New Britain herald., 1916-10-27
NEW BRITAIN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY OCTOBER 27, 1e1o.
PLOT ATTACK ON
 AMERICAN BORDER
Washington Learns of Drive
 Planned Against CarranZa

l Washington, Oct. 27.-What ap- peared at first to be the biggest po- litical sensation of many years 1 stirred Washington for several hours ] last night. An official statement is- | sued by the war department early l in the evening was interpreted to 1 mean that officers of the United States l army on the Mexican border and in , Mexico had discovered plot on the 1 part of mem bers of the republican ! party to bring about an attack on the i United States forces guarding the bor- l der, as some American town near the 1 international boundary, designed to | Create sentiment for political purposes against President Wilson in his can l didacy for reelection. Late in the evening an explanation was obtained l from a reliable authoritative source, l that put a new complexion on this l interpretation
 The official statement of the war department said that official informa- tion had been obtained that enemies of the administration policy toward Mexico," had arranged for a spectacu- lar attack to be made at some border point, "between now and the date of
  ing the tide of sentiment against the policy which the administration has adopted for the protection of the bor- der"
 The statement was construed inn medlately as meaning that the con- templated attack had been arranged by Americans to injure President Wilson in a political way. The con-
 
 ther than diminished by the refusal of officials to furnish any information on the subject other than that contained in the official statement.
 The Explanation.
 Newton D. Baker, the secretary of war, who returned to Washington in the morning, and had a conference during the day with officials of the de- partments of state and justice, left Washington just about the time the statement was given to the press and other officials of the government de- clined at first to furnish any explana- tion other than that contained in the war departments announcement The explanation furnished several hours after the official statement had been issued, was that the statement did not mean that any American politi- clans anxious to injure President Will sons political prospects were en- engaged in the border raid plot alleged to have been discovered. The persons engaged in the plot, it was said, were Mexican politicians most of them on the American side of the border, who were anxious to bring Carranza to grief. They believed, it was said, that by arranging a raid it would be shown that Carranza was unable to cope with the revolution against his au- thority, and they hoped incidentally that the raid would lead to the des- patch of more American troops into Mexico and clash between them and the CarranZa forces which would bring the governments of the United States and Mexico into conflict The plotters also hoped, it was said, that by this means, they would injure President Wilson, against whom they are incensed because of his recogni- tion of the Carranza government.
 The statement issued by the war departm reads as follows: War Department.
 Washington, Oct. 26, 1916. Statement for the press.
 The war department has received
 
 other sources, that enemies of the ad- l ministration's policy toward Mexico, in CO., operation with Villa or other bandits in Mexico, have arranged a 1 spectacular attack to be made either upon some part of the American forces or upon some American com 1 munity on the border between now and the date of the election, for the purpose of turning the tide of sentin lent against the pol- | icy which the administration has adopted for the protection of the bor- der. It is significant in this connection l that both the state and war depart- ments were advised that the bandit forces operating at the present time in Mexico are being paid in silver coin.
 Full particulars have been trans mitted to Generals Funston and Per- shing. All American forces are l therefore, forewarned and in readi- 1 ness for such an attack.