Mountain advocate., 1914-04-24


to a situation which has arisen In our
dealings with Gen. Vietoriano Huerta
at Mexico City which calls for action,
and to ask your advice and eo-opera.
tion in acting upon II. On the 9th Of
April a paymsster Of the v. S. s. Dol.
phin landed at the lturbide bridge
landing at TampIeo with a whaleboat
and boats crew to take off certain
supplies 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. o..
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 il 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.
The officer who made the arrest
vas 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
zig ~
the arrest orders were received from
the commander Of Huertista forces at
Tampico for the release Of the pay
master and his men.
"The release was followed by apoi-
oqies from the commander, and later
by an expression Of regret by Gen.
Ruerta himself. Gen. Huerta urged
that martial law obtained at the time
al Tampico, that orders. had been is
sued that no one should be allowed
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 pro-
hibition, and even IL they had been,
the only JustiHable course open to the
local authorities would have been to
request the paymaster and his crew
to withdraw and to lodge protest
with the commanding officer Of the
fleet.
adm. 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 Uni.
ted States be saIuted with special GER
emory by the military Commander Of
the port.
1.-THE Incident can not be regarded
as trivial one, especially as two Of
the men arrested we're taken from the
boat itself-that is to say. from the
territory Of the United States; but
had it stood by itself, Il might have
been attributed to the Ignorance or
arrogance Of a single officer. unfor-
turately, it was not an isolated case.
"a series Of incidents recently has
taken place which can not but create
the impression that the representa-
tiSes Of. Con. ,Huefta we're willing to
90 out ot'their way to show disregard
for the dignity and rights Of this gov
eminent, and felt perfectly safe in do
inc what thsE pleased, making free
to; show in many ways their irritation
"A few days after the incident at
Tampico an orderly from the U. S. S.
Minnesota was arrested at Vera Cruz
white ashore in uniform TO obtain the
shte's mail, and was for a time
thrown into Jail. An official dispatch
from this government to its embassy
at Mexico City was withheld by the
authorities OF the telegraphlc service
until peremptoriiy demanded by our
charge d'sffaires in person.
% sc SoH sun "'S'S
and annoyances have been suffered
to occur only against representatives
Of the United States.
81 have heard Of no complaints from
other governments Of similar treat
ment. Subsequent explanations and
formal apologies did not and could
not alter the popular impression,
which II is possible it had been the
object OF the Huertists authorities to
ereate-that the government Of the
United States was being singled out,
and might be singled out with impu'
nifty, for sights and affronts in re-
latlon for it's refusal to recognize the
pretentions Of General Jhuerta to be
regarded as the Constitutional Pro-
vlsionsi President Of the Republic Of
Mexico.
1 IL