEST


Mexican territory and were already
in Casas Grandes or its surround
ings.
On the 18th of March our conf
dental agent in Washington had an
interview with one Frank Polk, then
secretary to the state department,
and he expressed to our confidential
agent that he deplored not having
received the observations of the
Mexican government before the pas
sage of American forces over the
border, and assured our agent that
the passage of these troops took
place in the best of faith and In the
belief that it would not be neces-
sary to enter into more particulars
and details Of an agreement wnlch
was considered definite and ended.
These declarations, made by the
Hon. Mr.. Polk, were confirmed IN ali
their parts at a conference on
March 23 between our confidential
agent and your excellency, VINO
stated also that he was sorry at
having interpreted wrongly the
contents of the said note in respect
to the passage of troops, and that
they would not advance more TO
the south of the place where they
then were.
POLP SENDS REGRETS.
On the 18th of March the Hon.
Mr.. Polk addressed a letter to our
confidential agent IN Washington
ratifying in writing the conference
held on the previous day and ex-
pressing in a clear and conclusive
manner that it was motive for
sincere lamentation that there had
been a misinterpretation as to the
attitude of the first chief relating
to the passage Of United States
troops over the frontier in the pur-
suit of Villa, and declaring that the
state department of the United
States believed that our government
had consented plainly to the ar
rangement proposed in its commun-
ication of March 10 from the then
secretary of foreign affairs, Lii
cenciado Jesus Acuna, which ar
rangement was accepted by the
note of March Is.
In it's declarations which his ex-
cellency, the Honorable President
Wilson, made public on March &c,
he expressed himself in the follow
ing manner:
Gas we have already announced,
the expedition was ordered under
an agreement with the de facto gov
eminent of Mexico for the purpose
only of capturing the bandit Villa,
whose forces have invaded the ter
ritory of the United States, and on
no pretext whatever would we order
an invasion of that republic or a
violation of its sovereignty"
That idea, published by his excel
fled on March 81 by a message sent
to our confidential agent in Wash
ington, in which he was instructed
to call your attention to the idea
indicated, since the note of March
10 referred to the reciprocal pas
sage of troops only in case that
incidents like those which occurred
at Columbus should be repeated.
COUNTER PROPOSAL.
Lastly, on the 5th of the present
month your excellency, in deliver
ing to our confidential agent a
counter project or agreement on
the reciprocal passage Of troops to
be presented for the consideration
of the Mexican government, accom-
panied it with a note declaring that
the American government trusted
that the conditions contained in the
said agreement should not apply to
American forces which actually
found themselves within Mexican
territory at that time in the pur-
suit of Villa.
Your excellency further assured
us that in exercising that privilege
of entering our territory those
forces would confine their military
operations only to the object of the
expedition and that they would re-
tire Immediately afterward TO their
own country.
Your excellency also expressed
your gratefulness to the Mexican
government for having, as YOU
stated, reached a compact by means
of which the United States forces
had permission to pursue Villa and
his party in Mexican territory, and
stated that the American govern
ment found itself disposed to re-
spect the confidence shown it and
that it would by no means violate
MeXico's sovereignty or abuse the
privilege so generously and freely
granted it.
Furthermore, the honorable secre-
tary of state department, Mr. Polk,
in conference with our confidential
agent at Washington, declared that
the United States government had
acted in all good faith in sending
it's expedition into Mexico in pur-
suit of Villa on the supposition that
the note of March 10 contained a
definite agreement; but that the
American government consented to
let the expedition remain in Mexican
territory only until details of an
agreement could be arranged
PLENTY MEXICAN TROOPS.
In Consequence of the facts pre-
viously expressed, as no final agree
ment has been reached as to the
terms of a treaty to regulate in GEN
eral the reciprocal passage of troops
over the dividing line for the pur-
pose of pursuing outlaws who may
henceforth commit depredations in
one or the other country, the Next
can government judges it convenient
to suspend for the present all dis
cussion or negotiations in this par
ticular, founded on the circumstance
that the expedition sent by the
United States government to pursue
Villa is without foundation in virtue
of the noneXistence of a previous
agreement, formal and definite.
And as the expedition has full
filled it's object, in so far as it will
be able to do so. as the party headed
by Villa has already been dispersed;
and, finally, because there are Mexi-