Evening star., 1927-03-13
By WALLACE THOMPSON.

! in the long history OF our
| Mexican relations has been
! L emphasized. in the past
| fortnight, in the limelight that
| has been thrown on Manuel G.. Tellez,
| the Mexican ambassador Compar-
atively few Americans knew Mr..
Teller personally and yet he has been
for nearly eight years the lens
| through which everything in Wash
ington has been focused into the
thought of Mexican government.
Prior to the recognition of President
| Obregon, August 81, 1923. Mr.. Tellez
was long Mexican charge d'affaires,
| so that even before he was lifted
| to the important post of Am.
| bassador he was unofficial observer,
| so to speak, at the American Capital
| He has continuously and steadily in
| terpreted the action and notes of
Washington, and with a very broad
acquaintance and understanding Of
| the official and unofficial life of the
| capital was. his friends and enemies
alike agree, in perhaps the most
| important strategic point of observa-
tion in the whole diplomatic contro,
versy.
No one ever knew what Mr. Teller
| thought. No more astute diplomat
has been known in Washington, and
whatever may be the ultimate YER
| dict of his services for or against
lMexican-American friendship, there is
no doubt that he kept his eyes open
| and his mouth shut with more con-
| sistency than any other Mexican in
high office. Many in Washington
believed him a very potent element
for better understanding, but none
ever doubted that he was loyalty and
sincerely Mexican. He was never pro
American no matter what else people
| may have thought he was, and his
understanding of the American Off
cial and public attitude was gained
without ever opening up in return
with any deep Mexican secrets He
| played Mexico's game. and he did not
pretend to be playing any other.
Many NOtables Have Come Here.
Mr. Teller is the first Mexican am
bassadOr who has ever attained real
| personal Importance in American
Mexican relations. Many notable
Porfirio Diaz in his long rule. and
such names as Joaquin d. Casasus,
Enrique C. Creel and FRANCISCO, Leon
| de la Barra, later provisional presi-
| dent of Mexico and now one of the
! leading international lawyers of the
world. have. graced the list. But in
| the days of DiaZ there was one figure
/ that doomed high above all. and that
! was Gen. Diaz himself. Even the post
of the American Ambassador to Mex
! leo was of relatively little importance,
/ compared with what it has become
| since the revolution. Diaz and his
personal prestige and personal sup
port of the United States in all its
moves in Latin America dominated
| the scene for 35 years. and it may be
| said to be largely because Of his in
! tensely powerful personality that men
/ have come to think of the Mexican
| situation as SO much a situation of
men and so little a situation of con-
ditions
Some who watch the Mexican pot
boiling wish sometimes that IL might
cease to be so personal. and believe
that should that time come. the prob
lens would be nearer to solution than
they are today. But history does not
give much encouragement to such a
hope. The first diplomatic represent
ative sent by the United States to
Mexico started the relations between
the two countries off on thoroughly
personal lines. and to this day the
name of Joel Poinsett is as closely In
terwoven in early Mexican revolu-
tionary history as is that of any Mexi-
can. Poinsett-who brought back to
the United States and gave his name
to the lovely Christmas Flower of
Mexico, the poinsettia-mixed himself
freely in Mexican politics, the Mexi.
can historians aver, although others
have sought to show that his name
was unfairly used in connection with
the bloody wars in the twenties of
the last century between the Scottish
and York branches of Masonry. Poin-
sett was supposed to have founded
the York rite and to have counselled
it in its battles and politics-he GER
tainly was extremely devoted to the
Importance of a federalized form of
republic, which the "Yorkinos" sun
ported with their arms as well as
Poinsett's eloquence and alleged In
trigue.
Was Powerful Factor.
Whatever may be the truth of that
half-forgotten phase of Mexican his
tory. Poinsett was certainly a factor
In Mexican-American relations, anS
an extremely personal factor He
was. perhaps, largely responsible for
the acceptance by the United States
Government of the idea that what
the MeXicaps call "personalism," or
necessary in Mexican politics.
All down the history of the inter-
national relations across the Rio
Grande names loom larger than in
international relations between this
and any other country in the world.
Heroes some are, on both sides of the
line, and if Davy Crockett died in the
Alamo for Texas, no less did Santa
Ana. whom he opposed, dominate
United States-Mexican relations as
completely as he did the politics of
his own country for half a century
Washington carried through along
the road Poinsett had accepted for its |
diplomacy and has puzzled, from 1910 |
to 1927, over whether this or that or
the other leader should be or would |
be or might be the salvation of his |
country and of friendly relations. In |
1887 the firm support by Washington |
Of Benito Juarez. the great Indian |
President of Mexico (and one of the |
governmental geniuseS of world his |
tory ended in the withdrawal of the |
French support of the Emperor Maxi |
milan and the death of that Austrian |
archduke before Juarez's firing squad
at Queretaro. The Monroe Doctrine /
entered there, for the French soldiers
of Napoleon III had to be withdrawn |
the moment that the United States
had the greatest army in the world
loosed by Lees surrender at Apo
mattox, but, none the less, the per-
sonal support of JuareZ was definite
and direct. He rose to the presidency
and ruled under the benign eye of
Washington, briefly but well.
Then came Diaz, and after Wash
ington had caught it's breath and had
been able to forget Juarez sufficiently.
1t took up matters with Diaz and
dealt with Diaz, and finally came to
support him through his long rule,
which ended in 1911.
Each Presented Personal Problem.