The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-08-22
Navy Departments I'm
deferred by Talk
in Senate
REBELS THREATEN
TO SACK MANAGUA
Orders Given to Navy Yards on
Both Sides Of Continent to
Rush Assistance to Blue
jackets Who Now Are in
Peril Of Annihila-
ton.

Washington. August 2i.-Jndeterre'
b. talk IN tao Senate OF protected rs
olutions regarding the constituUunaliiy
OF ,he landing OF American sailors ana
Marines ia Nicaragua. tn. Nay De
partlnent to-day. at tho request OF the
state Department o.t~a tened per-mp-
tory orders 10 navy yards on tso Sides
o; tas continent TO rush reMforc.mcnts
10 the naval fol ces no~ located far IN
tho interior OF the insurrection-,orm
country Fear that tho forces there,
are now in danger Of annihila:,on a the
hands OF the insurgents prompted tho
order
Government officials are satisfied tina,
tacy are acting completely within
their rights in landing the sailors and
marines and that this does not consti-
tut. an act OF war. such as can only
be authorized Ly Congress The offici4l
basis Tor this contention rests upon scv-
eral grounds. In the hrst place. the
.itslsr ,ernment OF Nicaragus and
the calJ enc recognized by the United
states nzs formally requested the Amer
lean minister. Mr.. Wcitzel and Capta!n
Terhunc commanding the gunboa, An
napolis. and Captain Dueil. OF the gun
boat Tacoma. TO employ their forces to
protect foreign life and property. which
tho %.caraguan government frankly
admitted I; could not itself do
In the second phase ihe state ana
Navy Departments are able TO point to
precedcnts where both troops and naval
forces have been landed TO protect
American interests where a stat. OF
anarchy was threatened or the local
authorities were unable to guarantee
protection for foreigners. Attention is
called 70 tn fact that a large dctach-
ment OF American soldiers is now quar-
tered on Chinese soil. protecting the
railroad from Tsinan-F'u 70 Peklns.
Barbarian Threatened.
Inc chief reason. however. for the
order IS that at Managua there is d
force OF several hundred American
oluejackets and marines who are try.
ing to prevent the commission OF an
act OF savaeery AMI barbarism In vio-
lauon OF all the rules of civilized war
fare. in the capture and sackinr and
pillasing OF city filed with non
combatants. including many women ana
children The American force is small
compared with the besetting rebel
army. and the officials are no, dis.
posed 10 spli; hairs over constitutional
questions while these American lives
are in danger OF annihiiation
From Minister Weitzers reports and
those OF the naval captains. though
tragmentary and delayed. the state
Department concludes that there Is
need OF heavy rcinforcements in Mica
rasua, though it is believed that Col
onel Smedley S. Butler. the command
ms officer of the shore forces. can
handle the situation until these ye,n-
forccments reach him.
senator Bacon. of Georgia. to-day in
troiuced resolution authorizing 3
subcommittee OF the Senate Foreign
relations Committee to investigate the
recent invasion of Nicaragua by United
states sailors and marines. and under
what authority they entered that from
bled country. The investigation would
be made by the subcommittee that mas
already been appointed TO investigate
whether American interests had been
instrumental in fomentinE ipsurrect!ons
in Mexico and Cuba.
Senator Bacon scored the state De-
partment for its attitude toward Mica
Iasua declaring that the executive
departments OF the government are
now. In my judgment. violating the
law by using the army and navy OF
the United states in Nicaragua,
senator Bacon quoted at length from
newspaper dispatches to show that an
American collector of customs was
operating in Managua
Renl Reason for Interference
When this matter is sifted TO the
bottom he said we will find that
this is the real reason for American
interference there Some time ago
treaty was negotiated between this
country and Nicaragua. by means Of
which the United States government
was 10 furnish agents with authority
TO collect the customs OF that country
and TO use the proceeds 10 pay certain
loans to be made by American capt.
talsts. The Senate thus far has re-
fused 10 ratify that treaty. and in nv
Judgment Will not ratify IT,
II haven't the slightest doubt in
the world that-with whose authority
I do not know. but with some author
ity-there has been an effort to ac-
complish without law that which they
failed to secure law for, They are
trying TO use the army and navy of
the United states to accomplish that
which we have specifically refused to
give them authority to do.
II believe that this is a proper sub
ject for investigation by the senate
Mena Imprisoned.
New Orleans. August 2l-That Cen
oral Luis Mena, leader of the revolu-
tionists in Nicaragua, has been i'm
prisoned by members of the Liberal
party in Leon was tho information
conveyed in n wireless message to-day
from Bluefields to Juan ]. Zavala.
.NiSdFd uSH CONSUL mere. ConSul "a
vala said the message was ony semi
official.
Local sympathizers of General Mena,
however. were quick to challenge It,
declaring 1t unlikely that news OF suci,
an occurrence. IL 1t has actually taken
place. would have como first by way
of Rluefields. The time and circum-
stances Of Mena's reported imprison-
ment were not stated In the message.
et..
Mana qua. Nicaragua. Monday August
-(Delayed In Observation-Disclosures
OF the governments defeat at Leon.
ICo..J,,,.-, nut, - -