Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-12-11
Advances May Have Been
Feint but Heavy Fight.
ing Is Reported.
CONSERVATIVES WANT A TAUGE
Tentative Efforts t. !rGuc.
Huerta to Ascertain if Car
rama VIII Consent -
Election.

Vs-d Cruz, Fec. 1O.-Thc attack on Tam
pico began shortly beforo noon to-dA1'
Tie :ebels We're advancing on tho city
from various points. The United Stateo
battleship Louisiana has beer ordered to
Ia mpco and IS leaving Vera Cruz to
night
Up to n late nour tonight no details OF
the attack on Tampico had been received
and 1t was considered probable that tho
rebel advance on the city was in the ma
ture of a fent
Mexico City, Dec. 10.-Only the most
meagre information Is obtalnable here re-
gardng the fighting at Tampico. Accord
ing to a despatch the town was attacked
at eleven o'clock this morning and at five
O'Clock this afternoon hard fighting was
in progress.
Tentative efforts were initiated to-day
by the conservative element in the
Mexican government to induce Provi-
sional President Huerta to ascertain IL
Gen Nenustiano Carranza would be will
ing to cease fighting for the purpose OF
holding an election at which the con-
stitutonal leader would be a candidate
for the presidency of the republic, or
would name his choice for that office.
1t is assumed in political circles here
that General Carranza would have as op-
position in the presidential race cand-
dates from the capital named by the
Catholics and other political parties.
The American charge d'affaires, Mel.
son O'Shaughnessy, recently notified
Washington that the property Of foreign
residents in the State of Sinaloa was in
imminent danger of conhscation by the
federal authorities as a war measure.
The charge has received instructions T.
investigate the constitutiona|ity Of tn.
act, and If he finds that 1t is not sa notion.
ed by law, to register n protest with the
Mexican government.
Through the efforts of the Spanish
minister Senior Cologan Cologan, II
is believed that trouble between Mexico
and the other nations as result of the
| imposition of a tax on real and personal
property of foreigners by the Governor
Of Sinaloa, with the alternative of con-
fiscation, has been averted. The minister
obtained no satisfaction from the financ,
department, but the department Of the
Interior, upon his repr; sentations, sent
Geographic message to the governor with
instructions for reimbursement Of his
order.
1t was agreed that the tax would be
two and half per cent, instead of five
per cent. and that no property should
be confiscated in case of failure to pay
except after full legal procedure. The
interior department. instructions ts
the governor are such as to cover thit
specific case, but are not such as will
necessarily govern future action.
That the reactionary Catholic party
element in Congress has been induced
to see things from the Presidents
point of view, was indicated by a
speech made in Congress to-day by
Francisco Pasqual Garcia leader of tho
party. in which he declared that h\
was convinced of the necessity of th<
country being ruled by a dictator, but
he believed that the acts of the dicta>
tor should be subject TO congressional
approval