The Washington herald., 1913-11-22
Possibility Of Landing
Of Marines by the U. S.
Now Far from Remote

With the revolutionary forces closLnS
in around Tuxpan and Tampico where
are stored 100000 barrels of oil belong
ing to English and American interests,
the possibility of the landing of armed
forces from American warships is far
from remote. In fact, the situation,
which centers around the rich oil fields OF
TuNPan district, is more fraught with
dangerous potentialities than the Mexican
situation has developed since John Lind
reached the Capital for the first time.
Under the principal leaders of the
cause, the Constitutionalists are concen-
trating their forces in this district. Their
purpose is two-fold-they are anxious TO
obtain a port through which they may
escape the restrictions of the American
embargo and they are anxious to cut the
Federal forces of from the oil with
which they have been running their rail-
ways.
Both Sides Warned.
Through our consular officers both
sides have been warned that this gov
~ernment will expect protection for the
lives and property of foreigners. But
that this warning will have a strong re-
straining effect upon the activities of the
rebels is hardly 10 be expected, although
the State Department yesterday received
positive assurance from Gen. Aguilar.
commanding the principal force of rebels
in the vicinity OF the oil properties, that
this protection would be accorded. The
message, forwarded by Admiral Fletcher,
was as follows:
Il am governing on a constitutional
basis. my attitude being to guarantee
the interests of all foreign and domes-
tic oil corporations existing in the ter
ritory 1 occupy, fulfilling in this man
ner the demands of civilization, and
not being governed by caprice OF
vengeance"
The potentialities for wholesale loss
of life and property in the oil district
were pointed out yesterday by a high
official in the Navy Department. In
Tuxpan and Tampico are huge wells,
into which OIL is piped from the fields
and stored. There are between II 7,000,-
600 and 2O.OOO,eOO barrels in these
wells. The top of each well is COW
cred by a huge cap, against which
there is a pressure from within of
about 500 pounds. The removal of the
cap means the spouting Tor hundreds
of feet of the OIL
Opportunity for Vandalism.
This situation offers one of the rich
daIism imaginable. The rebel forces,
at best, are undisciplined and given to
looting. They move on these two
towns after two signal victories
against Federal arms. Moreover, they
move TO a district where the interests
are largely British, and Great Britain
has been the most ardent foreign sup
porter of Huerta. To remove the caps
from these wells is no task at all; to
turn these gushers into liquid fire
would be even easier. and there is
enough oil there to burn up the entire
countryside and substitute fire for
water in the rivers.
This is the situation that has brought
from residents in the Tuxpan and
Tampico districts almost frenzied appeals
for protection. Lord Cowdray. of Eng
land, who has the most extensive in
dividual interests there, has wired the
State Department pleading for protec-
ton for his peopte- The British war
ships, which were expected there last
night, were dispatched because OF this
emergency.
The administration hopes that the rev.
olutionary leaders will be able to con-
troll their men ard prevent acts which
might result in a general confiagration
throughout Mexico. At the same time,
Admiral Fletcher, in command of the
American warships, has been given to
understand that his instructions to pro-
tect life and property may be subject to
an Interpretation sufficiently elastic to
cover any contingency. It is not thought
for a minute that the United States will
permit Great Britain to land marines
and the only way to prevent this, in the
event of an emergency such as is feared,
would be for Admiral Fletcher TO throw
his marines around the wells and foreign
residential sections.
Intervention Not Expected,
Such action could not be construed as
armed intervention. It would not meet
with resistance from the Federal arms
and the Tuerta government is the de
facto government still. 1t might, how
ever. by creating a general feeling
against Americans among the Constitu-
tiOnaIists, result in a series of reprisals
which would lead to armed Intervention.
Intervention Is the last thing the Presi-
dent expects at this time, but drastic
action can be taken by this government
with little or no preparation needed. for
the first steps at least.
The refuge afforded Daniel and Evaris-
to Madero uncles of the late President of
Mexico, by Admiral Fletcher was In re-
sponse to instructions sent Thursday
night by President Wilson to his envoy
in Vera Cr:fz.-John Lind. It is in keeping
with the Weil-estsblished policy of the