Evening Star Newspaper, January 13, 1929, Page 35

-THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. { LATIN NATIONS NOW KNOW TRUE POLICIES OF THE U.S.| Hoover Good Will Trip Regarded as One | of Greatest Modern Diplomatic Achievements. BY GASTON NERVAL. Authority on Latin American Affairs. T MUST indeed be gratifying to Her- bert Hoover upon his return to his native land to feel that degree of assuredness and great satisfaction of a work well done, for during his good will tour of the Latin American republics he left nothing untouched that would serve to bring about closer and more friendly relations between the Americas. He must feel proud that his efforts were not in vain, for seldom in the history of nations was there con- ducted a more successful political mis- sion and with such transcendental re- sults at a time when was most needed. Mr. Hoover’s tour of the Latin Ameri- can republics has been truly one of good will. However, the United States does not stand alone in her good will manifestations by intrusting her future “first citizen” with the duty of carry- ing out this epochal visit; the Latin American nations have also shown their feelings of good will, as may be attested by the warm and enthusiastic recep- tions which were accorded to such an llustrious emissary. Very few generations m this conti- nent have cnjoyed the opportunity to participate and assist in this manifesta- tion of international friendship so open and sound in purpose and more ample | in scope than this. Mr. Hoover's visit, in its moral acceptation, has been one of the greatest diplomatic achievements of modern times, because it embodied in itself a series of accomplishments which gained impetus in each and every one of the republics of the Southern Hemisphere that he visited. Is Highly Significant. To the United States this has been #n international accomplishment of far- reaching significance. She has proudly seen her flag hoisted 1 all the Latin American republics and enthusiastically ‘welcomed by all. Mr. Hoover has suc- cessfully, and very effectively, acquaint- ed those people with the true policies of this Nation. Not even unfounded prejudices nor existing misunderstand- ings nor that unfriendly antagonism and propaganda of malcontents have 4n any way diminished or hampered suoh unparalleled attainment. On the eontrary, this good will tour has done away to a certain degree with these prejudices; has cleared many misunder- istandings and immeasureably contri- buted toward eliminating that antago- nism which was so seriously affecting the good relations of the Northern and Southern people. Today many of those misunderstandings which held these peoples in such a state of tension have disappeared, and Mr. Hoover from the very moment that he set foot on Latin American soil until his departure from the last Southern port was made the g:’l::ect of a long and jubilant acclama- From these moral effects later on will ®e derived material results greatly beneficial. The commercial relations of the Latin American countries unques- tionably will grow to an enviable extent and the investment of American capital ‘will be looked upon with less suspicion and enjoy greater popularity. This in {tself has a vast significance to a coun- whose investments in the Southern gguhlms alone amount to over $2,000,- Showed True Attitude. ‘The principal aim and purpose of Mr. ver during his tour of the Latin i rican republics consisted in show- !ing those people the true attitude of the TUnited States respecting them. 'With great poise and tireless in his ef- Jorts, he has done all that could be de- isired to obliterate that legend of “im- perialism” attributed to this country and which for so long has seriously /hindered the prestige and good motives (of Uncle Sam—by rectifying the erro- neous de attributed to the policies in the Caribbean countries and refuting most unequivocally the pecuinary inter- est and egism to which he has been subjected by antagonistic elements dur- ing the past years. In practically all his speeches the Presi t-elect em- hasized the desire of the United States treat the Latin republics with the same degree of equality. In America, he declared, no disciminatory political division is made of the states which Jorm the continent—they are all equally ‘free and independent and receive the which is deserved by a great vereignty. He further stated that the |Onited States is opposed to interven- tions in the internal affairs of neighbor- ‘ing republics and will do its utmost thenceforth to put an end to political sinterventions, which so seriously have the cause of pan-American- . ‘These declarations have given rise great optimism in Latin America. ey have demonstrated without a ubt the good faith and friendly spirit which animate the Northern Republic in relations with the Latin nations and have immensely contributed to ob- |literate that “big brother” epithet at- momentum and in volume. It would \mean a splendid market for North American commodities, which would en find a favorable field of operations ‘n Spanish America. Expected to Conquer Hearts. In Amapala, Honduras, Mr. Hoover delivered his first address of his unoffi- cial trip, and in it he took pains in outlining the purpose of his visit to Latin America and expounded the moral and economic reasons which rompted him to undertake this tour of [} will. The Honduran press, in recommenting upon his visit, unanimously expressed the opinion that the Presi- rdent-elect would conquer many hearts dn the South. And in fact such has been the case, for the personality of the good will ambassador has so favorably impressed the Latin Ameri- can people that a great number of them have already discarded old prejudices and become ardent supporters of Uncle Bam's policles practically because of their admiration for the great man. On the same day Mr. Hoover made @imilar declarations in La Union, Sal- vador, abounding in expressions of friendship toward the Central Ameri- | Boli can republics and outlining the inter- est and approval with which the United States has been observing the present state of peace and normalcy which they are enjoying. Visit to Nicaragua. Mr. Hoover's visit to Nicaragua was far more significant and interesting, due to the fact that it was made but several weeks after the completion of the United States Government super- vision of the presidential elections, and at a time when the Marines and the official representatives of the Washing- ton Government were still on Nica- raguan soil fully in a state of inter- vention. Upon Mr. Hoover's arrival the Nicaraguan people expressed their un- yestrained approval of the American intervention and boasted of the tran- quillity and peace which it had brought to them, mentioning specially the peace- ful and efficient manner in which the elections were conducted. There was not a single hostile demonstration, as ‘was feared by some; not even a pro- test was uttered against the future Chief Executive of the Nation whose military forces were still on Nicaraguan soil. On the contrary, the public en- thusiasm was immense, and Mr. Hoover was accorded a most warm and friendly reception, which is further proof, in the judgment of the Msnagua press, that .#he Nicargguan people are fully grat ful and fied with the United States -golicles, I{ this state of 'afairs truly exists in Nicaragua, it would serve to contradict the persistent criticism made by several of the southern republics, that daily condemn the United States proof of Yankee imperialism, when the real party who should naturally be in- terested looked upon it with approval and satisfaction. There are indeed good reasons to believe that such is the prev- alent feeling in Nicaragua, for on the occasion of Mr. Hoover’s visit both po- litical parties took the opportunity to which they expressed their great de- sire to have the Marine forces remain several months longer and requested that the coming presidential election, four years hence, be again supervised by Uncle Sam’s Marines. Costa Rica Is Praised. In Costa Rica, Mr. Hoover, in a short address, most eloquently lauded the democratic progress and culture of the small Central American republic, which, in spite of her small population and re- duced territorial extension, keeps pace with all the other Central American states, because of her advanced polit- ical practices and her peaceful and pro- gressive form of government. Guayaquil, Ecuador, was the first South American republic to receive Mr. Hoover, and it was there where he gave free thought to his feelings and openly discussed the accusations of im- perialism attributed to the United States. “True democracy 1s not and cannot be Imperialistic,” he emphatical- ly declared, and then proceeded to make a lengthy statement concerning the origin of those fears and of the im- measurable advantages that would be derived by all if the unselfish designs of the United States, which has no ab- sorbtionistic _pretentions, were fully recognized. These statements were most enthusiastically received by the Ecuato- rian press, which took the opportunity of the presence of the President-elect to express its gratitude to the United States for her recognition of the Ayora government, Peru Supports U. S. ‘The first elaborate and outstanding reception accorded Mr. Hoover was in Lima, Peru—the classical city of Kings. Peru has always been known for her friendly feelings toward the United States. During the past years she has endeavored to maintain her interna- tional policies in such a manner as to gain the approval of the Washington Government. When several of the Spanish American governments ap- peared somewhat suspicious of the United States and began to adopt an attitude of discreet distantiation Peru was one of the first to oppose such movement. Not very long ago, during the Havana conference in January, 1928, the Peruvian delegation was one of the few to support the views of the United States, notwithstanding the bellious attitude adopted by several Latin republics, which were on the verge of throwing the pan-American assembly into confusion. Furthermore, the name of the United States is intimately as- soclated with the diplomatic history of Peru because of the former’s participa- tion as arbiter in the now famous ‘Tacna-Arica dispute. When the de- cision was reached that a plebiscite was intervention in Nicaragua as a further | make a solemn public declaration, in| | impracticable in the provinces by the United States delegate, which may very well be interpreted as an acknowledge- ment of the just claims of Peru, is an incident that will be long remembered by the Peruvian people. There exists a true and sincere national gratitude toward the United States. Thus the warm and elaborate reception of Mr. Hoover. The streets of Lima were ar- tistically decorated with flags upon his arrival and_ large inscriptions wishing him a long life and bestowing upon him all possible honorific titles were dis- played throughout the capital. ‘The press and individuals of h social standing availed themselves of every opporfunity to make his visit pleasant and high political officials discussed with great interest the Peruvian most vital problems. Mr, Hoover avoided with great tact any discussion of the ‘Tacna-Arica controversy because of his forthcoming visit to Chile. During his stay in Peru he took the initiative in proposing the establishment of a con- tinental air service which would in time unite thelgrlnlcpl-l cities of the United States with Lima and other important cities of South America. This laudable idea had a very enthusiastic reception, and the Peruvian press, forgetting for the time being old controversies and boundary disputes, heartedly dedicated itself to the study of this project and to commend the practicability of this serv- ice as a means of more efficiently de- veloping the inter-American economic relations. Reception to Bolivians. Upon his arrival at the Chilean port of Antofagasta, which once belonged to Bolivia and was conquered by Chile during the war of 1879, Mr. Hoover re- ceived aboard the battleship Maryland the Bolivian representatives, who had appeared on the scene expressly to pay their res) and the highest honors in behalf of the government and people of Bolivia. The interview was most m , and Mt'huflo?':l;e mnltfxw.rl t:e cere Sym) of people of the United Stlm for the Mediterranean nation. It may be truly stated that few are the Latin republics who today en- Joy in this country Bolivia’s popularity— a nation of great natural resources who finds herself completely isolated from the rest of the world because of an un- just war which left her without access to the seas. The United States has always been an advocate of just repara- tions, thus the reason why she could not follow an attitude of indifference respecting the Bolivian situation. It is because of this spirit of justice that in 1926 Secretary Kellogg proposed that the Tacna-Arica dispute should be set- tled by granting to Bolivia, upon pre- vious - compensation, those provinces which none of the other two parties is particularly interested. As a result ?l't dzhum unnxgg'lvs‘:x and friendly at- ude the n people are deepl. teful to the United States, and w&y he general public sentiment in Bolivia is unanimously friendly toward Uncle Sam. The United States has very few friends in Spanish America as true and sincere as Bolivia. Thus, sensing the impracticability of Mr. Hoover visiting via, the government of Paz hastened to send its foreign minister and other high dignataries to greet him. Rivalry Springs to Fore. While in Chile Mr. Hoover was con- fronted with the problem of rivalry be- tween the Americas. There exists in that nation a strong feeling of suspi- cion against the United States, partly due to the propaganda of malcontents and partly to the attitude of the United States in the Tacna-Arica controversy. ‘The Chilean press, although as diplo- matic as the others, brought before Mr. Hoover the views of the Latin Ameri- cans somewhat energetically. Not- withstanding, he eluded with great ability all discussion of the matter and confined himself to lauding the vast in- terests of American enterprises in Chile and in reiterating the desire of the United States to continue lending her capital, destined to br:ng a mate- rial progress and prosperity to the Chilean people, Situation in Argentina. Mr. Hoover’s arrival in Argentina was expected to be quite an outstanding event. Buenos Aires is the focus of that anti-American propaganda which has been spreading throughout South Amer- ica within the past years. Because of the great freedom of speech which ex- Y | already lost many precious years. We ists there and of her ambition for “leadership” which the Argentine gov- ernment shelters, mmummt is quite hostile to the THE OLD AND NEW IN CRUISERS. UPPER: U. S. S. OLMYPIA, DEWEY'S FLAGSHIP AT THE BATTLE JANUARY 13, 1929— PART 2. \ World Cruiser Situation U. S. Far Behind Other Nations in Construction of Vessels—Why Type Is Vital to Country’s Interest OF MANILA BAY. IT WAS LAID DOWN IN 1891 AND COMPLETED IN 1894. LOWER: U. S, S. PENSACOLA BEING BUILT IN NAVY YARD AT NEW YORK AND DUE TO BE COM- PLETED SOME TIME IN 1930. BY WILLIAM A. MILLEN. ‘The cruiser situation is traveling full steam ahead in public interest, envel- oped in a smoke screen of uncertainty and propaganda, due to the outpourings of those who are arrayed on either side in the controversy. Washington has become the rendezvous of opposing forces and in the Senate interest is centering on the bill to authorize the construction of 15 cruisers and one aircraft carrier, with the measure scheduled to be de- bated actively on the floor in the im- mediate future. An examination of the whole sub- ject affecting the present status of the American Navy reveals an interesting array of facts. Those who favor an ade- quate navy for the Nation survey the building program in nayal armament that has gone on since the Washington Conference on the Limitation of Naval Armament and insist that the United States was lulled into a false sense of security and is beginning only now to wake up to the true state of affairs. The total tonnage of vessels lald down or appropriated for since Febru- ary, 1922, when the Washington Con- ference met, discloses the fact that while the United States has laid down 19 ships of a tonnage of 156990, in the British Empire 78 vessels, aggregat- ing 393,274 tons, have been provided for; in Japan, 127 vessels of 415252 tons have been started on the ways; in France, 120 vessels of 290,639 tons, and in Italy 83 vessels of 181,078 tons. What is the cruiser situation reveal- ed by these figures? In the United States, eight of the vessels are cruisers, with a total tonnage of 80,000 tons: in the British Empire, 17 are cruisers with a tonnage aggregating 163,200; in Japan 16 are cruisers of 128,285: in France 9 are cruisers of 78,080 tons, and in Italy 8 are cruisers of 60,000 tons. n other words, since the Washington Conference the United States construc- tion of cruisers has about kept step with that of France. The Washington Arms Conference, it may be recalled, provided only for the 5—5—3 ratio for Great Britain, the United States and Japan, respectively, concerning battleships and aircraft car- riers. Since that time no battleships have been laid down by any of these nations, In addition, neither France nor Italy has constructed a battleship. Cruisers are outside the scope of the pact and have continued to be built un- hindered. Of what use is the cruiser, anyway? The answer is best supplied, perhaps, by Admiral Charles F. Hughes, chief of naval operations, who explains it thus: “The cruiser is the type of vessel for universal service both in peace and in war—in peace to cultivate friendly relations, to show the flag wherever American interests require, and gener- ally to promote the respect and good will of the world for America; in war, to perform in every sea the multitudi- nous duties of offense and defense that vessels of the cruiser class can accom- plish more eficiently than any other type of war vessel. “The cruisers now being built are second in offensive and defensive power only to the capital ship. They are faster than the capital ship and will overtake, under average sea con- ditions, all other types of naval and merchant ships. They may give battle on equal or advantageous terms to any but the capital ship.” As an aircraft carrier is involved in the projected naval construction, this description of the function of such ves- sels will be of interest: “Aircraft car- riers are vessels of great speed, lighter guns than battleships, little armor pro- tection. They carry the principal air- craft complement of the fleet. The! effectiveness is confined largely to the launching of aircraft for attack or de- fense purposes.” ‘This description of the mission of the cruiser, from American naval sources, throws further light on _this (Continued on Fifth Page.) The Story the Week Has Told BY HENRY W. BUNN. HE following is a brief summary of the most important news of the world for the seven days ended January 12: * K K K 1 Germany.—All except the American members (1. e, the British, French, German, Belgian, Itallan and Japanese members) of the international commit- tee of experts which is to overhaul the machinery of German reparations pay- ments, have been appointed. The French members are Emile Moreau, governor of the Bank of France, and the distinguished financer, Jean V. Parmentier. The German members are Dr. Hjal- mar Schlacht, president of the Reichs- bank, and Dr. Albrecht Voegler, di- rector of the United Steel Works Co. One of the Belgian members is Emile Francqui, minister of finance, and one of the Japanese members is an under- governor of the Imperial Bank of Japan. ‘The committee will assemble in Paris in January. * ok kK Jugoslavia.—On January 6 Alex- ander, King of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, by royal decree, abolished the constitution of the kingdom adopted in 1921, dissolved the Skupshtina or Par- liament, and declared himself absolute monarch, ruling by decree. The decree calls for quotation aimost in full, as follows: “To my dear people, Serbs, Croats and Slovenes: “The King feels it is his imperative duty as a son of the land to.turn to you, its people, and frankly and truth- fully tell you what in this moment my conscience and love of the fatherland compel me to say. ““The moment has come when no third person may stand between the people and their King. “Parliamentary government, which was always my ideal, has been 50 abused by blind party passions that it has pre- vented every useful development in the state. ‘The people have lost all faith in the institution. It has even en- dangered foreign relations and the credit of the state abroad. In the Parliament even the common decencies of social intercourse between parties and individuals have become impossible. “It is my sacred duty to preserve the unity of the state by every means in my power. To seek to remove these abuses by fresh elections would have been a waste of time and valuable energy. By such methods we have must try other methods and tread new ths. “I am certain that in this solemn moment all Serbs, Croats and Slovenes understand these words from the heart of their King and that they will be my _— there where the fear of Yankee im-| perialism is stronger than anywhere else. Mr. Hoover's visit in Argentina was doubly eventful when there was discovered a conspiracy against his life. | Fortunately, those rumors were not as alarming as were at first thought, and the warm reception accorded Mr. Hoo- ver in Buenos Alres was indicative that there is still time to stop the anti- American propaganda in Argentina and gain her friendship for the United States. To accomplish this end, Mr. Hoover’s visit aided the cause mate- rially, for upon his departure the Buenos Aires press bestowed upon him all possible honors and expressed the gp:nllnn that his visit was most bene-| clal. Brazil is one of the best friends of | this country. The United States inter- national policies have always been looked upon by the Brazilians with ap- ! proval, and during the World War they fought side by side. Because of this friendly feeling toward the United States the reception accorded the dis- tinguished guest in Rio de Janeiro, the most beautiful city in the world, was indeed unsurpassed and befitting to the occasion. His visit to Brazil brought to a happy ending the labors of a tireless warrior, whose mission of good will and friend- ship will be long remembered as an out- Stateg, It 15 standing historical eveat, loyal fellow workers in all my future efforts to do what the health of the state requires. “I have, therefore, decided hereby to decree the constitution of the kingdom of 1921 abolished. The laws of the land will remain in force unless can- celed by my royal decree. New laws in future will be made by the same method. The Parliament elected No- vember 1 is hereby dismissed.” ‘The above quoted decree was follow- ed by four others. One sets forth the position of the King. In fine, he is the sole source of power in the country. He issues all laws and appoints all of- ficlals. Ministers of his own choosing will assist him and be reponsible to him alone. Another decree deals with the public security. Communism and Nihilism are denounced and “any poli- tical party of a nationalist or chauvin- ist character will instantly be dis- solved.” A third decree gags the press. A fourth abolishes all local elective bodies and declares that governors will be appointed by the King for admin- istrative subdivisions and municipal councils for Belgrade, Zagreb and Laibach. The action taken by the King was, If not the only, at any rate the most ob- vious way to save the kingdom from civil war. There is a gencral agree- ment that the King took it most re- luctantly, that he is & genuine friend of parliamentarism but convinced that the institution is unsuitable to the present situation, partly because of insufficient education, partly because of manifold conditions making for separatism, dis- harmony, lack of common understand- ing. The sequel will be watched by the world with intense interest. Apparently the populace of Belgrade is delighted with the change. * kK X Latvia—Latvia has been ceicbrating the tenth anniversary of the establish- ment of Latvian independence. The Letts have done exceedingly well. In their war for independence they dis- played courage and address, in or- ganizing their republic they have dis- played sagacity and common sense. 1t is scarcely correct to say that in- dependence was established 10 years agv. It was asserted, but more than a year elapsed before it was securely established, before Russian bolsheviks and German freebooters (with whom the “Baltic barons” of Latvia were as- sociated) were rid out. The constitu- tion was adopted early in 1922, and the republic has known little serious in- ternal trouble, despite the great effort of reconstruction required to repair the havoc wrought by the bolsheviks and the Germans. By a revolutionary agrarian measure the great landed estates were broken up, each owner being allowed to Leep his demesne—that is, his manor house, and 50 or more hectares about it. The rest of the land was parceled out to the landless. Latvia is therefore a land of small and medium sized farms; the most stable form of economy. The “Baltic barons” were treated far better than they deserved, in view of their treasonable behavior toward the re- public; their ancestors had dispossessed the natives, and the descendants of the latter righted an ancient wrong not without generosity to the descendants of the former. The agrarian reform has proved an economic success; the value of the crops and the numbers of livestock have notably increased since the division. Before the war, under Russian rule, Latvian industry was of considerable importance, especially at Riga. During the hostilities the principal plants were destroyed, machinery suffering the same fate or being removed to Russia. Recovery, however, is being made; it has just passed 50 per cent. Agricul- ture, however (including dairying and the rearing of live stock for hides), and fishing are and are likely to continue the chief Latvian occupations. There are there good harbors—Riga, Libau and Windau. The budget is balanced, the currency stabilized (about 5.18 lats to the dollar), note emissions fully se- cured, the general financial situation excellent. The fisc is managed with admirable economy. All the foreign gekis bave been d off except thos to Great Britain and the United States, which have been satisfactorily funded. | For Perhaps the most notable improve- ment has been in respect of education. ‘There is practically no illiteracy, and the University of Latvia at Riga em- braces 11 faculties and about 8,000 students. ‘There is genuine religious freedom and freedom of the press. The area of Latvia is about 25,000 square miles, the population about 1,- 500,000 (about the same as West Vir- ginia as to both). Riga, with 570,000, is the largest town; Libau comes next, with 52,000. The Letts are close kin to the Lithuanians. With the Lithua- nians and the Boreassins (the original Prussian now amalgamated with other stocks) they formerly constituted a racial group of Indo-European origin, speaking kindred Indo-European lan- guages (the “Baltic subdivision”) more primitive than the Slavonic languages. The Lettish and Lithuanian langu survive, and the periodical Latvian press flourishes yigorously. EIE Russia.—The Grand Duke Nicholas, second cousin of the late Czar, died of pneumonia in France the other day at the age of 72. He was commander-in- chief of the Russian forces at the out- break of the war and in 1914 won a series of notable victories over the Austrians in Galacia, but the next year suffered terrible reverses, due, it is gen- erally conceded, not to inferior general- ship, but to lack of guns and ammuni- tion. 1Indeed, his conduct of the retreat is highly regarded, and he was, perhaps, a great general. In September, 1915, he was demoted by the Czar, because (so lady rumor at any rate) of plain- speaking to his majesty about the Ras- putin scandals, and sent to command on the Turkish front. In 1922 he was elected by the so-called supreme council of Russian monarchists, meet- ing at Paris, ‘successor to Czar Nicholas. He was a Romanoff of the Romanofls, for splendor of physique, but, unlike lx;\flny Romanoffs, led a most ascetic e. * ok ok ok Afghanistan.—Though victorious over. his disaffected tribesmen, the Ameer Amanullah of Afghanistan has issued a proclamation announcing renunication of almost his entire program of western- ization. ‘The Afghan girls sent to Turkey are to be summoned back, the purdah (se- clusion of women) system is to be re- stored, conscription is to be abolished, women's associations are to be dis- banded, European dress is to be con- signed to the garbage can, the Mollahs are restored to their old estate, etc. Amanullah has, it would seem, taken a leaf out of the book of Henri IV. He made a little mistake; he is not the Mustapha Kemal of Afghanistan, * ok ok ok China,—Chang Hsueh-Liang, super- tuchun of Manchuria, has caused the summary execution of Gen. Yang Yu- Ting, his father’s chief of staff and one of China’s ablest men. Several explanations are suggested in dis- patches—that Yang was at the head of a plot to overthrow Chang, that Yang had expressed disapproval of Chang's hoisting of the Nationalist flag; still again (and perhaps more plausibie), that Yang was the victim of an intrigue by Chang Tso-Chen, a rival. An ex- planation that makes what might be called a movie appeal is that Yang was dispatched below the Yellow Springs be- cause Chang Hsueh-Liang gave credu- lous ear to a plot story concocted at Nanking. Still another explanation shows Yang's fall due, not to his opposition to the rapprochement of sorts with Nan- king, but to his liberalism, dissatisfled with the tenuous (and hypocritical) na- ture of that rapprochement. Whatever the explanation, the business is per- turbing. Perhaps the real explanation (more perturbing than any other) is that Chang is a very sick man and has lost his grip and sense of values. * K % * Sir Hubert Wilkins.—Sir Hubert Wilkins announces by radio that the “first phase” of his Antarctic enterprise is completed and that he is about to return to the United States to prepare for the “second phase,” wiich is to pro- ceed next year from a different base. reasons connected with une: and disconcerting weather: Sir Hubert found it impossible to estab- lish a base sufficiently to the south to enable him to continue his exploration throughout the present season. His decision undoubtedly does credit to his well established sagacity. ‘The enterprise is being largely financed by Willlam Randolph Hearst. In com- ment on the “first phase,” the New York American states that of the two objec- tives proposed by Sir Hubert, namely, “exploration of Graham Land and the ‘Western Coast of Waddell Sea by air- plane,” and “a flight from Graham Land to Ross Sea and further explora- tion from a base established there,” Sir Hubert and his associates accompl! the first and thereby solved the greatest problem that has confronted scientists and geographers in the Antarctic. Gra- 28 | ham Land is pictured on the map as part of the Antarctic Continent. Flying 1,200 miles over land never before seen by human eyes in company with Pilot Ben Eielson on December 20, Wilkins discovered that Graham Land consists of two main islands and that the southernmost is separated from the Antarctic Continent by a body of water 40 to 50 miles wide, lying between the seventieth and sevenyt-first parallels south. Capt. ‘Wilkins established what he believes to be the true edge of the Antarctic Con- tinent on approximately the seventieth parallel south. Sir Hubert confirms the reputation won by his magnificent Arctic fight, which Amundsen, no mean judge, pro- nounced the mnttuc of all flights. R Notes.—The condition of King George, as shown by the bulletins, continues to cause anxiety. o l:o}ncahr:t w vote of oonfldn:zth: ut I mt ne comment on important fact. On January 11 our House passed, with- out a record vote, the Fenn reappor- tionment bill. The Conference of American States on Conciliation and Arbitration, having drawn up and adopted & “general treaty of inter-American arbitration” and a “general convention of inter-American cnn::,uhuun."s :ll:::d lnxwmenu ‘were on January at Washington by the delegates of the 20 participating states, though reservations to the arbi- tration treaty accompanied the signa- tures of the delegates of all but seven states (not including us). Danish Fund Sought For Rusted Statue For many months the Danes have been mpystified by the strange antics of the bronze horse which rises above Kongens Nytorb in the heart of Copen- hagen bearing the figure of King Chris- tian VI. Gradually but perceptibly the big beast has been sinking toward the ground, carrying with it the armor-clad figure astride it, and many theories have been advanced to explain the phenomenon. The mystery was dispelled recently when a group of workmen slit a hole in its.chest and a little Niagara of water, apparently the accumulation of many decades, streamed out. Further investigation showed that the water had rusted the bronze of the two figures in the group and that they were both in need of repair. Several newspapers are conducting a campaign to raise funds for the neces- sary work and the department of the interior is being to take imme- diate action. e statue is one of the S S e ugl ef the Danish e‘wplm " Russia to Develop Industries. MOSCOW ~ (#).—President Kuyby- shev of the supreme economic council has approved a program for the gradual d.ulgnmem of Russia’s industries over & puciad iy geess. FLETCHER IS ABSOLVED OF GUILT AT VERA CRUZ Orders Limited American Leader, Says Witness, Telling Inside Story of Capture of Port in 1914. Note—The, recent death of Rear Admi- ral Frank Friday Fletcher and the pavsage of 15 ears leave clear the way for the telling of this hitherto unwritten inside story of the Américan oceupation of Vera Cruz in April. 1914, which re- sulted in informal hostilities. Gen. Victoriano Huerta had overthrown the regime of President Madero. who was ssassinated. ~ President Wilson refused to_recoonize Huerta and backed Car- ranza aoainst him. The occupation of Vera Cruz. with its unerpected heary bloodshed, Tesulted {rom Huerta's refusal to resion.’ It brought about his downfall. he writer ‘of this article witnessed the fiohting as a mewspaper correspond- ent. He tells for the first time the inner circumstances whose exposition in 1914 was discouraged by Washington. ' He re- veals that Admiral Fletcher was follow- ing “orders “which limited his authority and use of discretion. BY ROBERT HAMMOND MURRAY. ATE occasionally delivers the tiro through odd and unforeseen me- diums. Thus it befell Huerta. ‘Three ounces more of properly headed Mexican army lieutenant would have staved off for a period at least the ultimate cave-in of the Huerta de gracia to men and causes geared brains in the skull of a buffle- government. The witless subaltern set {in stir a train of events which rushed forward in swift and destructive co- | ordination to the culmination in the oc- cupation by American Marines and cailors of the city of Vera Cruz on April 21, 1914. The date was an anni- versary of the debarkation of Cortes, the Conquistador, on the same spot in 1519. It was our taking of the port which knocked away the last prop from Huerta's sick government, and by the physical and moral forces released by the act inflexibly numbered his days in the Palacio Nacional and broke his hold upon Mexico. Eventually the Car- rancistas would have worsted him, but President Wilson's stroke at Vera Cruz curtailed his tenure by many months and resolved all dubjety as to the out- come. Vera Cruz Incident a Fluke. Our taking of Vera Cruz, both the fact and the manner of its doing, was a sheer fluke, prefaced with slight seri- ous premeditation and with no notion that it would be accompanied by fight- ing and bloodshed and bring us within inches of the verge of a long and costly war with Mexleo.“ Viewed from the angle of actuality it was war. :meflcan war vessels during the Win- ter of 1913-14 had been dodging in and out of Mexican ports on their Wash- ington-directed occasions of maritime watchful waiting. Admiral Fletcher, with one battleship, sometimes \wo, was lying in the roadstead off Vera Cruz. Another admiral, Mayo, had a cruiser at Tampico. Both ports were in Huerta territory. Flying the Ameri- can flag conspicuously & launch from ir | the Dolphin on April 9 docked at a wharf in Tampico. Tl:e city was under the Carrancistas. mfi;v:yhu 'own responsibility and with- e e arret of the crew utenant ca the arrest of the tl;‘: the launch and marched them to headquarters. ‘The detention of the sailors was brief, for as quickly as the commander of the Huerta garrison heard what had happened he liberated them with an apology. Mayo notified the commander that, in addition to the apology, he should require a salute of 21 guns to atone completely for the in- sult which Mayo maintained hed been suffered by our flag. Mayo's position: may have been illy advised and tech- nically untenable, but once he had taken it and publicly announced it ‘Washington either had to back down or support it. Salute Debated. Protesting that no insult to the flag had been designed or committed, the Mexican commander replied that he could go no further than apologize, which he had already done, without communicating with the central gov- ernment in Mexico City. Huerta, after a lengthy discussion and exchanges of notes with the American charge in the capital, finally stood inalterable on a pronouncement that our flag would be lished | nating with gun. saluted providing he was assured that a return salute to the Mexican flag should immediately be given, gun alter- ‘This point was re- sultlessly debated, but nothing came of it save the ultimatum from Washing- ton in which Huerta was given until 6 p.m. on April 19 to salute or take the consequences. The nature of the con- sequences were not specified. Later it developed that there was a peculiar and vital twist to the situa- tion, engendered by the Tampico inci- dent, for the American punctilio over the salute for the time being masked another consideration which did not re- veal itself until later, and which ac- counted for the inflexible attitude as- sumed by Washington. ‘When the United States barred arms and ammunition to Huerta, the while permitting the Carrancistas to purchase here anything they chose, Huerta re- sorted for war supplies to the European market, mainly in Germany. The De- partment of State was unsuccessful in its efforts to induce the Kaiser's gov- ernment to keep German arms out of Huerta’s hands. Germany had extended full recognition to Huerta's govern- ment. Admiral von Hintze, one of the Kaiser's closest personal friends, was Minister in Mexico and deep in the counsel of Huerta. With the eye of Wilhelmstrasse upon trade and a hoped- for extension of German political and commercial influence, if Huerta won out, Germany was backing the dictator and had no intention of handicapping her own horse. Sought to Exclude Arms. ‘Washington pressed the issue with maximum energy and persistence when information was reported to it that the largest shipment of rifles, cartridges, fleld artillery and shells which Huerta had bought in Germany was about to be cleared from Hamburg aboard the merchantman Ypiranga. The Kaiser's government flatly refused to interfere with the shipment. The Ypiranga sailed for Vera Cruz, her holds crammed with war materials. When the Tampico flag incident broke she was on the high seas: ‘Wilson suddenly resolved to prevent the steamship’s cargo from reaching Huerta, who was in sore straits for it. ‘The blunder of the Huerta army lieu- tenant in arresting the Dolphin’s boat crew, coupled with Huerta's recalci- trance over the demanded salute, sup- plied him with a passible, although at the time occult, excuse for employing force to deprive Huerta of the ammuni- tion which his agents had pur- chased in Germany. The surprise came to the world when the lightnng struck at Vera Cruz, instead of Tamipco. Unwritten History. From this point we draw upon un- written history to illumine some of the hitherto never-made-clear circum- stances which prefaced and accom- panied the occupation of Vera Cruz by Admiral Fletcher and to disclose the causes for the bloody fighting which became necessary before the accom- plishment of the subjugation of a gar- risoned city which Washington believed | th would submit passively. ‘Wilson was astounded and poignant- ly distressed, almost to the point of prostration, on the night of April 21 when he was told that after an all-day resistance, which had cost the lives of more than a score of Americans and many more Mexicans, the city was not yet in our power. He had reason, for he had been unreservedly, but erron- eously, assured that Vera Cruz could and would be occupied without strife Tentative plans for the taking of the custom house, the docks and the rail- way terminal had been laid by Fletcher, under instructions, before the President had committed himself to a decision to use the Navy to close thelgon to the Ypiranga and her cargo. letcher had conferred with our consular offi- cials ashore and admitted them into the secret of what might be done. When, on the night of April 20, he received orders to go in the next morn- ing he had two battleships, several smaller war vessels and plenty - of marines and sailors to do the job on a fighting basis, So far as that went he could have knocked the town into a rubbish heap with his big guns in half an hour. He could have used even milder but equally effective meth- ods. Ten or a dozen shells from the turrets of his ships hurtling over the low rooftops of the town and burying themselves harmlessly in the unpopu- lated sand wastes inland, with their terrifying shriek and detonation, would have :gared the fight out of every éo{dier and armed civilian in Vera ruz. Washington Thought It Easy. But Washington had g,rovided per- manent lodgment in its official head to a conviction that the Navy would not have to pull a trigger to gain the port and that the occupation would be mere- ly a pro-forma affair of setting g few men on the beach and hoisting our flag. Unquestionably this notion was partly born of our experiences with the non- resistant attitude of the peoples and armies of other and smaller, Latin American republics into which we had previously thrown Marines. Another factor was the unreliable intelligence service suppleid from sources outside the Navy and Army. The responsibility for this rested upon one man, whom it is not necessary to name here. Washington had a clear mental ple- ture of Vera Cruz, in a hands-up pos- ture under the menacing landward pointing muzzles of the 16-inch guns of our battleships, resignedly permitting our men to master the custom house and the wharves, to which objectives, the occupation was originally intended to be limited. Fletcher Obeyed Orders. This being Washington’s will and pre- conception, it was not Fletcher’s part to reason why or to press whatever doubts he may have entertained as to th> soundness of the program, but_to obey orders. He had done his best to feel out the ground and to ascertain what would be the attitude of the Huerta garrison, if the landing should take place. There were between 1,500 and 2,000 troops in Vera Cruz, .come manded by a brother-in-law of Huerta, Gen. Joaquin Maas. The American consul and Maas were on terms. Maas, who was thoroughly alive to the po- tentialities of the Tampico embroglio, unless Washington and Huerta should come {o an amicable adjustment, dis- cussed the possibilities confidentially with his friend, the American consul. ‘To him Mads opened his heart, some- thing after this fashion: I“I .T:i n‘:)tl d!o(% enough to lhl':.kt that coul 0] era Cruz agal the Afhericans. I know what those guns on your battleships can do. They would blow the city to pieces in an hour. I do not care to assume the responsibility for anything of that sort. If the Americanos land here, for the protec- tion of the lives of the people and to save the city from damage, I should withdraw my troops and let them come in peaceably. I might make a feint at resistance, but what would be the use? Later I should take such measures as I { might be ordered to by Mexico City, ac- cording to my ability and judgment.” Americans Watched Landing. That had a reasonable sound, espe- cially as Maas’ expre tht ran with the wish and belief of the consul. So Maas' words were confidentially passed cn by the consul to the irt- ment of State and to Fletcher. y went far, very far, to solidify official belief in Washington that there would be no fighting in Vera Cruz. Fletcher, in his subsequent actions, proceeded upon this theory. Through no fault or ldbse of Fletch- er's, or discredit to the morale or the elan of the Navy forces engaged in the affair, the manner of the landing and the seizure of the city provided those who witnessed it with an exhibition of muddling—to designate it by no harsher gxrm—tlnt astounded and perplexed em. I watched the Americans come ashore and the fight that followed. Word was circulated about the city from the American consulate early on the morn- ing of the 21st that our forces would land as soon as the American civilians in the city, especially the women and children, could be gotten aboard a steamship which was in the harbor. To assemble on the vessel those who elected to go there required two hours or longer. The prospect of fighting as an accompaniment to the landing was regarded as such a remote con- tingency by most of us that compara- tively few of Americans went aboard the ship. American-like, they referred to stay ashore and see the un. The information of the landing was In general received with incredu- lity, regardless of its official origin, for hitherto no one had given thought to the possibility that Vera Cruz would be invaded. The storm was expected to break, if it did break, at Tampico. Men Thought It Practical. It was nearing 9 o'clock when the first detachments of the landing party, numbering not more than men, dropped into boats from the war ves- sels, which were at anchor offshore, and headed for the harbor. As the power launches and the boats which they towed in long strings were close to the narrow passage into the inner harbor, between the ancient fortress of San Juan de Ulua and the principal wharf, they were signaled to return to the ships. They went back and their companies remained in the water while flag signals were exchanged between the consulate, which fronted, so they told me afterward, not even the officers in command of the boats were aware that landing was contemplated. They thought that the boats had been manned, with the men in full fighting equipment, solely for practice. “Come ahead. All clear,” the signalman at the consulate window. Then the landing orders were passed. The boats started off again and swept }in linked arcs shoreward and into the arbor. There they were joined by sev- jeral other boats, laden with marines and sailors, from a cruiser which was anchored inside under the guns of the fort. I stood on a wharf and watched them come in. It was such a matter of fact, unspectacular performance that it was difficult for me to accept the evidence of my eyes, to believe that I saw what I was seeing. Crowds of | Mexicans and many Americans col- Ilecud at the waterfront to watch the show, Mexicans Arming. Back in the town, through which I had come a few minutes previously on my way from the cable office where had spent some time trying to xican censor into lef & bulletin announcing the lan Soldiers and chine guns and sheafs of rifies inside, in charge of army captains, lieutenants and non-commissioned officers. I tried to shout this information over the water to the approaching boats, Divine Providence that morning must (Continued on th Page)