The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-04-29
TALKS TO congress
PRESIDENT WILSON TELLS THEM
OF MEXICAN SITUATION
Wants TO AVOID War

Says That the People Of This Coun-
try Have Deep Friendship for the
People Of Mexico, and Are Possess.
essed of No Wish to Maddle In
Mexican Affairs.
President Wilson laid the Mexican
situation before congress Monday in
these words:
Gentlemen of the congress: 1t is
my duty to call your attention to a
situation which has arisen in our
dealings with Gen. Victoriano Huerta
at Mexico City which calls for action,
and to ask your advice and co-opera-
tion in acting upon it. On the 9th Of
April paymaster of the United
States steamship Dolphin landed at
the Iturbide bridge landing at Tam
pico with a whaleboat and boats
crew to take off certain supplies
lneeded by his ship, and while engag-
ed in loading the boat was arrested
by an officer and squad OF men Of the
army Of Gen. Huerta. 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 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. The 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 re-
ceived from the commander OF the
Huertista forces at Tampico for the
release OIL INC pdSWdSlef.
Tried to Apologize.
"The release was followed by apol-
ogies from the commander and later
by an expression Of regret by Gen.
Huerta himself. Gen. Huerta Sed
that martial law obtained at the time
at 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
prohibition; and, even il they had
been, the only justihable course open
to the loyal authorities would have
been to request the paymaster and
his crew to withdraw and lodge q
protest with the commanding officer
of the fleet. Admiral Mayo regarded
the arrest as so serious an affront
that he was not satisfied with the
apologies but demanded that the flag
of the United States be saluted with
special ceremony by the military COM
mander Of the port.
"The incident can not be regarded
as trivial one. especially as two Of
the men arrested were taken from
the boat itself-that is to say, from
the territory Of the United States;
but had it stood by itself it might
have been attributed to the ignorance
or arrogance Of a single officer. IN
fortunately, it was not an isolated
case. A series of incidents have re-
Gently occurred which can not but
create the impression that the repre-
sentatiyes of Gen. Huerta were will
ing to go out Of their way to show
disregard for the dignity and rights
Of this government and felt perfectly
safe in doing what they pleased, max
! ing free to show in many ways their
irritation and contempt. A few days
after the incident at Tampico an or
derIy from the United States steam
ship Minnesota was arrested at Vera
Cruz while ashore in uniform to OBJ
tain the ships mail and was for
time thrown into Jail. An official
dispatch from this government to it's
embassy at Mexico City was withheld
by the authorities of the telegraphic
service until peremptorily demanded
by our charge d'affaires in person.
So far as I can learn, such wrongs
and annoyances have been suffered to
occur only against representatives OF
the United States. I have heard Of
no complaints from other govern
ments of similar treatment. Subse-
quent explanations and apologies did
not and could not alter the popular
impression, which it is possible it had
been the object Of the Huertista
authorities to create, that the govern
ment of the United States was being
singled out and might be singled out
with immunity for Sights and af-
fronts in retaliation for its refusal to
recognize the pretensions Of Gen.
| Huerta to be regarded as lne consul
tutional provisional president Of the
republic Of Mexico.
Might Grow Worse.
"The manifest danger Of such a sit
uation was that such offenses might
grow from bad to worse until some
thing happened of so gross and in
tolerable a sort as to lead directly
and inevitably to armed conflict. 1t
was necessary that the apologies Of
Gen. Huerta and his representatives
should go much further, that they
should be such as to attract the at
tention of the whole population to
their significance, and such as to i'm
press upon Gen. Huerta himself the
necessity of seeing to it that no fur