The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-03-08
ARMY AND NAVY
AREIM0B|[|z|NG
Twenty Thousand Soldiers on
Way to Northern Mexican
r Boundary
FLEETS OF TWO OCEANS
GO TO SOUTHERN WATERS
Reason Given Is Practice in Ser
vice and Cooperation of Sol
diers and Sailors - Foreign
Powers May be Involved

WASHINGTON, d. c., March o.
The most extensive movement of
troops and war vessels ever executed
In this country in time Of peace is
now under way by order Of the presi-
dent, the object being the country
north of the Mexican boundary and
the waters of two oceans at either
end of it.
Twenty thousand soldiers, more than
one-fourth of the army of the U. 8.
of all arms of the service, are NOV
ing toward the Mexican border, four
armored cruisers comprising the fifth
division of the Atlantic fleet have been
ordered from northern waters to the
naval station at Guantanamo.
Most of the Pacific fleet is or
shortly will be, on its way to San
Diego and San Pedro and 1000 mar
ines are preparing to make their
temporary headquarters at Guantan-
amo
Service for Training
It was officially announced from
the white house and war and navy
departments that the purpose of the
great mobilization Is the training of
officers and men under service con-
ditions and practice in cooperation
between the land and naval forces.
Other pains were taken by all Of
nicially concerned in the matter to
give this color to the sudden activi-
ties but these statements were &C.
cepted with increasing reserve. Elk
ecutive officers were stepped with
mystery, the entire morning given
over to conferences with the officers
Of the war and navy departments.
Officers Secretive
This thick atmosphere Of mystery
and efforts to minimize the import
ance Of the business lent significance
to the fact that Major General Wood,
Chief of staff of the army. in an eff
fort to elude interviewers, slipped out
of one of the rear windows of the
presidents office and beat retreat
through secret portions Of the white
house grounds to a rear entrance to
the war department
The real significance Of this active
ity, which has been confined appar-
emily to the last 4S hours or less. is
thought to relate very directly to the
conditions in Mexico and to the grow
ing belief that the situation there is
by no means as satisfactory as the
Mexican government would have it
believed.
Conditions Critical
There are persistent reports that
the physical con 1ition of President
Diaz has lately become such as to
alarm his adherents and that mo-
mentous developm ents are to be pre-
pared for.
One report current here today Was
that the Pearson syndicate, heavily
interested in enterprises in northern
Mexico, had appealed to the British
government for adekuate protection
of themselves and other foreign in
terests in preparation for the chaotic
conditions that would almost certain
ly follow any serious loss of prestige
to say nothing of the collapse of the
Diaz government.
Great Britain May Interfere
It was said that the British am
bassador had taken the question up
suggestion that unless the United
States took immediate steps to ex-
hibit it's disposition and ability to
protect foreign interests in Mexico,
European governments, more par
ticularly Great Britain and Germany
would be compelled to do so. or
course no direct confirmation of this
report is obtainable, but the sudden
burst Of martial activity gave it color
Ambassador De LaBarra of the
Republic of Mexico, professed entire
ignorance as to the meaning of the
mobilization of American troops.
Harry Lane Wilson. American ambas-
asdor to Mexico, who has been in the
United States for about ten days,
whatever he may have told his SUI
periors, has been dumb to all others
on this most important subject
Mystery Deepens
President Taft told callers today
that Texas and the adjacent country
offered an admirable field for maneu-
vers at this time of the year but
vouchsafed no further information.
No such secrecy has ever before
maneuvers. On the contrary, at all
other times the participating officers
have been only too glad to draw pull
lie attention and arouse public inter-
est in the work of the army and navy
Furthermore it was freely said to-
day that appropriations for the army
maneuvers for the current fiscal year
are all but exhausted and it Ii
pointed out that in ordinary circum-
stances. no such movements as those
of the army and navy during the last
4S hours would be thought of. Hence
1t was inevitable that Washington
should be skeptical toward the ex-
PLANTATION given officially and should
look to conditions in Mexico know
or suspected as explaining this con
centration of an army close to the
border. with a goodly portion of thu
navy at hand In either ocean.