Connecticut western news., 1916-12-28
CARRANzA GIVEN
 SIX DAYS MORE
Must Sign Protocol by Jan. 2
 or Conference Is Off,
U. s. PATIENCE EXHAUSTED

Administration Said to Have No Def
 mite Plan of Action In Case First Chief Refuses, but War Department
 Is Ready to Rush endorsements to General Pershins at Moments
 Notice.
 The joint American~Mexican border conference will break up on Jan. un- less Carranza's signature to the Atlan- tic City protocol is received by that time.
 This is made plain in official circles at Washington. At the same time the utmost doubt is expressed at the state department that Carranza would 20 to the length of refusing to sign the pro- tocol.
 The Mexican situation came to the forefront with rush when it was re- ported that an ultimatum had been sent to Carranza demanding his sigma ture to the protocol by midnight Tues day.
 Qualified officials later denied this, but let it be known that Carranza had
 
 that the patience of the United States was exhausted, and the conference would not drag longer unless he agreed to the proposals already accepted by his representatives.
 State department officials make no effort to minimize the seriousness of the situation should Carranza refuse to agree to the protocol. \ War Department Ready. It is admitted in official circles that the United States has made no definite arrangements for action should such be the case. but tentative plans of the war department include the following movements:
 Reinforcement of General Per shings 15,000 troops in Mexico.
 General orders for regular army forces to cross the Mexican border at any time in pursuit of bandits.
 Details of at least 10000 regulars at border points in addition to the 75,00o national guardsmen already there.
 The situation is almost entirely in the hands of the American members of the American-MeXican commission. Secretary of the Interior Franklin K, Lane, chairman of the American dele gation, declared in vigorous language that the United States is tired of the delays Carranza is bringing about.
 The principal point at issue between Carranza and the United States is that the first chief demanded the right to enter United States territory in pur- suit of bandits from the Mexican side of the line.
 This government refused absolutely to permit this on the ground that 1t was improbable that the de facto gov ernment would ever have occasion to exercise such a right.
 Military and local authorities on the American side are perfectly able to hunt down any bandits which might cross from Mexico, it is declared, while in the case of Mexico the same was not true. With the unsettled state of things in northern Mexico it was prac- tically impossible for the Mexican au. thorities to prevent bandit incursion into United States territory
 Carranza's other objection to the pro tocol was the fact that it established no definite time limit for the with drawal of the Pershing expedition.
 Frse Rein to Pershing.
 State department authorities say that if CarranZa refuses to sign the protocol the situation will be exactly the same as it was prior to and following the massacre of American citizens at Co., lumbus. The failure of the conferences would therefore lead to an immediate revival of military activity on the American side of the border to guard against new raids.
 Fear was expressed that the Per shing expedition might become involved if Carranza refused to sign the proto. col, much i'll feeling existing in MeXco over the presence of the troops. This has been held down by the fact that conferences were going on looking to the withdrawal of the Americans. The faildre of the conferences, however, would bring all the old trouble back to the surface.
 For this reason Pershing would be immediately re-enforced and, 1t is un- derstood from authoritative sources, given wide leeway.