Evening star., 1914-04-20

| fair would be presented to the American
| Congress for decision.
! THE Mexican government believing
| that the salute in question was of no i'm
| portance unless previously and formally
| agreed upon by both parties. proposed the
signing of a protocol. and the minister of
| foreign affairs presented last night a
| draft of such protocol to the American
| charge d 'affaires. Nelson O'Shaughnessy
| "O'Shaughnessy answered that he must
| consult his government: that he would
advise the minister of the nature of this
answer. and this afternoon he communi
! Gated to the minister the fact that his
| government did not accept the idea of a
| signature of any protocol whatever, but
wanted an unconditional salute of the
! American flag.
| This the Mexican government refused
| feeling it had done all possible. in view
of the friendly understanding between
| the two governments and believing the
| acceptance of such an imposition would
| be equivalent to yielding by Mexico to
| humiliation. The Mexican government is
| confident that the civilized world will
! find its conduct has been wise and tenn
perate. that it has observed all the re-
| quirements of international law and that
| the refusal to yield further is inspired
/ only by regard for its honor and dig
nifty.
Mexico's Proposed Protocol.
| ne VI tne pfOlocol DS MEXICO,
refused signature by the United States.
follows:
With view of putting an end to the
iamentable incident which occurred on
the 9th instant at Port Tampico. caused
| by the detention of nine men and one
American officer; considering that such
marines were Immediately put at liberty
by Gen ZaragoZa. commander Of Port
Tampico and that said officer presented
an apology to Rear Admiral Mayo, COM
mander of the American squadron in
those waters: that afterward when the
president of the Republic of Mexico be-
came advised of the facts he expressed
regret through the office of foreign rela-
tions for the incident, and ordered that
full investiga ton be made to the end
that the guilty might be punished if any
be found guilty, and finally that the ac-
tion in question was due to the jealous
ness of a subaltern. which might be re-
garded as eXcusable If it is taken into
consideration that the marines when de-
tanned had gone ashore in uniform with
out permission of the military authori-
ties. the port being at the moment not
only in state of war. but under at
| tack by rebels. the charge d'affaires of
the United States and the minister of
foreign relations. meeting in their Off
cial capacities. agree as follows:
Program for Salutes.
"First-That the Mexican government,
inspired by desire of showing the good
will it feels toward the people of the
United States and acting in the same
manner wherein the United States has
| done In similar cases. binds itself that
| the American flag be saluted at Tampico
| by twenty-one guns from the Mexican
shore batteries or a Mexican warship in
those waters.
| "Second-That the cannon referred to
in, ha hau he firad of
| the moment when the American flag shall
| be hoisted to a masthead on the Mexican
shore.
''rhird-That the government of the
United States binds itself to salute the
Mexican flag Immediately following the
salute by the Mexicans to the American
| flag with twenty-on gUnS of the man-of
war Dolphin or Of any other battleship
\ at anchor in those waters.
| Fourth-The guns to which the preced
| ing article refer shall be fired at the
| moment when the Mexican nag shall be
! hoisted to the top of a mast of the afore-
| said man-of-war or of any other warship
in those waters. and to this end both con-
| tracing parties attach their signatures.
Huerta Seems Indifferent.
! This formal reply by the Mexican gov
ernment to the demands of the United
States was handed to Nelson O'Shaugh-
messy the American charge d'affaires. at
exactly O'Clock last evening at the
foreign office. The charge. however, had
\ been made aware previously of the ma
| ture of the document.
| MIR. O'Shaughnessy had seen Senior
| Portillo Rojas late in the afternoon in
the suburb of coyoacan, where he had
gone to dine with some friends.
| Provisional President Huerta display ed
| comparative indifference to the crisis
/ q
| listening to the military band playing in
| Chapultepec Park.
| Several hundred American residents
| spent the evening at the American Club
| where q dinner and entertainment We're
| given
No Hostility Shown to Americans.
News Of a deadlock came as a complete
surprise to the large majority of Mexi-
cans as the existence of a diplomatic
| controversy had been kept out of the
newspapers. Everywhere today Mexican
| citizens eagerly read and discussed the
statement from the Mexican foreign min
lister published in the newspapers. They
/ stood in groups on the streets or congre-
II gated in the cafes, but nowhere did they
h give any evidence of hostility toward
Il Americans with whom they came into
contact.
Vera Cruz Quiet.
II VERA CRUZ, Mexico. April 2O-This
city continues very quiet in spite of the
situation.
l Communication by launch with the
American war vessels lying off the port
was rendered difficult today by stiff
norther.
The British rear admiral Sir Christie
pher Cradock, who arrived here yester-
day from Tampico aboard the cruiser
Essex. visited by Rear Admiral
Frank F. Fletcher. commanding the
American warships, Immediately after the
Essex anchored.
The two admirals conferred for more
than an hour, but nothing is known rela-