The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-03-12
TOUGH PROBLEMS
70 BE SOLVED
Cabinet Meeting Today Dis
cusses Mexican Situation
and Developments in
- the Eitel Case.
AVE DANGER ARISES
An American Assassinated In Mexico
City, While .Legalized Piracy"
on the High Seas is
Still Goinss on.
/ by John Edwin Nevin, United Press
STAFF CnrreSpnndent j

1 By John Edwin Nevin, United Press
4 STAFF Correspondent
WASHINGTON, March 12.-The
! Mexican situation and developments
growing out of the arrival of the
Prinz Eitel Friedrich at Newport News
crowded everything else to the back
ground at today's cabinet meeting.
The wanton killing of John B. Nc
Manus, a former Chicagoan, by Zap
.atistas alarmed the president and his
advisors. 1t was felt this act indi-
Gated that zapata might prove a real
source of danger in control of Mexico
i City, despite the prompt disavowal and
promise of punishment made by him
! to Senior Cordoba, the Brazilian min
lister. who is looking after American
Interests.
/ Tho cabinet decided that the United
States will insist on summary punish
ment of all of the soldiers responsible
and that Zapata shall agree to protect
all foreigners.
The grave danger according to the
iadvices presented to the cabinet by
il Secretary Bryan, is that Zanata viii
mot be able to. eeutrol his own troops.
4 However. tie belief was current that
j he would have material assistance
j troops to Mexico City to cooperate
with Zapata to help hold it..
As far as the Prinz Eitel Friedrich
is concerned. the United States will
demand comrlete satisfaction for the
sinking of the Wm P. Frye. 1t was
agreed at the cabinet meeting that
.lGermany eventually would accept com
pIete responsibility for this act ani
i ,pl- 2osa Jr, r =
is expected that in this connection
opportunity to plead Justification in
that the allies are trying to starve
Iher out and that in sinking the Frye,
the Eitel was making q just reprisal.
| 1t is understood that the cabinet
Injecting agreed the United States mutt
make the sinking of the Frye an i'm
mediate issue and not allow it to drag
along interminably.
! Tt affords the first concrete case
! where the government can define its
absolute adherence of what this gov
fernment has not hesitated to charac-
terize as 'legalized piracy the
wanton destruction of merchant ves-
isels by the belligerent powers and the
interference with neutral vessels pro.
| ceeding to and from neutral ports.
| Therefore it will be made the reason
for definite declaration by the Unit
}et States of its position regarding the
| doctrine of the right of might on the
high seas.
! Secretary Bryan reported to the
I; cabinet meeting the last word recefv-
led from England and France concern
ing their planned blockade against
! Germany He is understood to have
4 made it plain that there is no present
! likelihood that a definite agreement can
/ be reached without protracted negotia-
!, tions.
Eitei VIII Intern.
| WASHINGTON. March 12-That
the German converted cruiser Prinz
Eitel Friedrich will intern at Newport
News was the concensus of opinion
among government officials here today.
/ Experts describe the vessel as
|"all in'-wholly unseaworthy and be-
iyond even repair which would not in
lvolve practically complete rebuilding.
i Nobody believed, however. that de-
cision to intern would be announced
ispeeiily. Instead it is surmised that
irepairs will be made and coal and
iprovision taken on and perhaps
start made for the open sea before
ihope Of escape is abandoned. AS
sistant Secretary of the Treasury
Peters who in Secretary McAdoo's
ILLNESS of appendicitis. was acting rs
head of the department, conferred To-
day with the president CONCERNING the
lsinking of the American sailing yes
sci Frye by the Eitel.
AS a result of their talk, orders
were sent to Collector of the Port
Hamilton, at Newport News, to secure,
in addition to the sworn statement Of
the Frye's master. the story of every
member of his crew, as well as the
version of the Eitels commander
The former was exrected in Wash
ington Saturday and it was thought
likely the German officer would also
visit the capital, in which event,
should he wish to make a statement,
Peters and Counsellor Lansing of tho
state department will go over the