The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1914-12-03
A Gruesome Record

The withdrawal OF our forces from
Vera Cruz Is spoken OF as an evacua'
ton. Strictly speaking, it was an
abandonment. We did not deliver the
town to anybody. We simply march
ed out and sailed away. Whatever
fsctiopal army is nearest at hand Will
seize the place. II two or more bands
Of parti,ans chance TO be in the neigh
borhood, they will fight for it,
Assuming that there ever was suiti-
cent reason for our occupation OF The
Mexican seaport, now can its relin-
ouishment now be explained?
We entered Vera Cruz by way OF
Tam pico, where, April 10 last, boat
crew from the United States ship Dol
phin was arrested and thrown into a
police station.
We entered Vera Cruz also by way OF
the enlarged Monroe Doctrine, for, to
keep European Powers out OF Ameri'
can broils, we had to go bail for the
Mexicans.
We entered Vera Cruz, furthermore,
because we knew that two or three
German ships with arms and ammuni-
ton were nearing that port.
We entered Vera Cruz, finally, as
President Wilson has said on two mem
orable occasions once in his address to
Congress, April 20 last and again in
his eulogy OF our dead at Vera Cruz in
New York, May II last-"to serve man
k ind, II we can find out the way"
When, in response to orders from
Washington fully sanctioned by Con-
gress, Admiral Fletcher took posses
sion Of Vera Cruz, April q, he killed
more than one hundred inhabitants and
lost about twenty of his own men. The
landing resulted primarily from :he re-
iusal AZ Gen. Huerta TO salute our flag
in PREPARATION for the Tampico incident
Gen. Funston relieved Admiral Flet.
cher OF command April 20.
April % Brazil, Argentina, and Chile
had offered mediation which we had
accepted. The various commissioners
met at Niagara Falls May IS. AL
though we at first insisted upon bav-
ing voice in the settlement OF Mex
ico's domestic troubles, we finally, June
%, signed protocols providing not only
that the selection OF Provisional and
a constitutional President be left who'll
ly to the Mexcans and guaranteeing
our recognition OF these officers when
chosen, but we subscribed to the pledge
tn It 1.-THE Government of the United
States will not in any form whatsoever
claim war indemnity or other inter
national satisfaction" from Mexico.
BY this engagement we wiped out the
indignity TO the flag at Tampico.
Meanwhile the German ships Ypi-
ranga and Bavaria, loaded with NUM-
tions OF war for Gen. Huerta, finding
conditions at Vera Cruz unsatisfactory,
made for the harbor Of Puerto Mexico,
where they discharged their cargoes.
We had not seized that port as we had
Vera Cruz, and no one at Washington
ever sugl ested its seizure. BY that
negligence we nullified all that had
been done in a practical military way
at Vera Cruz.
We come now to the larger inter-
national aspects of the case. Gen.
Huerta aed July Is and was succeeded
by Gen Carba jail, who also fled when
Gen. Carranza appeared, August 10,
and Gen Carranza fed few days ago
when Gen. Gutierrez, named by the
came upon the scene, and
Gen. Gutierrez is now missing, With
Gen. Blanco is command, and the one
hope OF stability is in Gen. Villa, who
has not yet arrived. We still have
ships AZ Vera Cruz, but as Gen. Fun
ston's transport vanish, what must be
the feeling OF foreigners 10 the City Of
Mexica who have depended upon us for
protectionp--New York World