The Sentinel=record., 1914-02-28

The governors statement follows
 The Associated Press dispatches from Washington, referring to my tel.
 egram of yesterday. addressed to the
 president concerning conditions on
 the TeXas-Mexican border. make the
 following statement.
 A similar sitaution arose in Tex
 as in February. 1912, and February.
 1913, when border troubles caused
 Gov. Colquitt to declare ae might send
 Texas rangers into Mexico either to
 prevent firing into American terri tory or protect Americans
 And again the Associated Press dispatch from Washington says
 When, on February 24. 1913. Gov. Colquitt ordered four companies of militia to Brownsville, the war de- partment telegraphed Gen. Steever, then in command of the departmen, of Texas, Under no circumstances 10 permit their crossing the river eX- cept under specific orders of the sec retary of war
 The statements quoted above are positively untrue, insofar as they al lege that l nave threatened to send rangers or state militia into Mexico
 q did send a telegram in 1912 to the president asking him to prevent the Mexican reyolutionists and fed erals at Juarez from shooting into El Paso, Tex. and thus endangering the lives of Texas people And in that telegraphic correspondence I stated that if the federal government did not take steps to protect the Texas people. that l would. And l gave or ders 10 my adjutaut general to he ready to proceed with state troops to El Paso for that purpose.
 'I knew that had no authority to invade Mexico and was not foolish enough to make much a threat But if the Mexicaas stood on their side and shot down Texans, the state or Texas certainly would have the right to have afforded these Texans all the protection that could be lawfully given them.
 "Tn February. 1913, after the Amer ican consul at Matamoras had tele- phoned to the captain of the ranger company 9. Brownsville, and also to the county judge and sheriff of Cam ,ron. Tex, regarding the threats Of inc Mexican troops against Americans io Matomoros. and their demand for s2o 600 by q given hour Of the night' these public officials called upon me to nrotect the people of Texas living in Brownsville
 aRecognizing 1t to be the duty ot the federal government to afford this nrotection. communicated the tele- gram received from the captain of the militia company at Brownsville to Gen. Steever at Fort Sam Houston' San Antonio. Subsequently, when reouest came to me from the county irdqe and sheriff of Cameron coun- tv Brownsville being the county seat thereof, appealing to me to protect the people of taat vicinity against disorder in Matamoros and probable violence in Brownsville, immediately called up Gen Steever and read to him the telegram of the county judge and sheriff
 or asked Gen. Steever if he could mt send federal troops to Browns vile to give the protection which the county judge and sheriff asked Tor. Al that time the nearest federal troops to Brownsville were at Fort Mcintosh. near Laredo which is ap' 2S0 miles from Browns- vtlla bv rail. He advised me over he telephone that. in pursuance or my request for better patrol on the border he had asked the war permission three weeks nrior to tAis time to send troops to but that his request had mi been acted upon Whereupon l n oddreesed Gen. Steeyer that the sit nation at Brownsville and Matamoros seemed dangerous and that l would undertake to give the protection my self,
 q then called the adiutant general ,f the state of Texas to my office ana directed that two cavalry and two in- faptrv companies of the Texas na- tionaI guard be sent to Brownsville without delay, by special train. My determination being to defend anu nrotect the people of this state, whom | considered the national government to be neglecting.
 "It was never my intention 10 or der or permit the Texas troops to qo beyond the borders of this state. But they were Instructed to the run extent of their ability to take care CT tbe Texas people whom they had been sent to defend
 "The telegram of the captain or inc national guard at BroWnsVlile stated that the American consul had communicated with him by telephone and asked if the American consulate was attacked, if he, the captain or tha Texas national guard would cross
 ,a o-ive him and the con.