The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-14
COMPLICATED MEXICAN SITUATION HAS
 MANY ANGLES DEVEL LOPING AT SAME TIME,

and the dispatch of warships to Mexican
 waters to cooperate with the army and remain there until the persons and prop erty of American citizens were safe. WANT ACCURATE DATA Secretary Lansing explained that his conference with the President had to do almost solely with the problem con fronting the state department in the matter of gaining accurate informa- tion. There are no American consuls in the immediate neighborhood of the point where the massacre occurred and the secretary indicated there even was a possibility that all American consu6s might be withdrawn from the states of Durango, Chihuahua and So- nora until complete order is restored. It was decided at the conference that information regarding the murders
 would be taken from any reliable source, including officials of the de facto government.
 Secretary Lansing made it clear that there was nothing to indicate that the Carranza authorities had not done ev- erything in their power to apprehend the bandits and that so far all the steps taken appeared to be satisfactory The United States, he said, will expect that the bandits be punished and evil dence of the punishment must be forth coming. Upon the developments depend the nature of the action the United States would require. There is said
 to be no proof that General Villa ac- tually made threats against all Amer
 jeans, although some information to that effect has reached the depart ment.
 As for the responsibility of Carranza for the tra gedy, the secretary feels that question of fact remains to be es- tablished. The state department must
 <.s~ 17r,t, l,A Americans went into the district in which they lost their lives and what
 conditions surrounded their slaying The department has no information re- garding a derailed troop train, which is reported in press dispatches to have caused the engineer of the train car rying the Americans to stop, giving the bandits an opportunity to enter the coaches
 AN ANALOGOUS CASE Secretary Lansing let it be known that he considers there is a certain analogy between the situation prevail ing in certain parts of Mexico and that which prevailed in certain parts of the west during the early history of the United States. It was also pointed out there were many instances where the citizens of one country had lost their lives in another during an 1nsurrec- tion or of mob outbreaks which the authorities were unable to control and that reparation was not made, except as an act of grace by the government which in normal times should have been responsible.
 In regard to the warning reiterated by the secretary, it was said that the state department would not point out at this time what parts of Mexico were considered safe and what parts were considered unsafe.
 Secretary Lansing considers that the Carranza authorities should nave warned Americans to stay out or ter ritory which they considered danger ouS. -r
 Mr. Arrendondo's statement that Amer. jeans had been warned to keep out Of dangerous districts was made in the cor riders of the state department and at the conclusion of his conference with Secretary Lansing. He said he had re- ceived no direct messages from General Carranza and that what information he had regarding the murders had been fur nished him by the state department and the Carranza consul at Fl PaSo Adreas G. Garcia.
 WERE NOT WANTED
 s'I have not the least doubt,' he said later that the Carranza forces will not rest until they have captured and pun ished the assassins. Each American killed was given permission to go through the lines but that permission should not be considered as passport. The Carranza authorities have not wanted Americans to return to their work in districts not unouestionably under their control and where peace has not been entirely re- stored. We have never invited Americans to return to any districts except those such as TuXpan and Tampico and re- gions where there is no question regard 4l,ot,, nfnfx XNn have fully realized the difficulty of pro. tecting Americans in certain regions and our total inability to do so in those where the reationary element is in control Americans should stay away from such districts.
 Personally, I regret deeply what has occurred and naturally so must General Carranza and I am sure he will do all he can to bring punishment to those guilty. I am also certain that my govern ment3 deplores to- an equal extent with the government and the people of the United States the atrocious murders com mitted by the Villista band and that it will undertake a vigorous campaign to purge that region of the republic where exist so many foreign business interests. The reason why these unfortunate vic- tins of Villas ferocity met..such hor- rible fate is solely their desire to get to their place of business and industrial &C., tivity before the complete control of the region by the forces of law and order and constitutional government had been accomplished"
 MT Arrendondo directed attention to the fact that the murders of the American mining men took place on the edge of the foothills of the Sierra Madre range of mountains in a region peculiarly favor able to the operations of such a band and where outrages of a similar character have occurred in the past.
 T am trusting now, he continued ''in the sound sense of the American people, who cannot but realize that hardly a month has passed since the state of Chi huahua passed into the nominal control of the Carranza government, which al- ready had taken over the control of the larger towns and that within so short a time it was materially impossible to re- gain complete control and maintain entire order throughout the vast state, cleaning out the remnants of the once powerful army of Villa, which had it's original or ganiZatOn in the western regions"a
 VILLA TEAnERS NOW