Omaha daily bee., 1914-05-01
Nebraska,
STARK TELLS ABOUT SALUTES
Former Judge Advocate Writes
Letter to the Governor.
PRECEDENT FOR WILSON'S ACT
DiscIoses where President LincOln
once Ordered salute TO BrR-
EIIisn Flag After Cap
turc ot Cruiser.
PRECEDENT FOR WILSON'S ACT
Crrom a staff Correspondentl

| LINCOLN. April Especial Tho his
! tory and law covering the salute to the
/ flag, has been given in a letter written
by w L. stark. at ono time anofficer
4 i'm the Nebraska National Guard holding
the position Of Judge advocate with the
rank of major. to Governor Morehesd and
received today.
Major stark says he has received sew
ersl inquiries relative to how the custom
was inaugursted and the number of times
tho proposition had come up He believes
tho governor OF the state as the com
manGer-in-chief of the National Guard
could make good use Of the material fur
nished and he submitted the same for
thstp urpose.
The communication reads:
! Under international law. a salute to the
| flag Is defined TO be public acknowledg-
ment of an apology, made to the country
| whose flag Is saluted.
| A flag salute as form OF redress Is
nothing unprecedented in American MS
| tory.
Our navy was required in 1854 to fire
national salute in honor of Brazil, by
| order OF President Lincoln, as part OF
an apology for the violation of Brazilian
| sovereignty involved in the capture Of
the confederate cruiser Florida by the
\ Wochusett within the harbor of Bahia.
I
salute and got II.
Incident at san Salvador.
! In July 1890 the consulate of the Un.tNt
States at San Salvador was violated. oy
! the forces of the provisional government
Mr. Mizner, the American minister. de-
manded an apology, that the flag should
be hoisted In broad daylight by uniformed
| commissioned officer of the provisional
army, and that as the nag was hoisted
a military salute should be paid to II and
money reparation for property destroyed
| The demand was refused and the matter
| came TO President BENJAMIN Harrison,
who referred II to James G. Blaine, then
secretary Of state, who reported that
| THE government of the United states
could not with self respect, have acceptti
| less reparation than Mr.. Miner, the
American minister, had at the time pro-
posed" The Salvadorian government
complied with the demand for apology,
salute to the flag and the payment OF
g, 500 in gold coin as damages.
President Wilson and Secretary Bryan
made the same demand OF a provisional
government, except no damages was
tary Blaine had demanded In the above
case In both cases the fleet arrived;
Salvador complied, Mexico refused.
Under international law, our next step
done by the seizure of Vera Cruz.
The practical application of the salute
to the flag, in case now pending, rests
not only on international law, but upon
the fact that on account of the Huerta
press and telegraph censorship, the Off
cial apology from Huerta might never
be heard by the Mexican people. But the
salute of twenty-one guns would visibly
establish the fact that the dignity to the
American flag and uniform had been
fully redressed.
The TampicO Incident.
The facts of the Tampico incident seem
to put the Huerta government in the
wrong The foreign minister's declaration
that there, was no insult to the United
States flag because there was no flag
carried by Dolphin's boat is obviously un-
true A warship's boat going to shore
on such mission, in time of civil war,
would necessarily carry the flag. Rear
first instance for the statement that the
bluejackets we're actually under the
visible protection OF their flag and Presi-
dent Wilson in his message states that
two flags were carried, one in the bow
and one in the stern. Insofar as the final
refusal of Huerta to salute was based
on the absence OF the United States Rag
from the Dolphin's boat, his case goes by
the board. Conditions being what they
were in Mexico, insistence upon the flag
salute, as demanded by Rear Admiral
Mayo, could scarcely have been waived
by the United States government with
out, in effect notifying all Europe that
our claim under the Monroe doctrine TO
predominant influence in the settlement
of the Mexican difficulties and to
privileged and special guardianship OF
foreign interests in that stricken country
was too far played out to warrant its be-
ing regarded any longer with Difference
or respect. The acquiescence without
protest in Huerta's refusal TO grant the
salute or even our reputation Of Ad-
miral Mayo's demand, must nave signi-
fied to foreign powers that our guardian
ship of their interests in Mexico had be-
come nothing but a mockery.
/ deem 1t proper to say that criticisms
of President Wilson and Secretary w. j.
BRYAN are criticisms of President Iin-
coin, Secretary of State w. H. Seward.
President Harrison and Secretary OF
States James G. Blaine
To my mind it is clear that the action
of President Wilson and Secretary OF
State w. ]. Bryan is in accord with the
precedence Of our country, international
law, and that they should be sustained
by all patriotic citizens.