Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-04-20

Gentlemen of the congress-: 1t is
my duty to call to your attention sit
uation which has arisen in our dealings
with General Victoriano Hureta at
Mexico City, which calls for action.
and to ask your advice and cooperation
in acting upon it.
On the ninth of April a paymastcr
of the United States ship Dolphin land
ed at Iturbide bridge landing at Tam.
pico with a whale boat and boat Is crew
to take off certain supplies needed by
the ship, and while engaged in loading
the boat was arrested by an officer
and squad of men of the army of Gen
eral Hureta.
Neither the paymaster nor any one
of the boats 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 and flag of the Uniteil
States.
The incident cannot be regarded as
trivial one, especially as two of the
men arrested were taken from the boat
itself-that is to say, from territory
of the United States but had it stood
by itself it might have been attributed
to the Ignorance or arrogance of sim
gle officer. Unfortunately it was not
an isolated case. A series of incidents
have recently occurred which cannot
but create the impression that repre-
sentatiyes Of General Hureta were will
ing to go out of their way to show dis
regard for the dignity and rights Of
this government, and felt perfectly
safe in doing what they pleased, max
ing free to show in many ways their
irritation and contempt
U. s. Mail Is Halted.
A few days after the incident at
Tampico an orderly from the United
States ship Minnesota was arrested in
Vera Cruz while ashore in uniform to
obtain the ships mail and was for a
time thrown in Jail.
An official dispatch from this gov
ernment to its embassy in Mexico City
was withheld by the authorities Of tho
telegraphic service until peremptorily
demanded by our charge d affaires in
person.
So far as I can learn such wrongs
and annoyances have been suffered 70
occur only against representatives of
the United States. have heard of no
complaints from any other government
of similar treatment.
Subsequent explanation and formal
apologies did not and could not alter
the popular impression which it is
possible it had been the object of the
Huertista authorities to create, that the
government of the United States was
being singled out and might be singled
out with impunity, for sights and af-
fronts in retaliation for its refusal to
recognize the pretensions Of General
Huerta to be regarded as the constitu-
tional provisional president Of the Re-
public of Mexico.
Officers May Grow Worse.
The manifest danger Of such a situa
tion was that such offenses might grow
from bad to worse until something hap
pened Of so gross and intolerable sort
as to lead directly and inevitably 10
armed conflict.
1t was necessary that the apologies
Of General Hureta and his representa-
tives should go much further; that
they should be such as to attract the
attention of the whole population 10
their significance and such az to i'm
press upon General Huerta himself the
necessity of seeing 20 it that no further
occasion for explanations and professed
regrets should arise.
The officer who made the arrest was
proceeding upon 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 Huerta forces at
Tampico for the release of the
paymaster and his men, The re-
ledse was followed by apologies
from the commander and later by an
expression of regret by General Hureta