Putnam patriot., 1914-04-24


 1r,Ison in an address before a joint session of Congress to take quick ac- tion in support of his policy toward tbs provisional President of Mexico, .ba House of Representative adopted amid scenes of great enthusiasm a ;oint resolution setting forth that he was justified in the employment of armed forces of the United States to enforce demands made upon Vic toriano Huerta."
 The resolution justifying President Wilson's Mexican policy read as fol lows:
 joint resolution justifying the employment of the armed forces of the United States in enforcing cer- tain demands against Victoriano uuerta: Resolved, by the Senate and uouse of Representatives in Congress assembled, That the President of the Tinted States is justified in the em- nlovment of the armed forces of the 1rnited States to enforce the demands unea yietoriG-.o Huerta for unequivo- eal amends to the government of the United States for affronts an indigni- ties committed against this govern ment by General Huerta and his rep resentatives.
 This is the message:
 "Gentlemen of the Congress:
 Tt Is my duty to call your atten- ton to a situation which has arisen fin our dealings with Gen. victoriano Yuerta at Mexico City. which calls for action, and to ask your advice and cooperation in acting upon 1t.
 "on the 9th of April a paymaster of the United States steamship Dolphin landed at the Iturbide Bridge landing st Tampico, with whaleboat and boats crew to take off certain SUD- plies 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 Gen. Huerta. Neither the paymaster nor anyone of the boats crew was armed. Two of the men were in the boat when the ar rest took place and were obliged to leave it and submit to be taken into custody, notwithstanding the fact that the boat carried, both at her bow and at her stern, the flag of the United States.
 Apologies Not Sufficient.
 .rThe 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 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 fore es at Tampico for the release of the paymaster and his men. The release was followed by apologies from the commander and later by an expres- sion of regret by Gen. Huerta himself.
 "Gen. Huerta urged that martial law obtained at the time at Tampico; that orders had been issued that no one should be allowed to land at the Itur- bide 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 justi- fable course open to the local authori- ties would have been to request the paymaster and his crew to withdraw and to lodge protest with the com manding officer of the fleet
 Admiral Mayo regarded the arrest as so serious an affront 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 port.
 4The incident cannot be regarded as trivial one, especially as two of the men arrested were taken from the boat itself-that is to say, from tHe teFfltOry or the Unlleu StdteS, but had it stood by itself it might have been attributed to the ignorance or arrogance of a single officer.
 "The Series of Insults"
 Unfortunately, 1t is not an isolated case A series of incidents have re gently occurred which cannot but ere ate the impression that the represen tatives of Gen. Huerta were willing to go out of their way to show disre gard for the dignity and rights of this Government and felt perfectly safe in doing what they pleased, making free 10 show in many ways their irrita ton and contempt.
 A few days after the incident at Tampico an orderly from the U. S. s. Mlnnesota was arrested at Vera Cruz while ashore in uniform to obtain the ship's mail and was for a time thrown into jail. An official despatch from thls Government to its embassy at