Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-04-24
Expert Explains Task !,
1 That Confrontsthe Army
Shows tie Difficulty That Will Have TO Be Overcome In an
Invasion Of Mexico and the Lives and Treasure
s That It Will Cost ss@s.

washing tOl, April ullS
that the constitutionalists would 06ez
no resistance, to the American troops
who crossed the northern border of
Mexico, and that the United States
forces at Vera Cruz have Mexico City
as the objective point, an expert in
military affairs has this to say:
"On the Gulf OF Mexico our battle
ships would either seize or destroy
the Mexican navy. which consists Of
five gun0Oats, non of them danger
GUS in any way, and marines would be
landed and occupy Vera Cruz, Tanpi.
co, PrOgres0. Fr0ntera and Puerto
Mexico. the northern and Gulf term
inal of the Tehuantepec railway. {
The quartermaster general would
call upon the Ward line, the Mallory
Line the Reid line, the Morgan line,
the American line and the Merchants
and Miners company for vessels,
which, with the available United
States transports, could embark an
army OF; $4,000, men, to be landed at
Vera Cruz and to advance and make
a base at Jalap. The men who have
been in camp at Texas City and Gal
weston woutd-1in very little differ
ence in the climate at Vera Cruz and
a big Improvement when they go to
Jalapa, where they would be more
than 1000 feet above the sea level.
Probably attachments would be
landed at TampicO and Tuxpam, in
addition to the marines already there.
These forces would occupy and Con-
troll the oil fields. AS all the Mexican
railway locomotives use oil as fuel,
this would put the railroads out of
commission, except those which we
would use.
,"tWe would now, have an army adj
vancing from the border, with the
City of Mexico as its final objective,
also one from Vera Cruz toward the
same point. Lines of communication
would next be established and bases
of supply fixed.
Army Would Have Uphill fight.
iuts"'rhe army, ut Vera Cruz; after max
ing a base at Jalapa and a sub-base
at Cordoba, points about equally dis
lant from Vera Cruz, and on the two
railways from that city to Mexico
City, would have an uphill fight all
the way and would have to take ana
occupy Puebla and possibly Cuernav-
AGA before advancing on the capital
city, 49,,
"The army from Vera Cruz should
have hard fighting to reach Jalapa,
to. tho topography. there being
places splendidly suited for fOrtifica-
ton and defense before Jalapa is
reached.
Cordoba would be reached over
and along the line of one Of the finest
pieces goft railroad in Mexico. lt-tis
a broad gauge, owned and operated
by an English corporation, and would
offer, superior facilities for the NOV
ing OF troops, and incidental stores
and artillery.
Intervention in Mexico means that
the United States would have to hold
and garrison every point taken; the
railroads would have to be repaired
and" policed to keep them SO. And
right here is the big question Of how
large an army It would take. A mod
crate estimate by good judges is 3d.
1000, and when one considers the num-
Der of places to be garrisOned and
the difficult mountainous country to
be p0liced, that is moderate. There
fore, Intervention would really re-
quire an army of 100000 or more men
in service for some years.