Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-04-24
PRESIDENT TO CONGRESS
Full Text of Message or Mexican Sit
uation.

uation.
There was full outline Of the pres
ident's message to congress on the
Mexican situation in the last issue OF
The Enquirer; but because Of the un-
usual Importance Of this document,
our readers will no doubt prefer the
full text, which is as follows:
Gentlemen of the Congress:
1T is my duty to call your attention
to a situation which has arisen in our
dealings with Gen. Victoriano Huerta
J at Mexico city which calls for action,
and to ask your advice and co-opera-
ton in acting upon it. On the 9th Of
April a paymaster Of the U. S. S. Dol
phin landed at the lturbide bridge
landing at Tampico with a whaleboat
and boats crew to take off certain
supplies needed by his ship, and while
engaged in loading the boat was ar
rested by an officer and squad Of men
of the army of Gen. Huerta. Neither
the paymaster nor any one of the
beats crew was armed Two Of the
men were in the boat when the arrest
| took place and were obliged to leave it
and submit to be taken into custody,
Notwithstanding the fact that the boat
carried. both at her bow and at her
stern. the flag Of the United States.
The officer who made the arrest was
proceeding up one Of the streets Of the
town with his prisoners when met by
an officer Of higher authority, who
ordered him to return to the landing
and await orders; and within an hour
and half from the time of the arrest
orders were received from the COM
mander Of the Huertista forces at
Tampico for the release of the pay
master and his men. The release was
followed by apologies from the COM
mander and later by an expression of
regret by Gen. Huerta himself Gen.
Huerta urged that martial law obtain
ed at the time at Tampico; that or
ders had been issued that no one
should he allowed to land at the Itur-
bide bridge: and that our sailors had
no right to land there
Had Not Been Notified.
Our naval commanders at the port
had not been notified Of any such pro-
hibitiOn; and. even if they had been,
the only justifiable course open to the
local authorities would have been to
request the paymaster and his crew to
withdraw and to lodge a protest with
the commanding officer of the fleet.
Admiral Mayo regarded the arrest as
so serious an affront that he was not
satisfied with the apologies offered,
bue demanded that the flag of the
United States be saluted with special
ceremony by the military commander
of the port.
THE incident cannot be regarded as
a trivial one, especially as two Of the
men arrested were taken from the
boat itself-that is to say, from the
territory Of the United States; but had
it stood by itself it might have been
attributed to the ignorance or AFRO
gance OF g. single officer Unfortunate
ly, it was not an isolated case. A Sc
ries Of incidents have recently occur
red which cannot but create the i'm
preston that the representatives Of
Gen. Huerta were willing to go out of
their way to show disregard for the
dignity and rights of this government
and felt perfectly safe in doing what
they pleased, making free to show in
many ways their irritation and con-
tempt.
Arrested in Uniform.
"a few days after the incident at
Tampico an orderly from the U. S. S.
Minnesota was arrested at Vera. Cruz
while ashore in uniform to obtain the
ships mail and was for time thrown
government to it's embassy at Mexico
City was withheld by the authorities
of the telegraphic service until pre-
emptorily demanded by our charge
d'affaires in person. So far as / can
learn, such wrongs and annoyances
have been suffered to occur only
against representatives Of the United
States. l have heard of no complaints
from other governments Of similar
treatment. Subsequent explanations
and formal apologies did not and could
not alter the popular impression,
which it is possible it had been the OBJ
ject of the Huertista authorities toI
create that the government Of the
United States was being singled out,
and might be singled out with impun-
ity for Sights and affronts.
Duty to Sustain Mayo.
1.-The manifest danger Of a situation
was that such offenses might grow
from bad to worse until something
happened of so gross and intolerable
sort as to lead directly and inevitably
to armed conflict It was necessary
that the apologies of Gen. Huerta and
his representatives should go much
further, that they SHOULD be such as to
attract the attention Of the whole
population to their significance and
such as to impress upon Gen. Huerta
himself the necessity to seeing to 1t
tions and regrets should arise. /,
therefore, felt it my duty to sustain
Admiral Mayo in the whole Of his de-
mand and to insist that the flag of the
United States should be saluted in
such way as to indicate n new spirit
and attitude on the part of the Huer-
tistas.
such q salute Gen. Huerta has re-
fused, and / have come to ask your
approval and support in the course
now purpose to pursue.
Not to Fight Moxicans.
This government can, 1 earnestly
hope in no circumstances be forced
into war with the people Of Mexico.
Mexico is torn by civil strife. If we
are to accept the tests Of it's own Con-
stitution it has no government. Gen.
Huerta has set his power up in the
city Of Mexico, such as it is, without
right and by methods for which there
nn1, ~ or