The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1914-04-23
wilson WAR MESSAGE
He Plainly Sets Forth Basis for
Complaint in Mexican
Troubles.

Washington, April 20.--At 3 o'clock
.. m. sharp, President Wilson delivered
his message to congress, asking for
approval to use the armed forces OF
the United States in such ways and
TO such extent as may be necessary to
obtain from General Huerta and his
adherents the fullest recognition of the
rights and dignity of the United
States.
President Wilson laid the Mexican
situation before congress today in
these words:
Gentlemen of the congress:
1T is my duty to call your atten-
ton to a situation which has arisen in
our dealings with Gen. Victoriano
Huerta at Mexico City, which calls
cooperation in acting on it.
ON the 9Th of April a paymaster OF
the U. S. S. Dolphin landed at the
Iturbide bridge, landing at Tampico
with a whaleboat and boats crew tc
take off certain supplies needed by
his ship and while engaged in loading
the boat was arrested by an officer
n Squad of men of the army of Gen
eral Huerta. Neither the paymaste1
nor any one of the boats crew was
armed. Two of the men We're in the
boat when the arrest tool place and
were obliged to leave it and submit
to be taken into custody, notwithstand-
ing 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 the streets Of the
town with his prisoners when met by
an officer of higher authority who or
dered him to return to the landing and
await orders, and within an hour and
q half from the time of the arrest, or
ders were received from the com
nander Of h Huertista forces at
ter and his men.
THE release was followed by
apologies from the commander and
later by expression of regret from Gen
eral Huerta himself. General Huerta
urged that martial law obtained at the
time at Tampico, that orders had been
issued that no one should be allowed
our sailors had no right to land there.
Our naval commanders at the port had
not been notified of any such
prohibition, and, even if they had been
the only juStifiable course open to the
local authorities would ave 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 ar
rest as a serious affront, and he was
not satisfied with the apologies offered,
but demanded that the flag Of the Uni
ttu states NC SdlutGu Will SpeCldi
ceremony by the military commander
of he port.
This incident cannot be regarded as
a trivial one, especially as two of the
men arrested were taken from the boat
itsclf-that jig to say, from the terri
tory of the United States, but had it
stood by Itself, it might have been at
tributed to the ignorance or arrogance
of a single officer.
Studied Insults.
Unfortunately, ii was not an iso-
lated case. A series Of incidents have
recently occurred, bur which cannot
but create the impression that the rep
r~esentatives of General Huerta were
willing to go out of their way to show
disregard for the dignity ana rights OF
this government and felt perfectly safe
in doing what they pleased, raaking
free to show in many ways their i'rlta-
ton and contempt. A few days after
the incident at Tampico an orderly
from the United States ship Mime
sofa was arrested at Vera Cruz while
ashore in uniform to obtain the ships
mail, and was for a time thrown into
tail. An official dispatch from this
government to it's embassy at Mexico
City was withheld by the authorities
Of the Geographic service until per-
emptorily demanded by u charge
d'affaires in person.
far as 1 can earn such wrongs
and a~nnoyance have been suffered