The Detroit times., 1911-05-13
]. S. ARMY READY
FOR ADVANCE TO
MEXICO CITY
Everything Is BEING Done To Prepare
Congress for Special Message From
President Taft Asking Author
ity for Invasion.
Senators and Representatives Are
Told That Such Action May Be
Necessary To Prevent anarchy.

WASHINGTON, May 13.-The
Mexican crisis may be expected at any
moment. IL will not be denied much
longer that Intervention has been
foreseen from the start. The proper
ty interests OF Americans in Mexico
furnish motive which Is too power
ful to be withstood. The strong arm
OF the United States--our army and
our navy--will soon be stretched out
to save these interests.
War may be the result. Interven-
tion is the name under which invasion
will be proposed and no action Will
be proposed and no action will be TAX
en- without the authority OF congress.
Everything Is being done to prepare
congress for a special message from
President Taft asking such authority.
The subject is being presented In
strictest confidence to leaders In both
houses without regard to party. They
have been called to the White House
and shown dispatches and confidential
reports and several Of them have been
taken to the state department and
shown" by Secretary Knox and As
sistant Wilson.
These members have also been
shown an outline Of the military prep
arations by Gen. Wetherspoon. OF the
Army War college and by Maj. Gen.
Wood. chief of staff Every effort has
been made to keep these matters from
becoming public and strenuous de-
malls have been frequent. The facts,
nevertheless, are exactly as I state
them.
Prepare for Action.
Speaker Clark, William Sulzer,
chairman OF the foreign affairs com
mittee; Oscar Underwood, floor lead
er for the Democrats, are among those
who have been prepared" for what
is to come. On the senate side Lodge.
Gallinger, Penrose, Cullom, Stone and
Bacon. OF Georgia, have been told.
The War College has worked out
Its plan for an advance to Mexico City.
| II has the blank orders all ready to
issue at any time, summoning state
militia regiments into the field. De-
tail plans are ready as to the trans
port Of the militia to the points on the.
bord = Available at moments
notice is complete information about
the Mexican railroads, their equip
ment, cars, routes, etc. The war
board has a plan of campaign which
has been approved and which Is based
on secret information which our
agents have been at work securing for
months. This plan.- II is understood.
contemplates an advance from three
points toward Mexico City; namely.
Ell Paso, Eagle Pass and Vera Gran.
The navy would patrol both coasts,
but several full regiments of marines
would be landed at Vera Cruz to make
the advance on Mexico City. II is the
plan to use the regulars as nucleus
for each of the three divisions, sup
plementing them with state militia.
Must Prevent Anarchy
One of the reasons for the extraord-
mary precautions for secrecy Is to
protect these plans and to make them
effective by the rapidity Of their execu-
tion after the word has been given to
advance. When the special message
comes to congress the situation Will
be presented as an emergency. Delay.
II will be pointed out, will be fatal and
the administrators desire will be set
forth as merely to prevent the spread
(Continued on Page Ten.)