The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-02-15
Those BIoomin' Canuks Be-
Iieved That We BIaWsted
Yankees Were Invading
Their Bloody Old Country.
AN INTERNATIONAL
CRISIS THREATENED
Two Light Batteries Traverse
Canadian Soil and the Howl
That Goes Up Was Heard
In London.

Washington, D. c., Feb. 15.-secre-
tary of State Robert Bacon at last has
justified his appointment by a bril-
liant stroke of diplomacy He not only
effected an armed invasion of Canada
but, further, secured the withdrawal
Of the expedition without the loss of
a man or gun or without an open
de claration of hostilities with the gov
ernment of Great Britain.
At one time. however, it looked bad,
1ll1111e~ comSl1esda efforts -ofs~the
Wabash railroad, the general staff,
the department of state, the British
embassy in Washington, the United
States embassy in London, the Cana
dian government and the British for
eign office were required to avert dis
aster to the American army of in
vasion. And at the end of the drama,
similar to many others. enter Theo-
dore Roosevelt.
To begin with, the army Of invasion
was weak numerically, consisting
merely of two light batteries of artil-
lery from Ft. d. A. Russell. at Chey-
enne, wyo., without infantry or caval-
ry support.
The expedition into Canada was
not in the original plan, but merely an
incident to the batteries trip from
their American post to the Philip
pines, these troops being among the
many affected by recent general or
der, which considerably strengthens
the United States garrisons in the
Orient. AS a matter of fact, the en-
tire army is just now being given
what in New York police parlance
would be called a general shakeup.'
And Prayed for War.
The quartermaster's department,
which has to do with the transporta-
ton of troops, was notified by the
general staff last fall which troops
were to go there. Among other things
it was called upon to provide trans
tillery from Cheyenne to the trans
port Fitzpatrick, which will sail from
New York to the Philippines via Suez
Monday Bids were advertised for,
and the Union Pacific railroad. as the
lowest bidder, was awarded this con-
tract. The battery packed up, told its
respective girls goodbye, prayed for
war with Japan and was ready to
move.
dual connected with the war depart.
ment discovered that the Union Paci-
fic had routed the train from Chicago
to Buffalo, via Detroit, over the Wa
bash. and that the train. bearing the
United States troops fully armed. uni
formed and thirsting for gore. would
pass through Canada from Windsor
to Niagara. He called this fact to
the attention of the secretary of war.
who wrote a nice letter to the state
department asking it to fix it up.
Enter, now. Robert Bacon.
Bacon Got Busy.
With a business-like brevity, ac-
quired at Broad and Wall streets, New
York, when he was a junior partner
of J. Pierpont Morgan, Mr.. Bacon sent
Secretary Wright's note. with a real
nice note of his own, to the British
foreign office by way of the custo-
mary diplomatic channels.
He merely asked if the British gov
ernment would mind a. few United
States soldiers going across a very
small corner of the British domain.
my Word!" and Also "Dem t!"
What happened in Downing street
Is not a matter of record. but it is
unofficially reported that Downing
street jointly. severally and individu-
ally, had a fit, and that the third un-
der secretary OF state said to the
fourth deputy keeper of the seal, in a
fit of anger:
MY word! What an extraordinary
proceeding
At any rate, Mr.. Bacon's little miss
i've was dated January 8. About jan
llnunn