Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-03-10
MOBILIZATION OF 10000 y.
SOLDIERS IN SOUTHWEST
10 ORDERED.
DECLARE IT IS A TRAINING TRIP
ehlps Of Two Fleets Prepare 20 Sail
for Nearby Waters.-Government
Acts At Request Of Great
Britain, 10 Report.

in.chief of the army and navy, the Cd
tective being the country north OF the
Mexican boundary and the waters OF
the two oceans at either end OF 1t.
Twenty thousand soldiers-more than
one.fourth of the army of the united
etates-of all arms of the service, are
moving toward the Mexican border;
four armored cruisers, comprising the
nth division of the Atlantic fleet, have
been ordered from northern waters to
the naval station at Guantanamo,
Cuba. and most Of the Pacific feet 10
or shortly will be on its way to as
semhle at San Pedro and San Diego,
Cal. and 1000 marines are preparing
to make the Guantanamo station tnelr
temporary headquarters.
II was officially announced at the
White House and at the war and navy
department, that the purpose OF this
great mobilization, unprecedented save
In war times, is the training OF ON
GERS and men under service conditions
and practice in cooperation between
the land and naval forces. Unusual
pains we're taken by all officially con.
cerned in the matter to give this color
to the sudden activities. but these
statements were accepted with IN
creasing reserve.
There have been important Joint
maneuvers during the last few years.
but they have been planned far in i'd
vance and carried out without ripple
Of excitement, or even evidence OF In
tarest, at the White House. The exc
eutive Offices were stepped with mys-
tory. The entire morning was given
over to conferences with officers Of
the war and navy departments.
Thick Air Of Mystery.
This thick atmosphere of mystery
and the jealous efforts to minimize
Importance of the business lent curl
Gus Significance to the fact that Cen
eral Leonard Wood, chief Of staff OF
the army, in an effort to elude inter.
viewers, clipped out of one Of the rear
windows of the presidents Office and
beat retreat through the secluded
portions of the White House grounds
TO a rear entrance of the war depart
ment.
The real significance Of these activi-
ties, which have been confined appar'
emily to the last 4S hours or less. 10
thought to relate very directly to the
conditions in Mexico and to the grow
ing belief that the situation there 10
by no means as satisfactory as the
Mexican government would have 1t
believed to be. There are persistent
reports that the physical condition
Of President Diaz has lately become
such as to alarm his adherents, and
that momentous developments are to
be prepared for.
One report current here was that
tho Pearson syndicate, heavily inter
ested in enterprises in northern Mexi
CO. had appealed to the British gov
eminent for adequate protection o.
themselves and other foreign inter
ests in preparation for the chaotic
conditions which would almost certain
" follow any serious loss Of prestige
to say nothing of the collapse of thu
Diaz government.
Threat From Europs7
Il was said the British ambassado
had taken up the question with tn
state department here with susges
ton that unless the United States tool
Immediate steps to exhibit its dispose
ton and ability to protect foreign In
terests in Mexico. the European gov
ernments, more particularly Grea
Britain and Germany, would be com
peeled to do 30.
OF course. no direct confirmation o
this report was obtainable, but tn
sudden burst of martial activity CAV
1t color.
Ambassador De La Barra of the re
public of Mexico, who has been II
New York, returned to Washington
to fulfill social engagement and re
turned at midnight to New York. HI
never is loquacious about the affair
of his government and protested en-
tire ignorance as to the meaning o
the mobilization Of American troops
He disclaimed any knowledge of an!
change in the internal conditions o
Mexico, and as for the health Of Pres
ident Diaz, he insisted that nothing ii
the personal or official communicated
Of the president indicated anything bu
his usual satisfactory condition o
health.
Moreover, he said, that apart from
sporadic disorders connected with thu
revolt in isolated parts of Mexico tn,
situation was normal.
Movement to BE Swift.
The movement of troops will taxi
an entire division of the United State
army to Texas and along the Mexican
border within the short space of fiv
DAYS. In command of force approx
mating 10000 men. or more than
quarter of the entire army, will b
Major General William H. Garter
General Carter at present rates as al
sistant to Major General Leonar
Wood, chief of staff. General Carte
will leave Washington by way oi 5,
Louis to open his headquarters n
San Antonio Texas. He will have
full divisional staff at his headqual
tiers,
The machinery 10 working beautiful
~, according to such reports as hav
been received. although of course tn
real test of the sufficiency of all thes
preparations cannot be had until tn
entire force has been modified il
the department of Texas and alon,
the border.
The navy and marine corps are CO
operating closely with thu army.