Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-08-01

upon the President went TO Congress,
asking authority to use the armed
forces of the United States.
Without waiting for the passage OF
the resolution, Vera Cruz was seized.
1t appeared that a shipload of ammu-
milton for Huerta was about TO enter
that port. There was q natural op-
position to this invasion and a battle
occurred, in which nineteen Americans
and more than 100 MeMcans were
killed. This, of course, was war. Our
dead soldiers were praised for dying
like heroes in a war of service.
Later We retired from Vera Cruz,
giving up this noble warfare. We had
not obtained the salute which was de-
manded. We had not obtained repair
alton for affronts. The ship with am
munition which could not land at Vera
Cruz had soon landed at another port,
and its cargo was delivered to Huerta
without interference. Recently the
naked truth was admitted by a cabinet
officer. We are now informed that
I'VE did not go to Vera Cruz to force
Huerta to salute the flag We are
told that we went there Ito show Mex
leo that we were in earnest in our de-
mand that Huerta must 60" That is,
we seized Vera Cruz to depose Fuerta.
The question of the salute was q mere
preteXt.
Failed to Protect Citizens
to secure protection for the etaointa
Meanwhile, the administration ut
terly failed TO perform its obvious duty
to secure protection for the lives and
property of our citizens. 1t is most
unworthy to>-slur those who have in
Vestments in Mexico i'll order to escap
a condemnation for the nonperform-
ance of this duty. There can be no
such escape, for we have no debate,
and there can be no debate, as to the
existence of this duty on the part of
our government.
Let me quote the word of the Demo-
cratic platform of 1912: The consti-
tutional rights of American citizens
should protect them on our borders,
and go with them throughout the
world, and every American citizen re-
siding or having property in any for
eign country is entitled to and must be
given the full protection of the United
States government, both for himself
and his property
The bitter hatred aroused by the
course of the administration multiplied
outrages, while our failure to afford
protection to our citizens evoked the
scorn and contempt of AIeXicans. Con-
slider the ignominious incident at Tam
pico in connection with the capture of
Vera Cruz.
IN the ullQSL OF the greatest OdnEeF
to hundreds of Americans congregated
at Tampico our ships, which were in
the harbor. were withdrawn and our
citizens were saved only by the inter-
vention of German officers and were
taken away by British and German
ships.
The official excuse of the secretary
of the navy is an extraordinary COM
mentary Our ships. it seems, had
Haz zv41n n Iv,N .
appeared that they were not needed,
the order was rescinded., Then, we are
told. our admiral was faced with this
remarkable dilemma: If he attempt
ed to 90 up the river at Tampico and
take our citizens on board, the word
of aggressive action as the secre-
tary called it. would have spread to
the surrounding country" and is as
almost certain that reprisals on
American citizens would have followed
and lives would have been lost"
Had to Rely on Other Nations
We had so incensed the MeXicans
that we could not rescue our own citi-
zens at Tampico, 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 ira
vesty of international policy.
Destroying the government of Huer-
ia. we left Mexico to the raVages of
revolution. I shall not attempt to mar
rate the sickening story of the barbara
ties committed, of the carnival of mur-
der and lust. We were then told that
Mexico was entitled to spill as much
blood as she pleased to settle her af-
fairs The administration vacillated
with respect to the embargo on the ex-
port of arms and munitions to Mexico.
Under the resolution of 1912, Presi-
rent 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 sub
sequently landed at Tampico. In Sep
tember. 1914, the embargo was lifted
on exports across the border; there
upon military supplies reached both
Villa and CarranZa. In October, 1915,