The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-04-29
MEXICAN MESSAGE
OF THE PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT PERSONALLY APP.
PEARS BEFORE A JOINT SEES
SION OF CONGRESS.
CLAIMS NO GOVEREM ENT
Tells Of Affronts and indignities Put
on United States by the
Huerta Regime.

Washington.-President Wilson an
swered Huerta's defiance by asking
congress assembled in joint session.
for approval to "use the armed forces
of the United States in such ways and
to such extents as may be necessary
to obtain from General Huerta and his
adhersnts the fullest recognition OF
the rights and dignity Of the United
States" =
The president did not; ask for any
appropriation of money at this time,
o for authority to call out the Ma
tional Guard.
The president spoke as follows:
Gentlemen Of the Congress: &
1T is my duty to call your attention
to a situation which has arisen in our
dealings with General Vitcoriano
Huerta at Mexico City, which calls
for action, and to ask your advice and
cooperation in acting upon it. On
the 9Th of April a paymaster of the
United States ship Dolphin landed at
the Nturbide bridge 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 arrested by an officer and squad
Of the men Of the army Of General
Huerta. Neither the paymaster or
anyone Of the boats crew was armed.
Two Of the men we're in the boat when
Ihe arrest took place, and were oblig-
ed 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 Etates. 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 commander
Of the Huerta forces at Tampico for
the release Of the paymaster and his
men. The release was followed by
apologies from the commander, and
later by an expression of regret by
General Huerta himself.
General Huerta urged that martial
law obtained at the time at Tamptco;
that orders had been issued that no one
should be allowed to land at the Itur-
bide bridge and that u sailors had no
right to land there. Our naval COM
manders at the port had not been not1-
fed of any such prohibition and, even
if they had been, the only justifable
course open to the local authorities
would have been to request the pay
master and his crew to withdraw and
to lodge a protest with the command
ing officer Of the feet. Admiral Mayo
regarded the arrest as so serious an
affront. He was not satisfied with
the apologies offered, but 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 terri
tory of the United States; but had 1t
stood by itself, it might have been at
tributed to the ignorance or arrogance
Of a single officer. Unfortunately 1t
was not an isolated caseJ A series of
incidents have recently occurred which
cannot but create the impression that
the representatives Of General Huerta
show disregard for the dignity and
rights of this government and felt per-
fectly safe in doing what they pleased,
making free to show in many ways
their irritation and contempt
"A few days after the incident at
Tampico an orderly from the United
States ship Minnesota was arrested at
Vera Cruz while ashore in uniform to
obtain the ships mail and was for a
time thrown into Jail. An official dis
patch from this government to the en-
bassy at Mexico City was withheld by
the authorities Of the telegraphic serv-
ice until peremptorily demanded by our
charge d~'affaires in person.
"The manifest danger Of such a
situation was that such offenses might
grow from bad to worse until some
thing happens of SO gross and intolre-
able a sort as to lead directly and In
evitably to armed conflict. 1t was
necessary that the apologies of General
Huerta and his representatives should
20 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 General
Huerta himself the necessity of seeing
TO it that no further occasion for eX-
plantations and professed regrets
should arise.
"Such a salute General Huerta has
refused, and | haXe come to ask your
approval and support i'll the course l
now purpose to prusue.
Only part of the country is under
his control. If armed conflict should
unhappi!y come as a result Of his at
titude of personal resentment towards
this government we should be fight
ing only General Huerta and those who
adhere to him and give him their sup
port. and our object would be only to
restore to the people of the distracted
republic the opportunity to set up
again their own laws and their OWL
government.