Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1914-04-24
Probable War Between The United
States And Mexico.


Mexico, has defied the United States.
AT q O'Clock last Sunday evening Huerta
gave to Charge OShaughnessy his reply
to President Wilson's ultimatum.
1t was rejection of the demand made
by Rear Admiral Mayo. backed by the
United States Government Huerta took
this action following an extended meeting
OF his Cabinet. Through Minister of For
eien Affairs Senior Portillo, Huerta made
known his position to Charge Onslaught
messy. who Immediately put a message in
code and sent it to the State Department.
Secretary Bryan received the message
at $40 O'Clock Sunday night A half-hour
later he was talking to President Wilson at
White Sulpher Springs, W. Va, over the
long-distance telephone President Wilson
advised his Secretary to issue call for a
meeting of the Cabinet at 1890 O'Clock
Monday morning.
Addressing joint session of the Senate
and the House, the President read the fol-
lowing message on Monday:
Gentlemen of the Congress
1t is my duty to call your attention to a
situation which has arisen in our dealings
with Gen. Victoriano 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 U. S. S. Dolphin landed at the Iturbide
bridge landing at Tampico with whale
boat and boats crew to take off certain
supplies needed by his ship. and while en-
Gagged in unloading the boat was arrested
by an officer and squad of men of the army
of Gen. Huerta.
Neither 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 it and
submit to be taken into custody, notwith-
standing 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 pro-
ceeding 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 Huertista forces
at Tampico for the release of the pay
master and his men.
The release was followed by apologies
from the commander and later by an ex-
preston of regret by Gen. Huerta himself.
Gen. Huerta urged that martial law OBJ
tanned at the time at Tampico that orders
had been issued that no one should be al
lowed to land at the Iturbide bridge, and
that 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 justifi-
able course open to the local authorities
would have been to request the paymaster
and his crew to withdraw and to lodge a
protest with the commanding officer of the
feet
Admiral Mayo regarded the arrest as so
serious an affront that 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 territory of the
United States but had il stood by itself
it might have been attributed to the ignor-
ance or arrogance of a single officer. I'm
fortunately, it was not an isolated case
A series of incidents have occurred which
cannot but create the impression that the
representatives of Gen. Huerta were will
ing to 80 out of their way TO show disre-
gard for the dignity and rights of this gov
eminent and felt perfectly safe in doing
what they pleased, making free to show
in many ways their irritation and con-
tempt
A few days after the incident at Tampi-
co 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 its en-
bassy at Mexico City was withheld by the
authorities of the telegraphic service until
peremptorily demanded by our charge
d'affaires in person. So far as lean learn,
such wrongs and annoyances have been
suffered to occur only against representa-
tives Of the United States. have heard
Of no complaints from other governments
of similar treatment.
Subsequent explanations and formal
apologies did not and could not alter the
popular impression, which il is possible it
had been the object Of the Huertista au-
thorties to create. that the government of
the United States was being singled out,
and might be singled out with impunity,
for sights and affronts in retaliation for
its refusal to recognize the pretensions of
Gen. Huerta to be regarded as the consti-
tutional provisional president of the Re-
public Of Mexico.
The manifest danger Of such situation
was that such offenses might grow from
bad to worse until something happened of
so gross and intolerable sort as to lead
directly and inevitably to armed conflict.
1t was necessary that the apologies of
Gen. Huerta and his representatives should
so 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 Gen. Huerta himself
the necessity of seeing oft that no further
occasion for explanations and professed
regrets should arise. |, therefore, felt it
my duty to sustain Admiral Mayo in the
whole of his demand and to insist that the
flag Of the United States should be saluted
in such a way as TO indicate a new spirit