Norwich bulletin., 1914-04-15

, while not taken ashore, was flying at the stern of the whaleboat, and all the T bluejacketS were in uniform. Rear Ad- , mirai Mayo allowed the Huerta com mander until o'clock that evening to , lire a salute, but later extended the time ill order to afford the local conn mander an opportunity to commit uni cate with his superior officers in Mex ico City. A statement of apology was issued iI Mexico City by General fduerta and the local officer who ar rested the bluejacl2ets was ordered pun ished. This did not satisfy the United States government and the salute Was insisted upon. General Euerta him self al ITO time agreed to comply, put an under-secretary in the Mexican foreign office did inquire of Charge O'Shaugnnessy if a salute fired to the gunboat Dolphin and responded to by the American ship would De accept able This was emphatically rejected by the United States, and word was sent that nothing short of a pubic salute to the American flag would be satisfactory
 Cabinet Officers Optimistic.
 Cabinet officers and others were in sistent that no change in the general policy toward Mexico was immnent and that soEfar as possible the fac tions would be left to fight theIr bat ties unhampered by American inter- ference. It was stated by Isiore than one official with emphasis that no other phases of the Mexican situation beyond the afTront to the flag at Tam pfco were involved in the despatch -! the feet although officials admitted the strategic value of having so big q fighting force in proximity to coun- try ill which emergencies might arse at any time.
 No direct statement of explanation of the developments of today was is sued either by the White House or the state department, the annouDc cementS from the navy department of naval or ders alone furnishing the key to the situation faction, not words" was the way a cabinet officer described the answer of the United States to tiuef tas unwiIlingness to fire salute Whei demanded by the American govern ment.
 Incidentally, a copy of the naval or ders issued by Secretary Daniels is understood to have been transmitted to Charge. O,Shaughnessy so that the EIuerta government might be inform ed of the course which the United States had adopted. It was said there was no necessity of informing other foreign governments unless state of blockade was declared.
 Senate Members keeniy interested.
 Tomorrow the situation will occupy the attention of the senate foreign re- Iations committee. Members Of the house foreign relations committee to- day also manifested keen interest in developments, and Representative Flood. chairman of the committee, conferred with his colleagues about , preparation for any emergency that might arise. Beyond asserting that the situation seemed to be a serious one, Acting Chairman Shively of the senate foreign relations committee made no comment.
 It will be fully @ week before the Atlantic fleet is assembled at Tampico, though the ships are expected to be steaming away tomorrow.
 General Huerta, therefore, will have ~ practically a week in which to answer the American demands. The crisis in the situation is expected to came Il General Huerta declines to yield b3' the time the Atlantic fleet aT14Ves' Various succeeding steps We're being discussed among naval officers today. and those familiar with precedent say there was no exact parallel in lnterna- tIUIiaI law.
 Believe Huerta Will Yield. While the consensus of opinion of those best informed was that so seri- ous a. step as military intervention may not De required to force IIce<ta to yield fro minis position on the question of a salute they recognized today $ developnents carried the situation closer to real hostilities than it ever has been during the three years ol turmoil in Mexico.