Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-10-20
Truth About Tnunpico

THOSE questions put up to our CORES
pendent whose communication appears
III another column, merely furnish another
illustration OF the fallibiity OF human mem
DRY. The Mexican incident. which forms the
subject OF one OF his inquiries. occurred no
longer a go than the spring of December. | 81!
yet the affair has been distorted by dis
ingenious accounts that many ordinarily
well-informed men have forgotten the facts
Rear-Admiral Mayo's recently published
statement Of the Tampico incident and its
Developments should forever eradicate all
doubt as to those facts. but even without his
statement the situation that then existed
never Warranted the charge. repeate 10 our
correspondent, that president Wilson sent
United States marines and warships to Vera
Cruz to make the bandit Huerta salute the
United States flag and then when the
flag was not saluted. the feet was with
drawn
sailors at Tampico by Eluerta troops caused
the demand that F1uerta. or the Huerta gov
eminent, salute the American flag 1t is to
be emphasized however. that the demand was
made by Admiral Mayo. not by the President
though he properly sustained the action OF
the naval commander. When danger became
imminent at Tampico, Admiral Mayo rescued
more than 100 Americans and did not with
draw until every American had been saved
1t was at Vera Cruz that United States ma
rines were killed There the Huerta govern
ment was in control. Huerta had not
snluted the flag and the President had refused
to recognize that drunken Indian as
MeXicos President. Concentrating his forces
at Vera Cruz. Admiral Fletcher who was in
general command in Mexican waters, stormed
and took the city. and it was during that oc-
cupation that our marines were killed Our
forces remained in Vera Cruz unit. iIuerta
was fugitive. and when the fleet was finally
Withdrawn the iIuerta government was no
longer in existence. Hence. insistrncc on
salute from Huerta was literally out of the
question.
AS to the charge that the punitive cxpcdi-
uon was sent into Mexico under pcrshinc
and yet Mexico was mot held TO account" i,
was clear that the Mexican government was
not to he held formally to account for the
crimes OF individual bandits Villa was pur-
sued by our forces, without intent to hold
Mexico to account, but with the expressed
desire TO cooperate with its government
General Pershing is only bottled up' in
the sense that he has disposed his troops
where they can best protect the American
border from bandit attacks And the fur
Their charge that Mcxico-as represented bv
the Carranza government not held to
account for the ''massacr Gre of our troons
presumably at Carrzal, is simply not based
on facts Mexico held to account and
an ultimatum was delivered which resulted
In Carranza's Welding to the Presidents de-
mands
Nor is Carranza representative of a "crowd
or bandits he is the recognized President
Of the Mexican republic The policy of
President Wilson toward him and his dis
tracted country is. not to crush and ruin. but
to help and upbuid; and with this policy of
hopetulhess and helpfulness the better
'houeht or ms country is in accord.