INTERVENTION IN MEXICO.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14975, 23 May 1914, Page 12

INTERVENTION IN MEXICO.

NEWS B\' MAIL

AMERICAN PUBLIC UXEXCITED

(FROM , OTTR OWN CORBESrOXnEXT. , )

SAX FRANCISCO, April 27

Armed intervention by tho United States in tho affairs of Mexico, tho drama tic reversal of President Wilson's policy of "watchful waiting." finds the mass of the American people:cool, nnexcited. : The term apathetic might almost be applied to. their, calm demeanour in-face of tho fact that well-nigh the entire naval, force, of the nation has been sent-against Mexico, and a largo portion,of the available military forces is being entrained with all speed to. tho border. The prevailing view seems to be ,that. a high, serious • duty/ has been imposed upon this nation by tho-reckless, defiance of "the -dictator: Huerta. No glory ; is looked for. There is an utter absence of tho "rally round tho flag" sentiment, that usually accompanies the marching of a nation's troops to-armed conflict. . Jingoism, niuch as- ihe ; Hearst newspapers are striving.to excite "it, cannot bo aroused against, the stricken, rebeilTon-ravaged, insolvent. Mexico. :The nation refuses to.vbecome enraged.,.- . •

'As. good an illustration as -any other of -the 'busihess-like,vunenthusiastic attitude lof the people is found 'in the silence withYwhich ,they ; watch : tbe solmatch, iaway;. . ~Two : thousand fccoops through the streets of San Francisco", -' bands playing, - the soldiers armed- with all the; accoutrements of, war, on Friday; of. last week, proceeding from the military "reservation to;.the railway: yards,, where Ithey entrained.for: the .Mexican border.' There was little, if any, cheering. No crowds lined .the streets. Scarcely any, interest, to say nothing of enthusiasm", was evinced. It riiust have been, one. of the-tamest leave-takings on record - of troops bound for active >BervTC3. As' on©" newspaper remarks, judging b.r the number of those watching bulletin boards, tie -trouble-with Mexico does riot excite, half the interest of; an ordinary.'basebairgame. ' : ■ , • This is riot to say that does'not\ support President- "Wilson in his demonstration.< against Huerta. . XJn-. ■aoubtedly, there: is a big mass of opinion that believes he has: exercised exemplary ; patience", in*, his''treatment 'of the dictator whose treachery and murder brought- him {o the crest of Mexican affaire. '\ It is , felt that he was justified in■ demanding' a salute.to the , American. flag after ; it had : been insulted'by the arrest of American marines upon landing from a boat from which that flag was flying, aijd it. is felt he did right in exacting reprisals by seizing Vera Cruz, .Mexico'^-chief port, -after , the reparation demanded had been refused., There are those * who • hold' that the Mexicans should Kβ left severely' alone,, not- interfered with even when they defy $ international rights, just as there are. those who hold.that, the bounden duty, of the United States is to march' into the neighbouring. republic, overthrow\the Government, and annex the entire : territory as part. of- the United States. But both of these factions are in a. "minprity; to-day. AtVthe^same'"time; there is an un- , deriving sentiment .■ that the ultimate outcome of the trouble niay be the incorpof&tion of a 1 portion of Mexico into the United States. President "Wilson's explicit disavowal of any intention on the'part of the 'nation to seize territory is taceeptedvas made in all sincerity. .Nevertheless, many people be- | lieve the developments will /force on a I condition % of actual warfare, in which I event -the-; United: Sta.tes' might not find it hard ; to, justify itself in the retention of a strip of territory along the northern border of Mexico, especiall.v in view of the republic's financial inability to 'pay an adequate indemnity, for losses. . The incident that precipitated the seizuro of Vera Cruz by = tlie United States was notjof itself of capital importance, 'but it was. the"culmination of a series of affronte upon the United States by the Huerta administration. There is :eome reason. to : believe that Huerta, playing a deep ; game, with malice aforethought deliberately; caused the insult to tho flag of the United States to force intervention', hoping to consolidate the-warring forces of his own jiation and thus escape execution at the hands of the rebel forces. In narrating to Congress, the incidents by which General Huerta had shown his disregard # for the dignity and rights of the United States Government, President Wilson said: "So far as I can .learn, such wrongs and annoyances have been suffered to occur only against the representatives ■of the United States. 1 have heard of no complaints- from other Governments of similar treatment."

It was on April 9th that the Tampico' incident occurred, the determining event in bringing about intervention. A paymaster of the U.S.fc>. Dolphin landed, at Tampico with a whaleboat .and boat's crew to take off certain supplies needed by his ship, and while engaged in landing the boat was arrested;by.an officer aud squad of men of the army . , of .- General:; Huerta. Neither, the paymaster nor any one of the- boat's crew was armed. Two of the men were in the boat when the arrest occurred, and were obliged to leave'it and -submit to being taken in custody, notwithstanding, the fact that the boat carried, both at her bow and 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 Tetnrn to■ the landing and

await orders, and within an hour and a naif of tiiu time oi mc arrest we paymaster and liis men were reieaseu. Tne release was followed by apo.ogies from

the commander', and laier 0y an expression, of regret from General Huerta. A saJute of the American flag with special ceremonies was demantleu by Aumiral Mayo, in which he was. bacKed up by the American Government.

Then followed two weeks of com-

mmiications between tho two Administrations. - HuertaTwas willing to give the salute, but only oa condition tnat tne United, States sign a protocol binding itselr immediately thereafter to ealutu the Mexican flag with an equal number of guns. The conditions being refused, president Wilson went to Congress with j the request for "your, approval that 1 should use the armed'Torces of the United States in such ways and to such an extent as may be necessary to obtain from General Huerta and his adherents the fullest recognition of the rights and dignity of the United States, even among the distressing conditions now -unhappily obtaining in Mexico." The .seizure of Vera Cruz that had been accomplished while Congress talked was simply a <u.se of a powerful force overcoming an altogether weaker and outclassed opponent. There was stubborn resistance by the Huerta sol<li?i% under General Maas. but by nightfall of April 22nd, the day on which the attack began, the entire waterfront, the Customs-house, all important piers, , and the railway terminal, had been occupied. In the ■succeeding days the American marines fought their way through the city and into the outlying sections, and now are patrolling some miles of the. railroad leading from Vera Cruz to Mexico City. Not much trouble was experienced in driving General Mass and his , soldiers from the plaza where they had entrenched tbemse'vo-s. but the sniping j of the residents from the ,- -•>••-« tops j caused much irritation anions the, Americans, and was responsible for j most of the'casualties. The landing! force of marines osinjH-ised nr.i;-ly 300.0 men, while off shore there were awaiting the call of Captain Rush, who was in charge., 90CO others. On t>>p second day of tho fighting, while the marines and bluejackets were forcing their, way from the waterfront through the city, the warshins fired over their heads, pounding buildings in the outskirts: Brjth marines and bluejackets dra.PTerl lis!»i fi»ld pieces, but there was little work for them. Thorp was no organised resistance, but from the very br-ginning of tho advance a smart fire came from the defenders on the bouso-tops. vrnich invariab'y drew a mcrc»'pss fire from the advancing parties. The machine eujis sounded their '.'tap-tap" in all quarters, and American sharpshooters posted , at street corners and other noints of vantage, picked off at will any men who annfared to them to bo acting suspiciously.