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Show I American Ships Will Open Fire I Does Not Salute Before 6 p. ; 1 PRESIDENT READY TO ASK FOR PROMPT ACTION BY CONGRESS Dictator Refuses to Accord Proper Apology Wilson Will Stand for No Further Delay Vera Cruz and Tampico Will Be Seized Together With Railways to Mexico City All Departments a Scene of Activity. UNITED STATES READY TO DELIVER PUNCH J Mexican Government Given Last Chance Forces Already in Mexican Waters Ordered to Prepare for Immediate Action New Fast Ships en Route Put Under , Forced Draught Will Arrive at ,r Tampico Monday. Washington. April 18. Huerta will salute the American flag at Tampico before 6 p. m.. Sunday, or President Wilson wll go before congress In a joint session Monday and ask for authority au-thority to take such measures as may bo necessary- The following statement was issued at the White House: "General Huerta is still insisting on doing something less than has been demanded and something less than would constitute an acknowledgment that his representatives were entire ly In the wrong in the indignities they hae put on the government of the United States. . "The president has determined that I if General Huerta has not yielded by J C o'clock on Sunday afternoon, he I will take the matter to congress on 1 Manday." Dramatic Scene at White House. The scene, which attended the morning developments, was very' dramatic. dra-matic. President Wilson, had gone, as his u8ual Saturday habit, across the Potomac to a club v.'here he plays golf. "W hen Charge O Shaughness; s dispatches dis-patches were deciphered and their I import became known to Secretary Bryan and Mr. Tumulty, a hurried attempt was made to get the pres-J pres-J ident on the telephone. Secretary Bryan and Mr Tumulty started in a I" fast automobile and while they were 2 rushing across the Virginia, hills the W hite House telephones had succeed- ! ed in reaching the president, who hurried back to the club house and started for Washington. President Promptly Writes Statement (S Secretary Bryan and Mr. Tumulty met the president out on a dusty road 1" and In the sun of a bright blue dav, the important dispatches were com 9 municatcd and the journey was con- r tinned to the White House. The pres ident went at once to his study, where he wrote his statement, giving Huerta until 0 o'clock Sunda night He typed it himself on his personal typewriter as is his custom with iin portant official documents Then he decided, inasmuch as there probably would be no action before tomorrow night, he would change his plans and lis Co to W hite Sulphur Springs, V. Va., ! any way, and bring Mrs. Wilson back to Washincton. Navy Department in Session. At tho navy department, in the ab sence of Secretary Daniels, who is VI in Cleveland, O . to make some ce speech, the board of aides, which Is the executive arm of the service, went into session to make the fiulsh- Olng plans for moving ships aud marches. There was no activity at the war gB department and no orders were is j sued to the troop at Texas City. Bryan Calla Hurried Conference. At the state department, Secretary Bryan called a hurried conference with John Lind the president's per-1 per-1 tonal representative in Mexico, who has just returned from an eight months' stay in Huerta s country Aft - er this conference Mr Bryan hurried back to the White House, where other cabinet officers had collected and the officials discussed the developments confidentially. "The temporizing is ended " said one of the cabinet officers, who is personally close to Mr. Wilson. "We have the punch, we know it, and we are going to deliver it Huerta has had his last chance." While the text of Huerta's message today and the president's reply were not made public, it became known that Huerta contended thai all the offenses of-fenses for which the United States asks apology hive been apologized for and that "he demurs at anything further.' Secretary Bryan explained thai the president's statement meant that Huerta would be obliged to guarantee guaran-tee the salute without qualification by 6 p m , Sunday and that physical obstacles might defer its being actual ly fired by that hour. Sufficient Force at Vera Cruz, Officials pointed out that the naval forces at Vera Cruz and Tampico were sufficient to carry out the president's plans without waiting for the arrival of Rear Admiral Badger's fleet The transport Hancock already has arrived at Tampico with 800 marines, the battleships Virginia. Connecticut and Minnesota and the cruisers Des Moines. Dolphin and San Francisco also are there The scout cruiser Chester and the transport Buffalo also are at Tampico with the collier Cyclops Cy-clops At Vera Cruz are the battleships Florida and Utah and the transport Prairie, the latter having a large com-pletcment com-pletcment of marines. Rear Admiral Mayo commands the ships at Tampico and Rear dmhal Fletcher commands at Vera Cruz. When Rear Admiral I'Badger arrives he will take supreme coiuflir..!. Hurry-up Orders Sent. The flagship Arkansas, with the oi her ships with Admiral Badger were j off Key West last night, makin? about ! eleven and a half knots and at that : rate would reach Tampico by Tuesday. I Orders irom W ashinston, however, I putting the new fast ships under forc-I forc-I ed draught wou'd bring them into I Tampico on Monday prepared for action ac-tion if President W ilson has to lay i the situation before congress. The I fact that the senate was not in session today, having adjourned over until Monday, was referred to by some offl rials as the only reason the president had not taken the Mexican question to the capitol toda. On Monday there I will be opportunity for Mr Wilson to a'ldrces house and senate in a joint session in the hall of the house. Final Defiance a Surprise. Huerta's final defiance came as a distinct surprise to some officials and confirmed the suspicions f others I who never have believed that the dictator dic-tator was sincere In his promise to Charge O'ShauKhnessy last Tuesday. In feuine circle there was a conviction convic-tion that Huerta. beset with internal troubles anrl menaced by the continuing continu-ing aJvance of his enemies from the north, was bent on making trouble i w ith the I'nited States in the hope of limiting the warrinc Mexican factions in a comni"n cause. Officials here, however, did not expect that the Constitutionalists, Con-stitutionalists, with whom the I'nited States has no quarrel, would be concerned con-cerned in the quarrel with Huerta. Measure Snort of War. The president has not made known what plan of action he will lay before be-fore congress But the discussion up to this time has indicated that the next decisive step would equal one of those measures described by inter i national authorities as 'measures I short of war." known as reprisal or pacific blockadp The pacific blockade has not been favorably regarded in executive quar ters, for. while it would put a restraint re-straint on the ships of Mexico, It would not assure a stop in the shipping ship-ping of foreign powers dealing with Mexico. Reprisal, therefore, has appeared ap-peared to furnish the method usual I in redressing an offense such as the I one now- being dealt with. Seizure of Property, j Reprisal is usually carried out by I the sequestration or seizure of prop-em prop-em belonging to the offending state land holding it until redress Is ien International authorities hold this "a meann of putting stress on a wrong doing Btate by something short ot war.'' Discussing the probabilities. Sena tor Simmons, one of the administration administra-tion leaders, said that the action of congress doubtless would be similar to that taken before the war with Spain in Cuba. "Congress undoubtedly would give the president plenary power to deal with Mexico as he saw fit to uphold the honor of this government," said Senator Simmons. "It would adopt a general resolution broad In its terms that would give the president a freo hand "Authority to uphold the honor and to afford protection to life and property prop-erty certainl) would come within the authorization that congress woula give Congress certainly would respond re-spond decisively and quickly if the president should find it necessary to communicate to it in this matter.' Acting Chairman Shlvely of the sen ate foreign relations committee hur ried to the White House and conferred con-ferred with the president and some of the cabinet members He read the exchanges of official dispatches with Mexico City and the president's statement "Everything is very satisfactory," was his only comment Congress to Act Promptly. Other senators, Republicans anu Democrats alike, expressed confidence that eoncress would promptly support the president in any emergency Senators Sena-tors Smoot, Sutherland and Cummins. Republicans, asserted that congress would be quick to act, if Huerta should fail to accede to President Wilson's Wil-son's final terms. "Even" the patience of the American people has a limit, which has been reached.' said Senator John Shan Williams. Democrat. Senator Sheppard of Texas declared that the sentiment of the American people would be behind the administration adminis-tration in any action the emergency might require The plan lor seizing Vera Cruz and Tampico al60 includes the seizure of the railways from era Cruz to Mei co City, as far as a trestle about 20 miles west of Vera Cruz. Torreon. Mexico, April 1. "1 do not believe that the Tampico IncideiH n ill result in war between the United States and Mexico. ' onimcnu d Cm era I V illn today. "1 regard the complication as one existing betwpen President Wilson ;i n ij President Huerta, and question whether even the bombarding of Tampico Tam-pico w ould be const rued as an net ot war against Mexico. Bince Huerta is the offender and Illegally hold? that pori Asked if American non-combatants now resident in Mexico could be pro-tected pro-tected should war break out. Villa replied . It would be a war between tvo iini.ed nations and American non eombatants could rely on the same protection here as could Mexicans In tb i niied States." "But suppose there was a popular uprising against Americans; could j ou control It J" ' Well. I have driven 2.".000 federals out of constitutionalist territory and I think 1 could control the prolctarl-i.'' prolctarl-i.'' Portsmouth. N. H. April IS The United States auxiliary ship Leon! das was today ordered to sail for Tampico Tam-pico Wednesday. Agua Pneia Me: u. A pril 1 s message received here by 1 E. Ellas, a constitutionalist official from C m oral Alvarado. says that all prepare tions have been made for the final attai k on (iuaymas by 10,000 troops about April 26 By that time a consignment of several sev-eral thousand rifles now en route probably will have been received. Col. M M Dieguez. with 3500 men is tak ing preliminary posit ionv around Cuay mas. United States Justified. New- Vork, N. V.. April IS. The United Uni-ted States has ample justification for blockading the Mexican ports anu lauriinc; troops, according to Prof. E. C. Stoweii, lecturer on International law at Columbia university, and the temporary successor of John Basset! Moore, late counsellor of the department depart-ment of state Such action would not. necessarily constitute war with Mexico. In discussing the situation Prof Stow ell 6aid: "Tho United States is Justified in having recourse to any force neces Bary to secure respect for international internation-al rights and dignity. The blockading blockad-ing of Mexican ports or the landing of troops need not necesaril.N consti tute war with Mexico. War is a situation which results from armed conflict between two independent communities com-munities IT the United States does not intend to make war. it depends I upon Mexico whether she will allow the United States to use force to protect our righis Prof Stowell was secretary of the se. ond peace conference at The Hague In 1907, and secretary of the American delegation at the naval conference con-ference at London In 191 Washington, D. C. April 18. The armored cruiser South Dakota, with 200 marines, was ordered to sail today from the Bremerton yard to San Diego, Di-ego, Cal., there to await further orders. or-ders. Palm Beach. Fir, April 18. Four battleships, two dispatch boats and a collier of the American Atlantic-fleet Atlantic-fleet passed here southward bound at S:30 today, in hours later than duo. The battleships are undei stood to hv.e been delayed from some unknown un-known cause at Jupiter. 2 miles above Palm Beach. if Huerta I m. Sunday I |