The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-04-23
ASKS CONGRESS TO APPROVE.
Has Authority to Use Force, but
Seeks Cooperation and Advice.

Washington, April 20.-President
Wilson laid the Mexican situation be-
fore congress to-day in these words:
Gentlemen of the congress:
1T is my duty to call your atten-
ton 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
cooperation in acting upon it. On
the 9Th of April a paymaster of the
U. S. S. Dolphin landed at the 1tur-
bide bridge landing at Tampico with
a whaleboat and boats crew to take
off certain supplies needed by his
ship, and while engaged 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 arm
ed. 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 a
half from the time of the arrest Or
ders were received from the comman-
der of the Huertista forces at Tampl-
co for the release Of the paymaster
and his men. The release was fol-
lowed by apologies from the cong
mander and later by an expression OF
regret by Gen. Huerta himself. Gen.
Huerta urged that martial law OBJ
tanned at the time at Tampico; that
orders had been issued that no one
should be allowed to land at the
Iturbide bridge: and that our sailors
had no right to land there.
Had Not Been Notified.
"Our naval commanders at the
port had not been notified of any
such prohibition; and, even if they
had been, the only justifiable course
open to the local authorities would
have been to request the paymaster
and his crew to withdraw and to
lodge a protest with the command
ing officer of the fleet. Admiral
Mayo regarded the arrest as so SER
ious an affront that he was not sat-
isfied with the apologies offered,
but demanded that the flag of the
United States be saluted with special
ceremony by the military comman-
der of the port.
1.-The incident cannot be regarded
as a, trivial one, especially as two OF
the men. arrested were taken frcE
| 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. Un-
fortunately, it was not an isolated
case. A series of incidents have
recently occurred which cannot but
create the impression that the repre-
sentatives of Gen. Huerta were will
| ing to 20 out of their way to show
disregard for the dignity and rights
of this government and felt perfect
ly safe in doing what they pleased
making free to show in many ways
their irritation and contempt.
Arrested in Uniform.
"A few days after the incident at
Tampico an orderly from the U. 5.
S. Minnesota was arrested at Vera
Cruz while ashore in uniform to OBJ
Cd1Q luG snip LdlI anu "@S IVA -
time thrown into Jail. An official dis
patch from this government to its
embassy at Mexico City was withheld
bv the authorities of the teegraphlc
service until peremptorily demand
ed by our charge d'affaires in per-
son. So far as l can learn, such
wrongs and annoyances have been
suffered to occur only against re-
prcsentatives of the United States.
I 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 it is possible it had been the
object of the Huertista authorities
to create, that the government of the
United States was being singled out,
and might be singled out with i'm
punity for Sights and affronts.
Duty to Sustain Mayo.
THE manifest danger of a situa-
fYh