American soil and obtain for their families some little measure of relief in the payment of damages to those who needed it for their daily subsistence, this great Nation in writing refused to consider their cases and relegated them to the Mexican courts in the Republic of Mexico.
"Finally this matter was brought to the attention of the Congress of the United States by the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Smith) and myself, and when the Congress of the United States finally understood the matter they took it out of the hands of the State Department, which had proven itself incapable and unworthy in dealing with affairs of this kind, and placed it in the hands of the War Department, who found damages to American citizens in El Paso for killing and wounding Americans, to the amount of $71,000 which should be paid by this Government, which might thereafter undertake to enforce its claims upon the government of Mexico.
"The Senate, Mr. President, I am proud to say, made an appropriation a year ago for the payment of these claims. Now the people are back here begging again at the hands of this Government that some little measure of justice to the children and widows of American citizens shot down on American soil may be provided as for two or three years they have been compelled to depend upon their own efforts."
It may not be amiss at this point to recall the fact that when the United States recognized the Carranza administration as the de jure govern-
