Mexican Recognition

LATIN-AMERICA

The American-Mexican Commission (for recognition of the Mexican Government by the U. S.), which started May 14, ended formally its deliberations.

The minutes of the Conference were signed by J. Ralph Ringe, secretary to the U. S. commissioners, who represented the President of the U. S. A., and by Juan F. Urquidi, secretary to the Mexican delegates, who represented the President of the United States of Mexico.

General outlines of the results obtained by the conferences are known, but the details will be kept secret until after the U. S. commissioners, Charles Beecher Warren and John Barton Payne, have presented the records of the Conference to President Coolidge. Both commissioners are now in Washington and have conferred with the President and with Secretary of State Hughes, but no important official statement has been made.

Article 27 of the Queretaro or 1917 Constitution (which declared Mexico to be a federated republic of 28 states), has been the much mooted bugaboo in the proceedings for recognition of Mexico by the U. S. Its terms affirmed that the title to all subsoil deposits was vested in the people of Mexico. This resulted in the virtual confiscation of concessions owned by foreigners. The question arose then as to whether the Article was to be interpreted retroactively. In spite of President Obregon's statement that it was not, foreign concerns still claimed that under the Mexican interpretation the terms of the Article provided for confiscation.

According to the Conference records subsoil rights acquired by U. S. citizens before May, 1917, remain intact. After May 1, 1917, the provisions of the 1917 Constitution hold good. Subsoil rights of U. S. citizens who acquired lands before May, 1917, without expressing an intention of exploiting them for oil do not fall under the first category according to the Mexican delegates. Messrs. Warren and Payne, however, specifically upheld these rights in the minutes.

The agrarian provisions of the records are the same as those of the subsoil section; that is, before May 1, 1917, U. S. rights remain intact under the 1857 Constitution; after that the 1917 Constitution must be recognized. The Mexican Government will, however, make cash payments for lands illegally seized or make immediate restitution.

The records also provide for claims conventions, which will be signed if U. S. recognition of Mexico is forthcoming. These conventions provide for the creation of two mixed claims commissions to deal with: 1) settlement of U. S. claims for damages during the period 1910-20--a period torn by civil wars and insurrections which at one time produced conditions almost amounting to a state of war with the U. S.; 2) settlement of Mexican claims against the U. S. Government resulting from the Pershing expedition (1916) and the occupation of Vera Cruz (1916).

In Mexico President Obregon had to run the gauntlet of stiff criticisms from his opponents. They charged him with having made concessions to the U. S. in order to obtain recognition. These charges rest on a fairly sound basis. Under the agrarian provision of the 1917 Constitution more Mexicans are said to have been dispossessed of their property than U. S. citizens. If President Obregon intends to indemnify the citizens of the U. S., he can hardly fail to do the right thing by Mexican citizens. It seems, therefore, that the Mexican Treasury must groan or Obregon succumb to the jibes of his anti-U. S. A. enemies.

At all events President Obregon was forced to issue a long statement pointing out that if recognition of Mexico does come it " will not be due to any obligations contracted nor to any agreements which may have been entered into for the purpose of resuming diplomatic relations nor to anything that might contravene our laws or the rules of international law or injure the dignity or the sovereignty of our nation." The conference was " a direct exchange of views and information." In his peroration the President said: " I am pleased finally to be able to state that the good-will shown by the four Commissioners, which but reflects the good-will so frequently shown by the two neighboring countries in so many various ways, made it possible for the commission to carry out its work in a spirit of uninterrupted and friendly cordiality."