Omaha daily bee., 1916-08-01

with the capture OF vera CruZ. III
the midst of the greatest danger
to the hundreds of Americans con-
gregated at Tampico, Our ships which
were in the harbor were withdrawn
and our citizens were saved only by
the Intervention OF German officers
and were taken away by British and
German ships. The official excuse OF
the secretary Of the navy is an extra
ordinary commentary. Our ships, it
seems, had been ordered to Vera
Cruz; but, as it appeared that they
were not needed, the order was re-
scinded. Then, we are told, our ad-
miral was faced with this remarkable
dilemma. If he attempted to go up
the river at Tampico and take our citi-
zens aboard, the word Of aggressive
action as the secretary called it
would have spread to the surround
ing country and it was almost Ger
tain that reprisals on American citi-
zens would have followed, and lives
would have been lost We had so in
censed the Mexicans that we could
not rescue our own citizens at Tam
pico, save at the risk of the murder Of
others. We must take Vera Cruz to
get Huerta out OF office and trust to
other nations to get our own citizens
out of peril. What travesty of in
ternational policy!
Debauch Of Anarchy Follows.
Destroying the government Of
| Huerta, we left Mexico to the raw
ages OF revolution. | shall not at
tempt to narrate the sickening story OF
the barbarities committed, OF the car.
nival OF murder and lust We were
then told that Mexico was entitled
to spill as much blood as she pleased
to settle her affairs. The administra-
ton vacillated with respect to the
embargo on the export OF arms and
munitions to Mexico. Under the res
olution of 1912, President Taft had
laid such an embargo. In August,
1918, President Wilson stated that he
deemed it his duty to see that neither
side to the struggle in Mexico should
receive any assistance from this side
of the border, and that the export
Of all arms and munitions to Mexico
would be forbidden. But in February,
1914, the embargo was lifted. In
April, 1914, the embargo was restored
In May, 1914, it was explained that
! the embargo did not apply to Ameri-
can shipments through Mexican ports
and ammunition for Carranza was
subsequently landed at Tampico. In
September, 1914, the embargo was
lifted on exports across the border;
thereupon military supplies reached
both Villa and Carranza. In October
1915, an embargo was declared on all
exports Of arms except to the adher'
ents OF Carranza. There was an utter
absence Of consistent policy.
Between Villa and Carranza.
For time we bestowed friendship
on Villa. Ultimately we recognized
Carranza, not on the ground that hi
had constitutional government, but
} that ii was de facto government
The complete failure to secure pro
. lection to American citizens is showr
. conclusively in the note Of the secre
tary of state OF June 20, 1916, in which
Il he thus described the conditions tina
have obtained during the last thre,
, years: 53't
"'For three years the Mexican re
. public has been torn with civil strife
the lives OF Americans and othel
aliens have been sacrificed; vast prop
critics developed by American capita
and enterprise, have been destroyed
or rendered non-productive; bandits
have been permitted to roam at will
through the territory contiguous t.
the United States, and to seize with
out punishment or without effectiv,
attempt at punishment, the propert,
of Americans, while the lives of citi
zens OF the United States who ven
tured to remain in Mexican territor,
. or to return there to protect their in
terest have been taken in SOM
cases, barbarously taken, and tn
murderers have neither been appre
hended nor brought to justice
1t would be tedious to recount in
stance after instance, outrage afte
! outrage, atrocity after atrocity, to II
lustrate the true nature and extent O
the widespread conditions of lawless
: ness and violence which have pre-
: vailed
Massaeres Fresh In Mind.
{ "The Santa Ysabel massacre, tn
: raid ut Columbus, the bloodshed a
Carrizal are fresh In your minds. Afte
the Columbus raid we started a pun
ftive expedition We sent a thin lin
Of troops hundreds Of miles into Mex
leo, between two lines of railwa,
J, neither OF which we were allowed I
use, and which we did not feel a
I liberty to seize. We were refuse
/ permission to enter the towns
/ Though thus restricted, the enterpris
was still regarded by the Mexican
!; as menace. Our troops faced no.
y tile forces and it is not remarkabl
l. that our men fell at Carrizai. Whs
+ other result could be expected w
J. were virtually ordered to Withdraw
, and without accomplishing our pul
e pose we have been withdrawing an
l. we are now endeavoring to safeguar
2 our own territory. The entire nation
II guard has been ordered out and man
. thousands of citizens have been tai
= en- from their peaceful employment
p and hurried to the Mexican borde
J. The administration was to seize an
e punish Villa for his outrage on o,
, soil. II has not punished any on,
y we went in only to retire, and futul
AZ movements are apparently to be d
Il termined by joint commission.
y What We Wish for Mexico.
+ "The nation has no policy Of a,
w gression toward Mexico. We have 1
"a desire for any part Of her territor
Il We wish her to have peace, stabili
re and prosperity. We should be reat