The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1914-05-14

q AHt'Ak4# WINS Aitt sHAtfNshAf - tfAFNeAt y
jttatcd tAe demand 81 Adniira
Mayo. afa again negotiations wcr
resumed between the state Depart
s n.ent and thc Huerta Goycmnlcn,
( Meantime Tho text Of Admlra
daysS demand was supprt sacd re
{ pcated requests Tor il at Washing
{ toH were denied This gave Hucrt'
I another opportunity 70 put the VII
} SON Administration in a ridiculous
light From Mexico City came thu
announcement that liuerta woulC
r.micr the salute, provided Il wal
J returned. To return such a salute
in aeknawlod cement OF the apology
rendered is Ia strict accord witt
naval etiquette. II is provided foi
ii naval regulations. The original
demand Of Admiral Mayo stated
that his ship would return the sa-
lute. But II was embarrassing to
have lluerta appear 20 inject THIS
/. condition into his compliance with
/. the American demand. To show the
absuplity Of Huerta's pretended con
dition, the State Department finally
rave out the text Of Admiral Mayo s
ldemand
The Salute
To prolong negotiations Huerta then
asked that the salute be returned gun
for gun; this was refused He then
submitted through his Minister for
Foreign Affairs protocol outlining
the time at which the salute should
/ be fired, and providing that il should
be returned in strict accord with naval
usage. This protocol complied IN
every particular with the original de-
mand Of Admiral Mayo, To sign
such document could not possibly
/ have constituted recognition. II would
have amounted to nothing more than
an exchange of notes. This is the
view Of every experienced diplomatist
! in Washington. Ii is the opinion held
| by Senator Root whom many regard
as the greatest Secretary Of State
since Webster II is the view Of
Senator Lodge the senior member Of
the Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations. Without consultation with
any except Secretary Bryan and John
Lind. the President refused Huerta a
protocol and instead sent another
ultimatum 10 Mexico City giving
Huerta until the following Sunday
night to fire the salute, and then left |
town over Sunday.
The President to Congress
Six O'Clock of Sunday passed and |
no salute was fired or promised. In
the meantime we see the humiliat.
ing spectacle Of the Secretary Of /
State appealing TO European gov
onments to urge Huerta TO "give
in" There was nothing for the Presi-
dent to do but make good his threat
and 20 TO Congress This he did and
read message that recited his recent
grievances against General Huerta.
lie asked Congress in Joint session to
"justify" him in Furnishing, not de
facto government which we have re-
recognized as such, but one
man, Victoriano Huerta.
In these latter days Congress has
been overshadowed Much if not all
of its initiative has been swallowed
up by an all-supreme Chief Exeeu-
tive. But in this instance the Sen
ate made one last stand The Pres
ident's request was more than the
self.respcct Of Congress, or at least
one branch Of it, would stand. The
Senate Committee on Foreign Re-
lations struck out all reference to ,
Huerta in the resolution passed by ,,
the House. Led by Lodge and Root,
4 determined effort was made to
have a preamble adopted which !.
would furnish some real ground for
lighting, but the White House sound :,
ID the call TO close ranks, and by a
party vote the preamble was lost, The i
lame of Huerta, however, had been :
and the nation thus saw
ID from the humiliation Of practical
y declaring war against one man. 1
A White House Failing
at is worth while pausing here to n
tote that the President wrote his mes b
age and had the justifying resolution II
Irafted without any conference with S
he Senate Committee on Foreign Re n
atoms. That committee has in the a
'ast been non-partisan in considering n
uch grave questions Of foreign q
'olicy. They were ready to help the u
President in this emergency. The u
resident has never really consulted y
hem since the Mexico matter was un o
er consideration. Even the few u
ines lac has sent for them it has been e'
D say in schoolmaster fashion what e.
c has decided on and that he ex- q
ects them to line up with him. If d
here were anyone in Washington b
r elsewhere to whom the President ~
,ould listen except Mr.. Bryan and 3,
ohm Lind il would be uncommon 81
God fortune both for the President II
nd the nation. The President is by 81
ature most suspicious and this has di
asulted in the shunting away by his al
&c to say what he really thinks to d
le President. No occupant Of the NJ
White House in many years has been RI
D guarded from criticism or differing N
Jews as President Wilson. Those q
'ho see him generally tell him what al
G likes to hear From those who ad- si
ire him but differ from him at times. b'
he President is protected. Indeed he $
almost isolated. Washington, even "
he fricndliest section, admits this q
, be a White House failing Of the W
resent day. ~
The Vera Cruz Blunder 10
But the President, say his friends, y,
ever tolerated any frank criticism at Y
rinceton and he likes il even less to ~
ay. While his resolution was being y
II into reasonable and dignified form p
the Senate, indeed while the debate %
us in process, we had blundered into y
ar at Vera Cruz. Between midnight Y
nd morning Of Tuesday of last week y.
le Navy Department received a =
lbegram from Admiral Fletcher at eee
era Cruz OF the approach Of the ~
amburg- American ship Yipiraga Y
ith 200 machine guns. 10000 rifles w
nd 100000 rounds Of ammunition. o
he President WIS aroused from ae
eep and the eablegram was read w
him over the telephone. Seize rl
ID custom house, was the order ~
. gave then and there. The Pres. "
ent consulted only with Mr.. Bryan la'
ID Mr.. Daniels Had rot John Lind %
en assuring him for week that ~
IRA Cruz could be taken without the ~
IS of life and probably without the al
ing Of gun? Had not JOHN Lind -
"a ~ 4ksa rkfufoaa ~ ettur.ff.a rs.ah