Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-27

L Gel
eigners. We send to you affectionate
greetings" TO- 3 q.
Ambassador Bonilla,s Statement. !.
Ambassador -Bonilla's statement.
addressed to the Mexican people, fol-
lows Ia >, -sss s.:.s'7alg'
Mexico today has a stable govern
ment. True, there are some districts
in which a few bandits are at
large. Mexico is in the aftermath of
a civil war and the conditions in these
few areas are such as have followed
such struggles in all lands. In your
own south it was many years after
Appomatox before conditions were re-
stored to normal and your central
government was occupied long time
in the work of pacification in Few
of the remoter districts. Yet. because
the James boys. the Apache KID.
Geronimo and other bandits in the
southwest continued their depreda-
tions after the civil war, no one
would have urged that the American
government W as unstable.
I'm addition to the after effects OF the
civil strife there are parts of Mexico IN
which conditions today are much ailke
they were in your own west not SO
many years ago. Your Army was kept
busy for two generations by the Indians
and bandits of the west. Within my
own memory the border districts OF
Mexico were raided almost constantly
by Indians escaping from reserVations
on your own side of the border. Co
operation of the two governments Greatly
Of 1882 in the matter of pursuit OF
bandits and cattle thieves across the in
ternational line resulted in the suppress
sion of most of these disorders IN the
early eighties eliminating IN the capLure
Of the Apache GERONIMO and his band oe
Chiricahua Indians by the forces Of Gen.
Miles in 1886.
I'VE are now trying to arrange for
renewal of the former system. Foreign
ers in Mexico today are accorded every
protection. In the few disturbed areas
they are occasionally made the victims
of bandits but in every case the govern
ment is devoting the utmost energy to
the pursuit and punishment OF the
criminals. In such areas the foreigner
undergoes a risk that he assumes
when he enters such an area and MS
peril IL no greater than the danger
to Mexicans.
"A few wandering bandits scattered
over an immense and sparsely settled
country country of mountains anu
wilderness in part-can keep great
many troops busy in pursuit, as your
own western experiences have demon
strated. The Mexican government to-
day is spending two-thirds of its ma
tional income on the pursuit anu pun
ishment of bandits. 1t has an army
of over $4,000 men engaged in this
work and troops are ever on the heels
of these bands. The whole business
is in process Of being wound up at
this time. Zapata and many other
bandit chiefs have been tracked to
their lairs and killed. Other small
bands are breaking up. The Mexican
government today is making a snow :
ing in this tremendous task of pacifi-
the effort of any government which
has ever been confronted with condl-
tons at all similar.
Mexico has never repudiated any of
her international obligations and will
meet every debt which is due. She
has the resources to discharge every
obligation without making any serious
drain on her national wealth, and as
fast as these assets become available
with the revival of industry she will
meet her obligations. In the oil
regions there has not been one in
stance of confiscation. nor are the
companies paying royalties. In 1913
out of a potential capacity of their
wells Of over 580,000,00O barrels.
Their own published balance sheets
show their prosperity and profits.
THE very intense press propaganda
of these days. when the principal ban
dts are being killed. captured or are
surrendering to the government
forces or: disbanding, and when the
pacification of the country is in sight.
is interpreted in my country as the
last effort of expatriates, members Of
the old regime Of Mexico and their
powerful confederates and politicians
in Europe and this country, to pre-
cipate armed Intervention. as they
feel that when the complete pacifi-
cation, the rehabilitation of the indus
tries now in, suspense, the intensifi-
cation *of commercial relations and
the general development of the
wonderful resources of the country
are accomplished facts. their dream of
the return Of an obsolete despotic
system of government and the EN-.
broilment Of two nations in armed
conflict will be thing of the past"