Arizona republican., 1919-09-20
TELL IF SEIZURE
 0F FOREIGN O|L LANDS IN MEXICO
Witnesses Tell Senate Com mittee How Lands Owned in U. s. Were Confiscated After Owners Had Re- fused to Obey Decrees
faepubiiean A. p. Leased wIrel

WASHINGTON, Sept 1s.-Specific instances of the forfeiture of oil lands in Mexico were presented today to the senate foreign relations sub committee investigating the Mexican situation. by c. H. Rathbone, New York, a director of the Tal Veg Oil company, engaged more directly in transportation than in oil producing, but subsidiary to the Scottish Mexican Oil company. an oil producing concern.
 On the property of the Scottish Mexican company, MT. Rathbone told the committee, Mexican organization, the Mexican National Oil company had brought in enc well producing 30,000 barrels a day, and was sinking another. The Mexican concern denounced the property under the terms of the diff ferent presidential decrees with provi- sions to which the different oil com panies operating in Mexico, at the ad- vice of the state department, have not complied.
 The Scottish Mexico company is a British organization, but because ma jority of the stock is held by Ameri- cans, Rathbone said the case had been reported to the state department as well as to the British embassy. The state department, he added, had made repre- sentations to the Mexicon government to the effect that the American gov ernment did not expect the Mexican government to pursue any course re- sulting in injustice to American citi- zens.
 Cited Seven Instances
 Rathbone's testimony was preceded by that of Judge Amos L. Beaty, New York, an attorney for the Texas com pany, who gave seven cases in which his company had refused to acquiesce in the confiscation of it's lands and as a penalty had been refused the right to sink wells, and in some cases, the lands had been denounced by others. In one case, he said, well was being put down by Mexican company.
 The attitude of the companies in refusing to agree to the confiscation of in harmony with the state department's s protests. He added the oil companies in Mexico were determined to take no action which could be construed as acquiescehce in the oil decrees. Judge Beatty recited to the commit tee cases of robbery and assault oc- curing on the Texas companys prop erty, including the murder of Edward l.. House and A. W. Stevenson, pay masters. Full reports of all those cas- es have been given to the state de- partment, he said, but on cross-ex- animation, said he had no information as to the results of any protests the department had made or if any in- veseigation had been made.
 Tried to Protect Them?
 Rathbone's story of the seizure of land owned by the Scottish Mexican Oil company was considered as indi- eating that every effort had been made in the Mexican courts and in the diff ferent government departments to protect the property. When the Mexi- can company received a permit tc drill on the Scottish Mexican com pany's land, a protest was made to the department of commerce and la- bor, but it failed, he said. A writ oi amparo, corresponding closely to an injunction, was then asked against the granting of the permit, but the appli- cation was decided adversely to the company about August 1, the court holding that the foreigners had not complied with the terms of the decrees and that the Mexicans, had although | attorneys had held that compliance with the terms of the decrees would open the way to government confisca- ton. Rathbone said the company's attorneys had appealed to the su- preme court of a revision of the case and that the case is now pending, while the Mexicans are sinking another well
 Incidental damage of property was related both by Meaty and Rathbone some of it, they said, done early in the days of Carranzas domination b. Candido Aguilar, who afterwards be. came Carranza's son n-in-law.
 Beatty also supplemented the testi. mony of earlier witnesses as to thu | payment of protection money to Man. uel Pelaez, the rebel leader controllins I a large part of the oil fields.