Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-04-01
JAP MEXICAN DEAL
ST|RS WASHINGTON
Officials Withhold Comment I'm
til They Get Report
From Agents.
CREATES DELICATE SITUATION
American Embassy at Mexico
City Instructed to Make Com
plete Investigation.

WASHINGTON. March 3l.--Pending q
statement from the State Department;
relative TO the. true facts surrounding
the reports of the transfer ,ot lands
from Mexico or American interests TO
Japanese in Mexico. officials of the ad-
ministration refused to discuss what Is
generally regarded as delicate stu
alton. Ft
In the meantime the American em-
bassy at Mexico City was instructed to
make INQUIRIES concerning the report
that the Mexican government has
Japanese In Lower California and to
reporefhe facts as quickly as possibie.
Washington Is Surprised
NO Official information has reached
and surprise was occasioned by the dis :.
patch from Mexico City yesterday. quot
ing General ,Amado Aguirre under
Sture. as saying they had oeen granted
The American government Isl Inter-
ssted both because of the apparent sue
Sought foothold In Lower California.
and because the tract of land involved
Aican company whose rishts am wcrs mlnnse lSs
teisred ,nsr 4 forfeited by the, Mexican govern
The owners of the California los
Land and Cattle Company's property sir,
Lower California still adhere to a
deeiarntion la a. on, made to the State Depart
neutrality-suspicious. make any lease of
anyIkinq to Japan. where colonization
ts Prensbie, until we are first authori-
Sfahgemena ia zen ent VII. De entirely agreeable
saThis was announced today by Harry
tGhandler, ofELos Angeles, Cal, presis
dent of the company. 80 r
OriginnIfS Grnntcd To Otis.
belas ,aad tRs csifoaas uRgds Sf S6rasn mon
pIdz, to- the caiIf5snia "a and MSesiHsn5 MelIean
General harfson 90 0s GEsy Sse5eS oeis oswhish e os
Angeles, was the leading figure. -
but gas dbsss1, Land with nothing
The soil however. was rich. in 'piaces
eighty feet. deep, formed by deposits
IpI gsdnsrsdtio5s iSy the Risr
expense .,,. OF putt ing water ON the laid
was, so great ,sthat no ono ih(yNfexico
SHa paasTlsss Than sem
Sasion. 3,l work g before the fraet pro-
oas 8 ! ]. s sat,ss IS II = ~
.sessioa WAS. fisS t1ss land should ,r be
irrigated. d.tAnothersEwass that It should
BE-; be. settied with farmers and ranchers
have been met BY the American com
pany. -,
Rebels Dust Settlers. .y'Ht
When Diaz was sderosed and the revo-
PSi.oJ DeSdn tnS- American
settlers were driven from the land by
revolutionistS.
Live stock was stolen and several
settlers were killed. For two years the
land was uncared for. and then the
company found that Japanese settlers
were wiling TO take up farms and cul-
tifate them. The Japanese were pro-
tected by the Mcxicans, whatever marty
Of revolutionists were in power in that
section. Short-time leases are said TO
have been granted to Japanese farmers.
but the American owners refused to
sell any OF the land to Japanese or to
grant long-tcrm leases
On April Z, 1917. the Mexican gov
ernment declared the tract confscated,
according TO the statements OF General.
ASuirre. and then. apparently the
Mexican government opened negotia-
lions with Japanese syndicate.