Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-05-14
DANIELS READS RIOT
ACT TO REFUGEES Who
COMPLAINED OF MAYO
" Rescue Had Not Been Left to Brit
ish Officers. Massacre of For-
eisners Would Have Re-
suited, He Says.

Washington, May IA delegation CT
American citizens from Tampico called
On Secretary of the Navy Daniels this
afternoon and denounced the admins
tration's Mexican policy. These men
Will call on Secretary of State Bryan
and lay their grievances before him.
Secretary Daniels Informed his call
ers they ought to be happy they got
off with their lives. He said they had
gone to Mexico to get big profits and
they shouldn't expect the United States
to look after them if they didn't stay
at home.
They told Secretary Daniels if that
was the view of the Washington adj
m~inistration they were ashamed of
their American citizenship.
Furthermore, the delegation accused
Rear Admiral Mayo of cowardice, be-
cause he steamed out of Tampico and
left them to the mercy of the Mexicans,
after this country had ordered the seiz-
urc of Vera Cruz.
Secretary Daniels told them they
didn't know what they were talking
about; If Rear Admiral Mayo hadn't
steamed away they would all be dead:
and If Tampico had been seized many
more would have been killed also.
Secretary Daniels callers were w. l..
Lucas. spok esman for the refugees; j.
B. Wood. H. w. Dixon, H. G.. Kerren,
IL N. colo, w. VI. IIoltSoi 1ild LII. w.
M. Turner.
New Light on Incident.
Mr.. Daniels asserted that the course
of the government had made it pos
sible to bring all Americans out OF the
Tampico district in safety, and that its
first efforts always had been to protect
lives first, although property interests
had not been disregarded.
The statement threw new light on
NY 4Nf tho Two, ~ @ ~ That II - NJ
guided the department in its actions,
and that Admiral Mayo re-
Trained from sending his ships into the
river at Tampico to bring out Ameri-
cans only Upon the urgent request of
the British naval commander there.
who asked that for the sake of all for
eigners he be allowed to AXE the
Americans.
The American vessels We're with
drawn from Tampico in the first place,
h secretary said, because it was
thought their presence at Vera Cruz
would be essential. Later, he explained,
it would have been impossible for Mayo
to have gone into the river with his
ships to rescue refugees.
Even had it been possible, however,
continued the statement, "unde cover
of the guns of the ships available to
have brought these refugees in the
city of Tampico, itself safely or board,
WoTu Oh aggressive acton by the Am
orleans would have spread to the sur
rounding country far swifter than any
relief expedition could have Travelled to
their rescue, and it is almost certain
that reprisal on American citizens
woul nave followed and lives would
have followed and lives would have
been lost. So clear was this that the
captain of the British man of war earn
estly advised Admiral Mayo not to
send any ships back to Tampico, basing
his recommendation on his judgment
that it would be precarious, thai it
would only result in the loss of life.
$50 earnest was the British captain.
n so confident of this, that he Of
fered to undertake the work of collect
Ing all of the refugees and taking them
out to our ships if WE would only re-
Train from further arousing sentiment,
which was nearly at white heat at that
time, by sending our ships up the
river