MEXICO. CELEBRATION OF THE FIRST CENTENNIAL OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE MEXICAN REPUBLIC. File No. 23380/1. The Under Secretary of Foreign Relations of Mexico to the Secretary of State. [Translation. FOREIGN OFFICE, Mexico, April 12, 1910. Mr. SECRETARY: On the eve of the official celebration of the first centennial of the independence of the Mexican Republic, in view of the cordial relations which happily bind us to your friendly nation the President has been pleased to direct that the most excellent President of the United States of America and his Government be invited, as I have the honor hereby to do, to designate, if deemed expedient, one person or more to represent them on the never-to-beforgotten occasion, which is to us of so vast importance. I beg to forward herewith to your excellency two copies of the program of the festivals by which Mexico has resolved to commemorate that event during the whole month of September next. I thank your excellency in advance and take pleasure in renewing to you the assurances of my high consideration. By direction of the secretary of foreign relations. F. GAMBOA. File No. 23380/1. The Acting Secretary of State to the Mexican Ambassador. No. 265.] DEPARTMENT OF STATE, EXCELLENCY: Referring to your excellency's esteemed note of April 12 last, conveying an invitation from the President of the Republic of Mexico to this Government to be officially represented at the centennial celebration of your country, which takes place in September next, I have the honor to inform you that the President has appointed as his special ambassador to the celebration in question the Hon. Curtis Guild, jr., formerly governor of the State of Massachusetts. In addition, and in conformity with the action of the Federal Congress creating a special commission to represent this Government on the same occasion, the President has further appointed the following gentlemen to represent the Government of the United States, with the rank of envoys extraordinary and ministers plenipotentiary: United States Senator Lee S. Överman, of North Carolina; United States Senator Simon Guggenheim, of Colo rado; United States Senator Coe I. Crawford, of South Dakota; Representative David J. Foster, of Vermont; Representative William Marcellus Howard, of Georgia; Representative Jacob Sloat Fassett of New York; James W. Gerard, justice of the supreme court of New York; Franklin Murphy, ex-governor of New Jersey; and Col. Charles Alexander Rook, editor and proprietor of the Pittsburgh Dispatch. I beg that your excellency will convey this information to your Government, and at the same time I have the honor to request that the department may be informed at your earliest convenience of the exact date in September when it will be agreeable to your Government for the special ambassador and the special commission, above referred to, to reach the City of Mexico. Accept, etc. HUNTINGTON WILSON. File No. 23380/7. No. 1.] The Mexican Ambassador to the Secretary of State. [Translation.] MEXICAN EMBASSY, Washington, July 1, 1910. MOST EXCELLENT SIR: I have the honor with the greatest satisfaction to acknowledge the receipt of your excellency's note No. 265, dated June 29 last, by which you are pleased to advise me that the most excellent President of the United States, in response to the invitation extended to the American Government by the President of the Mexican Republic, has been pleased to appoint as his special ambassador to the celebration of the centennial of Mexico, the Hon. Curtis Guild, jr., ex-governor of the State of Massachusetts, and that Congress having resolved to create a special commission to represent the Government of the United States at the said celebration, the most excellent President Taft had further appointed the following gentlemen in the character of envoys extraordinary and ministers plenipotentiary: Senator Lee S. Overman, of North Carolina; Senator Simon Guggenheim, of Colorado; Senator Coe I. Crawford, of South Dakota; Representative David J. Foster, of Vermont; Representative William Marcellus Howard, of Georgia; Representative Jacob Sloat Fassett, of New York; Mr. James W. Gerard, justice of the supreme court of New York; Mr. Franklin Murphy, ex-governor of New Jersey; and Col. Charles Alexander Rook, editor and owner of the Pittsburgh Dispatch. I am now transmitting this gratifying intelligence to my Government which, I have no doubt, will appreciate the delicate attention of the Government of the United States in selecting persons of such distinction, and at the same time I beg to inform your excellency that the foreign delegates are expected to attend the festivals and ceremonies from the 8th to the 22d of September, inclusive, and that the program of the celebration of the centennial covers the whole of the month just mentioned. I take pleasure, etc. F. L. DE LA BARRA. File No. 812. 416A/7. The Acting Secretary of State to the Mexican Ambassador. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, July 6, 1910. EXCELLENCY: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note, dated the 1st instant, which you addressed to the department in answer to its note of the 29th ultimo informing you of the personnel of the special commission which will represent the United States at the celebration of the centennial of the independence of Mexico. Your statement concerning the period during which foreign delegates are expected to attend the celebration has been noted. Accept, etc. File No. 23380/10. No. 26.] HUNTINGTON WILSON. The Mexican Ambassador to the Secretary of State. [Translation.] MEXICAN EMBASSY, Washington, July 11, 1910. MOST EXCELLENT SIR: Referring to the correspondence this embassy has had the honor to exchange with the Department of State on the subject of the celebration of the centennial of our independence, I take pleasure in informing your excellency that the dates of September 6 and 7 next have been set for the reception of the ambassadors and envoys of the Governments who will honor us with their attendance at the festivities. Our minister of foreign relations would, therefore, be very glad if the delegates were in Mexico on the 5th of that month. I further have the honor to apprise your excellency that on that occasion the said ambassadors and envoys will take precedence according to the date of their arrival in Mexican territory. I take, etc. F. L. DE LA Barra. File No. 812.415a/117b. The Acting Secretary of State to the Mexican Ambassador. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, EXCELLENCY: Referring to the call of Señor Ricoy at the department on Wednesday last, at which time he requested information on the following three points regarding the sending of this Government's commission to the centennial celebration of Mexico in September next: First, complete and accurate list of the members of the commission, including ladies; second, place and time of the entry of the commission on Mexican territory; and, third, date upon which the Mexican Government was officially notified of the appointment of the commission-I have the honor to inform you as follows: Other than Ex-Gov. Curtis Guild, jr., of Massachusetts, who will go to Mexico as the special ambassador of President Taft, the party will consist of Representative David J. Foster, of Vermont, heading the commission, accompanied by Mrs. Foster; Senator Lee S. Overman, of North Carolina, accompanied by his daughter, Mrs. Edwin C. Gregory; Senator Simon Guggenheim, of Colorado;1 Senator Coe I. Crawford, of South Dakota, accompanied by Mrs. Crawford; Representative William M. Howard, of Georgia; Representative Edwin Denby, of Michigan;1 Justice James W. Gerard, of the supreme court of New York State, accompanied by Mrs. Gerard; Gen. Harrison Gray Otis, of California, accompanied by his granddaughter, Miss Marian McPherron; Charles Alexander Rook, of Pennsylvania, accompanied by Mrs. Rook; and the disbursing officer, Robert J. Shanley, of Vermont. The commission will leave Washington on the evening of Wednesday, August 31, going via St. Louis over the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Iron Mountain route, and the Mexican National lines, reaching the first point in Mexican territory, Neuvo Laredo, at about 12.30 p. m. (Mexican time), September 2. A note to your embassy, dated June 29 last, officially notified your Government of the appointment of this commission. I have the honor to advise you further that a telegram was sent yesterday to our embassy at Mexico City, giving the information desired by your Government on these three points, and instructing our ambassador to communicate its substance immediately to your Government. Accept, etc., HUNTINGTON WILSON. File No. 812.415A/125. The President of Mexico to President Taft. MEXICO CITY, December 8, 1910. GREAT AND GOOD FRIEND: The sincere and legitimate desire which I feel to express to your nation and to Your Excellency the profound thanks of the people and of the Mexican Government for the demonstration of sympathy with which Your Excellency has been pleased to distinguish them in sending a special embassy to the festivals of the first centennial of the proclamation of the independence of Mexico, has impelled me to appoint Señor don Joaquin D. Casasus, senator to the congress of the union, as special ambassador to present to you these expressions of my most justified gratitude. In reiterating them in this capacity, he will trasmit to you likewise the wishes which I form for the sincere and indissoluble friendship of Mexico for the United States of America. With the intimate conviction that you will give a favorable welcome to Señor Licenciado don Joaquin D. Casasus, I beg you to give entire faith and belief to whatever he may say to you in my name, and, above all, when he assures you of the satisfaction with which I hope to see strengthened and extended the good intelligence which happily exists between the United Mexican States and the United States of America. Unable to accompany commission. Representative James L. Slayden, of Texas, accompanied by Mrs. Slayden, and Representative George W. Fairchild, of New York, accompanied by Mrs. Fairchild, were added to the above-named commission. In this firm belief I take advantage of the opportunity to reiterate to you the assurances of the high esteem and unalterable friendship with which I am, great and good friend, Your loyal and good friend, [L. 8.] ENRIQUE CREEL. PORFIRIO DIAZ. File No. 812.415A/124. No. 297.] Ambassador Wilson to the Secretary of State. AMERICAN EMBASSY, SIR: I have the honor to advise the department that I have just received from the Mexican Government a note stating that President Diaz has appointed the honorable Joaquin D. Casasus an ambassador on special mission, to express to the Government of the United States the gratitude of the people and Government of Mexico for the participation of the United States in the exercises celebrating the centennial of Mexican independence. I have, etc., HENRY LANE WILSON. NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND MEXICO FOR THE ARBITRATION OF THE CHAMIZAL CASE.1 No. 208.1 The Secretary of State to the Mexican Ambassador. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, March 22, 1910. EXCELLENCY: I am happy to realize from your recent conversation at the department that the Government of Mexico, equally with that of the United States, is at the present moment more than ever before anxious to bring to a definitive and prompt settlement the question of the sovereignty of the Chamizal tract, which has been the subject of negotiations between the two Governments ever since the failure of the joint commission in 1897 to settle the boundary at this point, negotiations which have been particularly active during the last three years. On July 19, 1907, your excellency's distinguished predecessor proposed arbitration, and in line with his suggestion there was considered and discussed the reference of the question to arbitration by a Canadian jurist. The Government of the United Mexican States very naturally concluded from the delay of the Federal Government's catagorical response that the proposal in question had failed to commend itself. Therefore, as further evincing the desire for early settlement, your excellency recently so ably carried out your instructions to seek settlement of the question by an exchange of territory to be effected on the ground of interpretation of the line, thus making more specific the general suggestions made by your predecessor on May 21, 1908, and December 12, 1908. 1 For other correspondence, etc., see printed documents in the Chamizal Arbitration Commission Report. |