The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1914-04-23
Message Of President.

Message Of President.
Gentlemen of the Congress: It is
my duty to call your attention to a
situation which has arisen in our deal.
ings with General Victoriano Huerta
at Mexico City which calls for action
and to ask your advice and co-opera-
ton in acting upon it. On the ninth of
April a paymaster of the U. S. S. Dol.
phin landed at the Iturbide bridge
landing at Tampico with a w~haleboat
and boa s crew to take off certain
supplies needed by his ship and while
engaged in loading the boat was ar
rested by an officer and squad of men
of the army of General Huerta. Meth
er 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
1t and submit to be taken into custody,
notwithstanding the fact that the boat
carried, both at her bow and her stern,
the flag of the United States.
How Arrest Was Made.
"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 land
ing and await orders; and within an
hour and a half from the time of the
arrest orders were received from the
commander of the Huerista forces at
TTampico for the release of the pay-
master and his men.
"The release was followed by apollo
gies from the commander and later by
an expression of regret by General
.9uerta himself. General Huerta urged
that martial law obtained at the time
at Tampico; that orders had been is
sued that no one should be allowed to
Jul sailors had no right to land there.
Our naval commanders at the port had
not been notified of any such prohibit
ton; and, even if they had been, the
only justifiable course open to the To-
cal authorities would have been to re-
quest the paymaster and his crew to
withdraw and to lodge a protest with
the commanding officer of the feet.
Admiral Demands Salute.
admiral Mayo regarded the arrest
as so serious an effront that he was
not satisfied with the apologies offer
ed, but demanded that the flag of the
United States be saluted with special
ceremony by the military commander
of the post.
"This 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
territory Of the United States; but,
had It stood by itself, it might have
been attributed to the ignorance or ar
rogance of a single officer.
Unfortunately, it was not an isolat-
ed case. A series of incidents have
recently occurred which cannot but
create the impression that the repre-
sentatives of General Huerta 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, making
free to show in many ways their irri.
tation and contempt.
Other Indignities.
"a few days after the incident at
Tampico an orderly from the u. S. s..
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 dispatch from
this government to it's embassy at
Mexico City was withheld by the au-
thorities OF the telegraphic service In
til premptorily demanded by our
charge d~'affaires In person.
$50 far as I can learn, such wrongs
and annoyances have been succered to
occur only against representatives of
the United States. / have heard of no
complaints from other governments of
similar treatment. Subsequent ex-
plantations and formal apologies did
not and could not alter the popular i'm
preston which 1t is possible it had