Señor Mariscal to Señor Cayetano Romero.
City of Mexico, December 31, 1892.
I refer to your note No. 699, of the 21st instant, in which was inclosed a copy of the reply made by the honorable Secretary of State to the two notes which you had addressed to him in relation to the crimes committed at San Ignacio, in Tamaulipas, by a band of outlaws organized in Texas. In that reply, as was to be expected, Mr. Foster declares that the U. S. Government will do its duty as a good neighbor and friend of Mexico.
We do not for a moment doubt the sincerity of this promise, and we have always felt full confidence in the good faith of the U. S. Government, as also in its desire to repress outlawry on the Texas frontier, where the outlaws seem to have established their camp for the purpose of committing depredations in our territory, with a ridiculous political pretext which meets with no echo in any portion of this Republic. Yet, notwithstanding our expectation that the action of that Government would put a speedy stop to the machinations of the [Page 432] outlaws, we have recently seen their raids last for several months, and have seen their menacing attitude prolonged in Texas, in spite of the fact that on the few occasions when they came to the right bank of the Rio Grande they were defeated, and obliged to recross the river and once more to take refuge on the left bank.
If this has been due, to a certain extent, to culpable connivance or tolerance on the part of certain functionaries in Texas, we only have to consider the obligation of the United States Government (which, with the spirit of justice that characterizes it, will not deny this) to be responsible for the course pursued by any State of the Union as regards the international duties of the country. Its obligation is therefore evident, to furnish the means necessary to put an end to the situation to which I refer, whenever the means employed by the frontier State are insufficient for this, whether this fact be due to lack of zeal on the part of its Government or to any other cause. Nevertheless, it is a fact that, during the first campaign of the highwaymen known as the followers of Garza, there was a lack of federal troops to pursue them with efficiency, or to prevent their incursions into Mexican territory.
Feeling certain that this deficiency is not to be ascribed to the fact that the United States Government is unmindful of its duties, or is unwilling to perform them, we believe that it has been due to the circumstance that, in the midst of its serious and multifarious occupations, it has not yet had its attention properly called to the scandalousness of the organization in Texas of bands of highwaymen, armed and mounted, to the number of as many as 200, whose purpose is to invade our territory (as was recently done at San Ignacio) to kill, burn, plunder, and carry off prisoners to Texas, the authorities of which State give no signs of seeing this until it is too late. It seems impossible that, without the tacit consent of the local authorities, such organizations could go on for several days, or that parties could come from a distance, as happened in the aforesaid case, in which a band of forty five highwaymen came from Laredo for the purpose of crossing the river near San Ignacio.
All this, and much else, of which the United States Government is not unaware, even though it may not appear to devote sufficient attention to it, takes place because the frontier on the left bank of the river is not sufficiently watched. The federal troops were not sufficient for this purpose even during the previous campaign of the outlaws; and yet, scarcely did that campaign seem to be ended when a large portion of the federal force was withdrawn, and that region, which is so much exposed to all kinds of disturbances, was left unguarded. The outlaws were consequently not long in recovering their courage, and in arming and assembling anew for the purpose of making their incursions into Mexico, as we have recently seen, notwithstanding the fact that there has been no cessation or diminution on our part of the vigilance which is necessary, and which is possible to this Government, whose sacrifices continue to be considerable, owing to so strange a situation in the midst of the cordial relations now existing between the two countries.
We do not apprehend that this amicable complaint on our part will seem out of place, since the more we consider the matter, the more thoroughly do we become convinced that the scandals which are repeated to our detriment can not be attributed to the absolute powerlessness of the U. S. Government to repress them. If those outlaws had organized in Mexican territory instead of that of the United States, and if they went from here to commit their outrages in the neighboring [Page 433] Republic, its Government would justly complain against Mexico, and we could not avoid responsibility even by alleging that this is a comparatively feeble Government, and not well able to guard an extensive and sparsely peopled frontier. We should be told, and that very justly, that it is the duty of every nation to procure the elements necessary to discharge its duties toward its neighbors. Such an excuse is therefore much less valid for so powerful a Government as that of the United States, compared to ours.
There certainly are difficulties in guarding the banks of a river which is fordable at various points, but these difficulties may be overcome by a sufficient number of soldiers well distributed along the frontier. I communicate to you separately, to the end that you may transmit it to the United States Government, the general idea which has been conceived by our consul at Rio Grande City, that the fords of the river be guarded by United States troops for a certain distance where it is most exposed to the crossing of outlaws. Since it is impossible to prevent bands from organizing in Texas for the purpose of committing depredations in our territory, they might thus be prevented from carrying out their malevolent intentions. United States troops might be placed so as to cooperate with ours, and so that some fords might be guarded by the troops on one bank, and others by those on the opposite bank.
In our opinion, however, the more efficacious means would be for the forces of both countries, when pursuing outlaws, to be at liberty to cross the frontier with certain restrictions and limitations, just as they are now at liberty to do so and as they have done on other occasions in pursuance of an agreement adopted by the two Governments, whereby the troops of either party are allowed to cross to the territory of the other in pursuit of savage Indians, to which arrangement we have always agreed at the instance of the U. S. Government, and with the authorization of the Mexican Senate. The analogy that exists between the kind of warfare carried on by the Indians and that which has been adopted by the outlaws in question, is quite evident; both simply attempt to surprise those towards whom they are hostilely disposed and avoid pitched battles, unless they are very superior in numbers; both assemble and disband with equal facility and in their astuteness, the celerity of their movements, etc., they resemble each other in a remarkable manner. It would consequently be advisable, in order to facilitate and render efficacious the pursuit of those persons, to adopt the expedient which I propose. The United States would thereby be enabled more readily to punish the violators of its neutrality laws, those criminals who resist and kill U. S. soldiers, or disarm the officers of justice who are sent to arrest them, and Mexico would succeed in putting a stop to the outrages of the plunderers who come for the purpose of carrying on a desultory warfare and of committing atrocious crimes in her territory. You are authorized to confer with Mr. Foster on this subject.
With a view to reaching a clear understanding, you will, in the first place, read this note to him, and will take a copy of it with you, which you will leave in his hands if he shall request it.
I reiterate to you the assurance, etc.,