The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-03-19
MEXICAN NEWS" WITH ODOR
 OF OIL REQUIRES PROOF

brow rlckS turned by the group LOOK the form of a general survey of Mexico and Mexican conditions which was set afoot 8 year or so ago. The idea, which was tArown into shape by an Eastern college professor out of work, was bought by the head of the group in question. Virtually the idea was bought by that head, for he adopted it in toto and financed it to the tune of at least s1OO, ,O00, besides hiring the intellectual author to boss the survey" The required standing and responsibility, not to say camou- flage, for the enterprise was obtained by inducing a Western university to father it.
 A drag met was set for sundry and divers experts to probe into MeXicos political, financial, commer- cjal, social and miscellaneous in nards." Thus a large and impressive list of surveyors" was cooked up.
 For reasons not unconnected with the very proper reluctance of the Mexican government to permit to enter the republic the men hired with the petroleum groups money to snoop into Mexican affairs, most of the surveyors" were compelled to do their Surveying" at long range from their comfortable studies in the United States-principally by read ing books about Mexico and convers- ing with Mexicans and others who are not In sympathy with the exist ing Government down here.
 One or two practical men, who were light on their feet but who otherwise could not be classed as first-chop surveyors. did manage to s,1.r shoed about the republic for a while, seeking the occult and finding only the obvious.
 So far as known the results of this Big Bertha" long range survey has not been made public. Of course, the bug under the chip in the whole thing was to indicate clearly through this Survey" that Mexico was critic ally III, that medicine was urgently needed, that no medicine of an effica- cious nature could be found any where about the Mexican house, and that the only medicine which would do the patient a speck of good was intervention tonic.
 The interventionists incidentally, are very fond of employing a delight fuI euphemism for "fnteryentton.' 70 They call 1t "a strong policy" Il means the same thing. but it doesn't sound so alarmingly rough.
 Busy Press Agency.
 Every newspaper correspondent in Washington has long been familiar with the appearance of alleged news articles alta acking5 the Carranza Gov ernment and painting conditions In Mexico in lurid language which regu- 1arIy and anonymously are laid upon their desks. Usually they detect the characteristic ef1uvium of petroleum lowering about these offerings and promptly drop them in the waste basket.
 Columns might be written of sim liar evidences of the odoriferous trail of the serpent of the petroleum inter Ventionist propaganda. One other example in connection with the news papers will suffice.
 Not long ago, on the same day. three newspapers in widely separated q parts of the country printed an ed ItoriaI upon the petroleum situation in Mexico. These editorials were alike. word for word, comma for comma, period for period. All con- cluded with a paragraph exclaiming. in effect, over the pity of it that the
 
 see its way clear to send troops into Mexico and produce conditions there more satisfactory to American busi- ness. The origin and purpose of this stuff was too evident to admit of ar gument.
 Even in the last Congress the petroleum interventionsts had their spokesmen. It is nuts to the inter ventionists. for example, whenever a Senator or Representative rises in his place and proceeds to heave few bricks in the general direction of Mexico. All of these things, it Is ob- vious, are calculated to help along the good work of impressing the public with the urgency of the call to us to house-Clean in Mexico.
 Mexico Far From BankruDtcy. The proposal recently offered in Congress for the United States to l purchase Lower California as means | of supplying Mexico with funds with which to pay her debts may fairly be classed as propaganda, regardless | of whatever motives may have. ami | mated the gentlemen who advance | the scheme. Mexico, as every one who is familiar with her finances and resources knows, Is a million miles | 7 I7iTT7