The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-05-29
10000 Mexican Troops Are
Concentrated in Chi
huahua
FUNSTON GIVEN
REPORT BY BELL
Serious Difficulties Arise in
the Tampico Oil
Region

|
concerning the concentration of Mexican
troops near Chihuahua were transmitte'
to General Funston to-day by Genera
Bell at El Paso. The reports indicated
that the number OF the Mexicans wa
approximately 10000.
u Washington, D. c., May 29.--0n thu
eve of the receipt of General Carranza'
new note, which officials believe will re
new the demand for withdrawal of Amer
ican troops from Mexico, and with an
other conference between American and
Mexican military commanders about to
begin, a protest was received at the
White House yesterday reporting serious
| difficulties between American oil opera
tors at Tampico and the Mexican author
tiles
| The protest came in the form of a tele-
gram addressed to President Wilson by
"a American citizens residing at Tam
pico who had held mass meeting and
determined to lay their case before the
government. They declared that the
Mexican military officials were promul-
eating DEGREES designed to make it inn
possible for Americans to do business in
the country, and told of how one of their
number had been arrested and imprisoned
for three hours because herefused TO pay
his employees wages fixed by the author
tiles in excess of terms previously agreed
upon with the men.
The signers of the message asserted
their right to protection from the Amer
ican government and announced their de-
and coniscstory orders and DEGREES OF
the Mexicans.
White House officials sent the protest
TO the state department for investlga
tion. Other complaints already have
been received regarding recent DEGREES by
the Carranza government, and it is prob
able that there will be representations on
the subject just as soon as the confer
enee over the presence OF American troops
in Mexico is adjusted.
Eve believe that the authorities had
not the remotest idea when they first
begun TO issue such decrees," the Tam
pico message said. that they would be
able to enforce them, but that, when
nothing was done by our government to
secure their repeal, these ediets have
been made more stringent each day I'm
til now our property is threatened with
confiscation, and in some cases has been
actually confscated, and our personal lib
erty is menaced.
"A military decree was issued some
months ago providing that lands might
not be leased in the state of Vera Cruz
for oil purposes without the consent of
The state government and this decree has
been modified until now no foreigner is
permitted to acquire leases, real estate
,r assignments on leases from a native.
In this state an American may not ac
luire real estate nor may he lease land
rom Mexican, nor will be even be per
nitted to lease house or apartment for
'ver one year without special permit
The military government of this state
las instructed the stamp Office not to is
ue certificates of transfer where one |
American sells to another and the gov.
rnor refuses to certify to the signature
{ the notary in any contract or other in
trument in which an American appears, I
he effect of this procedure being to pre-
ent Americans from transferring their
roperty to other foreigners. /
"a decree was issued a few days ago v
" the local military authorities provid
ng that labor should be paid, and mer a
handise should be sold on a basis of
fexican gold, this consideration to be $
aid in Mexican paper money at an arbi-
rary value fixed by the government, re- t
ardless of the commercial value of this I
aper money as regulated by supply and 4
emand
"All of the above decrees violate Mex &
an law and are in contravention of the {
ghts of Americans guaranteed by treaty 5,
etween Mexico and the United States
1e desire to know il the American gov @
-nment will permit the above DEGREES or a.
nv of them TO remain in force where the
ghts of Americans are involved. An
with the authorities as TO
le future would not be sufficient; the +
,crees already in existence must be re-
,aled where they affect Americans"