Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-08-23
WORD Of OBREGON
IS ONLY GUARANTY
IN MEXICAN PACT
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Ueased Wire Service to The Journal
Copyright, 1921

Copyright, 1929
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21.-The
negotiations between Mexico and
the United States have reached the
point where President Coolidge and
Secretary Hughes must make up
their minds whether a promise by
President Obregon is of sufficient
validity to bind subsequent admin
istrations below the Rio Grande to
respect American rights and prop
erty.
Months Of conference have not
gotten beyond that essential Origi-
nally : the American government
started out to get from Mexico some
thing of a treaty or protocol nature
which would oblige successors of
President Obregon to guarantee
Americans the same legal treatment
as was being promised now when it
is to the interest Of Mexico to win
formal recognition Of it's government
by the United States government.
The Mexican authorities baked at
the idea of any treaty and insisted
that they could not placate their
own public opinion if recognition
was to be bought at the price of
treaty They said treaties could be
negotiated later after recognition
had come. The American govern
ment took the position that the
making of the treaty itself was au-
tomatically a process Of recognition.
A deadlock ensued after which
Charles B. Warren and John Bar
ton Payne were sent to Mexico City
by Mr.. Harding in an effort to adj
just the matter in person.
Understandings Not Binding
Messrs. Warren and Payne are
here with a record of their conversa-
tons With the Mexican commission
ers. In substance they have elected
statements from the MeXicans
which, if the American government
chooses to loo kat them that way,
can be regarded as a satisfactory
basis for recognition. The Wilson
administration tried to get something
more substantial than that from the
Mexicans, but didn't succeed and
finally decided to recognize the Car
rama regime.
Now, while the American commits.
sioners have brought back explicit
understanding these are not in
treaty form and they do not bind
any future Mexican administration
except as good will and information.
al comfy require nations to keep
their governmental policies consist
ent. If the Obregon administration
We're overthrown tomorrow, the
agreements it had made could be
discarded a scraps of paper on the
faVorite grounds that the agreements
were not in conformity with the Mex
lean constitution whose ambiguous
articles are the center of tie pres
ent controversy anyhow.
But the American government is
faced with the necessity of viewing
a bird in the hand as worth two in
the bush. If the Obregon admins
tration did furnish solemn treaty
covering the points of interest to
the United States and a revolution
came next week, the disturbed state
Of affairs would preclude any adner-
.ence to the phraseology of treaty,
for military necessity has in Mexico
at Ieast swept aside even more vital
contracts than were contained in
treaties.
Coolidge Left to Choose
IT is therefore the choice of the
Coolidge administration to accept the
Obregon promises on their face value
and by extending recognition
strengthen the Oregon regime and
the cause Of peace south of the Rio
Grande or to refuse recognition and
bring about a state Of affairs which
may produce disintegratiCn and thus
gain nothing for American proper
ty owners anyhow.
Recognition would seem to be
natural alternative and although the
United States has not obtained in
technical form what was sought IN
the beginning, the important fact is
that The Obregon government has
proclaimed an Interpretation OF the
constitution which is apparently sat
isfactOry to the American commits
sioners who went to Mexico City with
full knowledge of what Secretary
Hughes wanted in the way of legal
assurances.
1t is true the Mexican embassy
issued the other day al official state.
ment authorized by President Obre-
gon which stated that Mexico had
not assumed any obligations under
the agreements reached between the
Mexican and American commission
ers but the word obligation is I'm,
uuestionably a term for public con.
sumption in Mexico and the minutes
of the proceedings carry their own
Interpretation of what constitutes
tn1,nrrl iSe nr n obi rq tinn