The times dispatch. [volume], March 09, 1911, Image 1

About The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914

Image provided by: Library of Virginia; Richmond, VA

                
WEST VIRGINIA
DEEPLY STIRRED
Press Regards Debt De?
cision as a Public
-Calamity.
MUST BE SETTLED
BY BOND ISSUE
Republican Administrations
Blamed With Criminal Misman?
agement?No Doubt About
Settlement of Claim?Only
Hope Is to Avoid Pay?
ing Interest.
Judging from the way In which the
newspaper* of West Virginia, just
arriving in Richmond, handled the de?
cision of the Supreme Court of the
United States in the State debt matter,
the results were vastly more impres?
sive in that State than in Virginia.
Ono of West Virginia's leading news?
papers devotes practically all of Its
ront page to various stories on the
decision, while all of the papers speak
of Hb importance.
It Is notable that tho Republican
adminl?tratlons of the past are blamed j
in many quarters for the difficulties In
?which Wen Virginia now finds her
eelf. The outstanding bonds and cer?
tificates could have been settled long
ago by tho payment of a small per?
centage of the par value, according to
several people who unburdened them?
selves on tho subject, und the Legis
lature. run by Republicans, had per?
sistently refused to treat with Vir?
ginia or with tho certificate holders ;
In any way.
Would Avoid i nie rent.
The Wheeling Register suggests,
possibly because the wlBh Is father!
to the thought, that an Impression I
exists that "a compromise will be ef- j
fected with Virginia by which all
claims to Interest will be abandoned,
following the judgment against West
S'irglnla. It Is even held that the
language of the opinion Is a covert
r-uggestion to Virginia that it may
give up it- claim to Interest."
Tho Register asks: "Would It not
be In order for the coming session of
the Legislature to ascertain what
State officials, both past and present,
own Virginia certificates?"
? Certain It Is that the announcement
of the decision of the court In favor
of Virginia, by which the younger
State is held to owe 17.1 S2.507 , of the j
ancient debt, lias produced a profounn
impression. Discussion Is rife as to
how the amount lb ever tip be paid. It
was the general belief that the State
Constitution prohibited the Issuance of
bonds, but it Is now pointed out by
former Governor W. M. O. Dawson.
Who was one of the attorneys for West
Virginia during the litigation, that
there- I ? an exception which covers
this case 'I'hf clause which will per?
mit bonds to be Issued in this instance
is as follows:
t oven Beck Liability.
"No debt shall be contracted by this
State except to meet casual deficits
In the revenue, to redeem a previous
liability of the State, to suppress in- !
surrcctlpn, repel Invasion, or defend
the State In time of war; but the pay- j
ment of any liability other than that
for the ordinary expenses of the State
Shall bo equally distributed over a
period of at lea.?:t twenty years,"
Under this section twenty-year
bonds can be issued In series, payable
one-twentieth annually; to cover "a
previous liability." which would ap?
ply to the State debt.
Senator S. V. Woody, of Clklns, com?
ments as follows:
"The Republican partv in West Vir?
ginia has made a great pretense of de?
fending that suit, and lias appropriated
and paid out of tho public treasury
tinder the pretense of defending the.
suit. $113.000 already. At the last set
sion of the Legislature c further ap?
plication by the Hoard of Public Works
for an appropriation of $50.000 for the ]
further defense of that suit was made; j
notwithstanding the fact that the suit j
had been argued and submitted to the i
Supreme Court at that time, and 1 re- i
gret to say that a Democratic T.egisla
Hire appropriated the money, in spite !
of tho protest of a few Democratic I
Senators."
Dud ManoRrincnt.
The opinion that thoi suit has been
mismanaged seems to lie general For?
mer Governor William A.' MacCorklc
says: "1 do not think it has been well
managed, but the real bad manage?
ment arises from the fact that the
s-uit could have been ore vented if the
West Virginia attorneys had taken in?
terest in doing so. I regard this as
one of the greatest issues In West
Virginia politics. In all the campaign:*
1 have made since the organization ol i
the suit I have discussed the want of
interest of the West Virginia authori?
ties in not preventing this legislation;
and it will 1)0 one. of the Issues in the
coming campaign. This Is ? matter of
1 ho greatest moment which has occur?
red to West Virginia since the war.
]t will take experience, good sense and
patriotism to solve for our people this j
great question.''
The Wheeling Register takes it hard.
3t says: "There Is no silver lini"-*- to
this cloud, look tit is as we may It
is a terrible Incubus that comes oh us
In a night like a swarm of locusts to
devastate the land and impoverish the
people. The outlook is deeply discour?
aging and the conclusion Is,that the
management of West Virginia's inter?
ests has been a delusion and a botch -
ti failure of stich magnitude that it has
been almost criminal."
"While apparently there is no judg?
ment rendered rind the opinion is onlv
tho finding of the amount decided by the
court as proper for West Virgin la to'pay.
the .decision of the court is regarded
as final," in the opinion of the Charles?
ton Gazette. "The suggestion that tit
best the Supreme Court could only
award judgment, and the plaintiffs in
the ease would be powerless to execute
judgment, would be poppycock. Wheth?
er the opinion gives actual Judgment
or Is merely a finding, the decision ot
the Supreme Court must bo regarded
tis binding. West Virginia cannot he
In the position of being a repudiator
f of valid obligations. Such a postion
would encompass the ruin of the
State's credit and would disorganize
propertv rights."
This attitude on the part of the West
Virginia press is of much interest here.
Tt is recalled that for years that State
has been utterly disdainful of Vir?
ginia's claims, and at the beginning
of each session of t hp Legislature
there was a rush' jo see *\yhlch member
(Continued on Third Page.) '
BY LIFE-SAVERS
Eight Members of Man?
churia's Crew Rescued
in Breeches Buoy.
VESSEL BURIED
DEEPER IN SAND
Will Probably Withstand Storm
at Least for Night?More Than
Twenty Men Still on Board,
and Efforts to Get Them
Ashore Will Be
Resumed To-Day.
I
Norfolk, Va., March S?Undaunted
after a day and night of battle in one]
of the worst st-irms this coast has ex- j
pcriencod In years, life-savers to-night.:
rescued eight of the thirty-five or more
men en hoard the stranded stcahiei
Manchuria, which lies "00 fec-t from thr
beach, three miles from Little Island;
and nine miles south of Virginia Beach; I
Blinder] by a terrific snowstorm, with
n howling northeast gale dashing
mountain-high waves all over them
and over the ship on whose decks clung
Hie life-loving crew, tho life-savers
tried and tried to shoot a line to them,
that mean: at least hope. When the
wind caught the ;ine and threw It from
Its course or caused it to fall Just n
few feet snort of Its intended goal,
the bravo men. who sometimes stood In i
water waist-high, tried again. At last
the-.- succeeded, and almost with cheers
tin- men on the deck of the ship await?
ed tiie coming of the breeches buo'y:|
But the victory was not won. Tho ?
waves were js'o high and struck the|
beach with su:!i force that the life -1
savers could not make fast the anchor-1
age. and Eeveral of the turn w ere caught;
by the angry waves und dashed high
upon the beach. They came back at
their task again, and finally made the]
life line fast, shot the basket out to j
the stranded ship, and brought ashore, j
one by one. eight members of the . row
Thrilling Hckcuc.
The rescue was a thrilling one, and
Its like perhaps may never be seen
again; As the life buoy shot down the
cable, sometimes It would be caught bj
a high wave, and the men In It would
be completely covered by water. Theit
journey to shore was almost entirely!
under water.
The storm :ncrcased in fury until j
the waves beat back on the beach for!
several hundred fcctf end the life-s*y--i
ers, recognizing IhVt if would be sui?
cide to attempt to take off any more
of the erew, abandoned the work of
rescue for the time Vicing.
From the Manchuria signals were
flashed which said that the ship was
leaking, but would probably withstand
the storm for the night nt least. The
vessel has been driven closer In, near?
er the shore, and appears to be buried
deeper in the sand. She appears slight-,
iy listed, but is said to be in no iinme- !
diate innger. Her condition is said to1
be good, but some fears of ever saving
her were expressed to-night. The'
wrecking tug Rescue, that went to the
assistance of the stranded vessel yes?
terday, was forced to return to Norfolk:
out of the storm. She will return to
the scene of the wreck at daybreak:
To Aid In Work.
It is reported that the Rescue trans- I
f.errcd nine of her crew to the Man-]
churla yesterday to aid in tlie effort";
mad-, to float the vessel.
The wire to (.'ape Henry went down
with the storm to-day, and no word i
from the vessel was received after 1G<
o'clock to-night. There are thirty-!
lour live-savers standing on the beach.1
near the stranded ship. They repre?
sent tlic crews of False Cape, Dam;
Neck and Little Island stations.
IN DANGER OF DROWNING
Score* or r.ntlfttcd 3len In Peril on !
Strnnded 'Pur.
Norfolk, Va.. March U.? For eight '
hours last night and this morning 100
enlisted men from the American bat- 1
tlcship fleet, now in Cuban waters,
wore in momentary danger of losing
their lives In Hampton Roads, when
the naval tug Uncas r,'snt ashore two
miles south of the Rip Raps.
Tin; supply ship Celtic arrived yes?
terday from Cuba with a big draft of
men; whose terms of enlistment have,
or will expire shortly. The Uncas was :
? at - lied froth the Norfolk navy yard |
to hi .11 ? the men to this city. When i
the Utg started back to'Norfolk, de- I
spite the fact that the channel is wide '
and deep, she Iti some way got per?
haps 1.000 feet off her course and hit
ithe beach. Ail night long the tug blew
whistles of distress, fired rockets and
revolvers, but only one tug came to
her assistance. This tug. in trying to
reach the Uncas, was driven ashore,
managed to get off again, but would
not risk another chance of stranding.
The lug lay to, however, near the
Uncas.
The men say they were in peri!
every moment of losing their lives, and
were obliged to run from one side of
the tug to the other all night. They
say the tug came very near turning
over oh several occasions, and they
thought every minute would be their
last.
The Uncas stranded at 7 o'clock last
night, nhd did not get off until about
3 o'clock this morning. The Uncas in
; commanded by Boatswain Cmcry, and
I the men blame aim for the grounding
i of the boai.
Xjval oflicials refuse to discuss the
affair to-night, hut an investigation
will be mndo to ascertain the cause
of the mishap.
NOT YET INF?RMED
China Knows Nothing of HusmIii'n
Police Hunt l'lllnN.
Poking. March S.~T'ue Chinese gov?
ern nicht-has not -yet been Informed re?
garding Russia's intention of putting
police boats on the Amur. Tt is stated
nt the Russian legation that the pro?
ject evidently is only for quarantine,
purposes;,
The melting of the snows is anx?
iously awaited, because it is believed
that if cither Russia or ,1apan lias ag?
gressive designs, this will interfere
with the movement of troops.;and will
uau.se f.ufllcient delay to permit of a
settlement of controversial questions.
The financial losses, both directly and
indirectly, through the stoppage of the
railway Is' enormous.
i
Program Calls for
Revision of Few
Schedules.
BUSINESS NOT
TO BE DISTURBED
Leaders Firm for Legislation
Along. Conservative Lines.
Cannon Already Bone of
Contention, and May Be
Cause of Fight Within
Republican Party.
Washington, I). C, March S. ?Demo- !
cratle congressional leaders remain?
ing in the city, a number of whom
have been visiting President Taft, de?
clare that sentiment Is crystallizing!
among thern for only a partial re
\ ision of the tariff at the extra sessioni
leaving further revision to be made j
from time to time as the party deems'
best. '
If this program hi adopted by Scn-I
ate and House Democrats, it is pre- ;
dieted that there will be an early ad?
journment <?f the extra session of ,
Congress, with no business having j
been transacted except ratification of
the Canadian reciprocity treaty ana.
revision of something like .t dozen
sechdulej of Hie Aid rich-.Payne tariff
bill; ;
Senators overman, of .Vorth Carolina;
??con, of Georgia, conservatives, ami.
Owen, of Oklahoma, radical, are thr<-.
of the leading Senate Democrats who j
say that the country need not. look}
for the party to split open business
interests by . a wholesale revision, j
Ctiamp Clark, Democratic Speaker-to
be of the next House Is said on good
authority to propose the siatnc sort of
revision.
if the prgram, as now contemplated,
is adopted. Congress will not be in
session over three month? It will j
probably put through Canadian reci?
procity first. While this is going on,
the Ways and Means Committee, with
its Democratic majority, will he work?
ing upon the schedules the leaders de?
termine to be the ones to be revised.
These will include wool and woolen
goods, cotton and cotton goods, flour, I
meats and other necessaries of life, '
with the probability Of agricultural ,
implements. |
To "Protect" the l-'nrmer Vote.
The Democrats do not propose to 1
lose sight of the farmer vote. The>
Will 'declare that if tl?>.i'_Wi?stcrh"and |
Northwestern farmer is to become a
loser by letting Canadian wheat and j
other grains in free, as proposed in the I
Canadian reciprocity agreement, he j
should have the benefit of cheaper flour
and other articles consumed by him.
The Democrats believe that the farm?
er Is sore' on the Republican pnrty, and
his interests will be looked after with
an unusual decree of careful attention.
Senator Owen said that he did not
believe the party would undertake ex?
tensive alterations in tho tariff at the j
extra session.
"My view," he said. "Is that wo j
should lower the duties on things that I
the people need to Kive cheaper prices,
and Iben put further revision off, to i
he taken up schedule by schedule in
the future. In this way the business
interests of the country, with a few
exceptions, will have no occasion to
be disturbed. Future revision can be
made after careful gathering of facts.
"Those people who are expecting
the Democrats to upset everything are
going to be badly mistaken. f do
not believe there will be any lack of
confidence in the party by business of
all kinds after we. get through. Of
course, where there is monopoly and
overproduction and these interests
clash with those of the great masses
of the people, the people are to he
cared for first."
Representative l/sver, of South Caro?
lina, who is still in the city, said:
"There will not he over twelve or
fifteen schedules revised by the extra
session of Congress?probably not
that many?and the Democrats will
lake tip further revision as they are
prepared to handle it scientifically nnd
with justice to all concerned. Those
Republicans who are looking for th?
Democrats to make fools of them?
selves will he disappointed, T am con?
fident. The country Is not to be kept
in a state of agitation by a wholesale
revision of the existing laws. That j
is assured."
f'ninion Hone of Contention.
The fight over whether "Joe" Can-j
non shall he minority leader in the!
next House has already begun, accord?
ing to Republican members who have'
I been visiting the President. There are
suggestions that the President may!
he drawn into the fight before it Is
over, but at present there is only pre?
liminary skirmishing, a survey of the
j line-up from each side. Insurgents In
the next House admit that they will
I fight to the end any proposition that
I will make "Mr. Cannon minority lead
, er, which he will become If he is the
': nominee of his party for Speaker. TShfi
! Insurgents are quietly getting the aid
' of n number of men heretofore known
as regulars. Some of these pledged
themselves before the last,election not
to vote for him again as Speaker, and
they construe this pledge as putting
them against the minority leader.
Others now against him made no
pledges, hut recognize that In a fight
over revision of the tariff the former
j Speaker, as minority leader, would
i probably not represent the real senti?
ment of the parly and thereby would
place the party in ? wrong light he
fore the country. The question la de-,
ilttred to be. a mos ; .serious one. de
;or\:iv thoughtful attention hy the
minority in the House. Tho President
him elf i': said to view the. matter with
some concern, although d es I r bus of
keeping out of the certain fight that
is to come. Three men are montlnnod
I as likely to receive support against
? Mr. Cannon. They are Representatives
'Mann..of Illinois: Olmstead. of Penn^
i sylvan la, and Payne, of New York.
j Mr. Mann. It is said, would nol per
} mit himself to become an opponent
? of "Mr. Cannon, and the only way he
' Is likely in get into the fight for
minority loader Is after (he withdrawal
of Mr. Cannon, If that should coma
about.
I LITTLE ATTEMPT TO CONCEAL
FACT THAT MARTIAL DISPLAY
MAY BE MORE THAN PRACTICE
Washington Insists, for
Publication, It Is Only
' 'Manoeuvres7'
SAYS, PRIVATELY,
TROUBLE BREWS
Certain That "War Game" Re?
lates to Conditions Across
Mexican Border?Attitude of
Diaz a Conundrum?De?
partment Works
Perfectly.
Washington* D. C, March ?.?The
officers who set the machinery going
for ihe greut gathering of Un'ted
Stales troops and warships from end
to end of the Mexican frontier to-day
drew their first long breath in thirty
six hours, and aat bark in their chairs
In the War and Navy Departments to
"Watch the thing work.'' From all di?
rections trains are carrying soldiers,
horses, held guns and ammunition to
ward the places of rendezvous.
Official Wushington still insists, for
publication, that tho sole purpose of
this sudden and unexpected display of
the military resources of the nation .3
t" engage in field manoeuvres and prac?
tice . f officers and men in land and
naval activities, under Hervico condi?
tions; in private they make little at?
tempt: to conceal the relation of the
"manoeuvres'* to conditions actual and
potential over tlx Mexican horder line.
\> ion is .Mexican Attitudef
The Conundrum over which the unin?
formed "are puzzling to-night is the
question jjbf the real attitude of the
Mexican "?ovemment toward this un-'
precedent]?! display of war resources
at its doorstep. Not a word of an au?
thoritative character is obtainable on
that nubject. It is the general belief,
however, that the Diaz government was
not In the least taken by surprise in
the matter. The cordiality of the rela?
tions between the Taft and Diaz ad?
ministrations, as expressed when the
two Presidents met on the International
bridge last > ear, have not been dimln
, ished by any happenings since, so far
i as Is known here, and it Is taken for
jgt anted that the unprecedented mobili?
zation of troops within a few steps of j
tiie Mexican soil never would have been!
effected without .i-u'tdbp: interchange
between tlrtrtwo governments to pre?
clude the possibility of misunderstand?
ing.
I Old Wa = hington:ans to-day compared
the conditions prevailing at the War
and Navy Departments with the On
iriol! and excitement which character- ]
Ized the early daya,of the Spanish-j
American War. Thirty-six hours after I
the determination was reached to mo- |
bllize a whole army division in Texas,
the officials were sitting tranquilly at
their desks, watching with quiet in?
terest the workings of the magnificent
machinery that had been so carefully
built up to respond to just such an
emergency as the present. The Secre-'.
Italy of War was busy winding up some
! Important matters of civil administra?
tion, preparatory to leaving Washington :
I for several days; Nothing of a military
nature interfered with his designs, and
ihe was able to proceed late in the day
1 fur Atlanta.
! I,title to lie Done.
M^jor-Gencral Leonard Wood, chief
! of staff, came 'nto town from his Fort
Myer homo early to-day, and was soon
busy with reports from his aids and
other members of the general staff,
showing what progress was being made
In carrying out the plans for mobiliza?
tion cf the troopa. These appeared to
have been laid with perfection, and
witli the exception of dispatching or?
ders to certain companies to take the
places of others whose withdrawal
to Texas had left some of the military
posts without proper caretakers, there
was little to be done.
Major-Ooneral Carter, who is to com?
mand the army division in Texas, was
looking after some personal' corre?
spondence and making sure that his fa?
vorite charger would be suitably cared
lor on the long railroad trip to Texas.
Nowhere was the superiority of the
new state of affairs over those that ex?
isted in the War Department before
j the days of tlie Spanish War made more j
(manifest than in the quartermaster's
j department. General Alcshlre. with Iiis
deputies, was engaged in a Herculean
task; he was moving a body of soldiers
across the country more numerous
than tl^e entire force which was gath?
ered at Tampa, Fla., to form the Amer?
ican army of occupation in 1S0S; yet
there actually was no evidence to !.'?<;
casual observer that there was In pro?
gress anything more than mere routine
business of tho quartermaster's depart?
ment. The troops' movements were
! proceeding with absolute accuracy, and
j up to the close of business to-day not
lone telegram had been received by the
quartermaster-general to complain that
anything was missing essential to the
comfort of the troops or tho animals
on the road.
Every Detail Worked Out.
There was good reason for this, be?
cause, as the records of the quarter?
master's department show, every deiail
of tho movement had been worked out
jwltii the greatest perfection long in
j advance.
Details of the composition of tho full
I division of troops which will be con?
centrated at San Antonio, Texas, under
j command of Major-General Carter, wore
I made public by tho War Department.
: The division will consist of three bri
j gades of infantry, n field artillery brl
? gade, a divisional cavalry detachment,
1 cavalry brigade and a number of aux?
iliary troops, Including members of the
signal, medical and engineer corps of
the army.
The First Tnfantry Brigade will be
composed of the Eleventh* Fifteenth
ami eighteenth Infantry; the Second
of tho Thirteenth, Twenty-second and
Twenty-third Infantry, and (lie Third
of the Tenth. Seventeenth ami Twenty
eighth Infantry.
The Field Artillery Brigade will he
(Continued on Second Page.)
MAJOR-GENERA I, LEONARD WOOD,
Chief of Staff, United States Army.
MILITIA OFFICERS
INVITEQ TO FRONT
PREPARED FOR WAR
ON SHORT NOTICE
j Within Twelve Hours After
j Orders Are Received 1,500
Sailors Are En Route.
, New Vork. March S.?Within twelve
hours of the receipt of orders for cm
: barkatlon, 1,500 United States sailors
sailed out of New Vork Harbor at 10
o'clock to-night, throughly prepared
for war, although according to official
announcement, only war ' games*' were
planned.
It was the biggest, quickest and
most businesslike movement of regular
troops from New Vork since the Span
j ish-American War. Jn addition to the
regular army forces, the sailors of the
fifth division of the Atlantic (leet
had their ships loaded with supplies
ami ammunition ready to start for thu
Gulf of Mexico, via Gutanamo.
Malor-Genernl Frederick D. Grant,
United States Army, commanding the
Department of the Ua6t, received the
definite order about noon to-day to
dispatch the coast artillerymen from
the forts in New York Harbor to the
"front" to-night. They go as the
"Third Provisional Regiment of In-'
fan try," on the Old Dominion Dine
steamship .lamestown for Fortress
Monroe, Virginia, where they Join the
other forces moving on to Texas. All
afternoon and Into tho night govern?
ment tugs were plying from Forts
Hamilton. Hancock. Tolten and Wads
worth, carrying companies of the coast
artillerymen to the Ohl Dominion pier.
At dark the stoamer Princess*! Ahne
chartered by the government, already
ha/, passed out of the harbor laden
w/th horses and mules and supplies
a-'.td rations for the army. The forces
/.re under the command of Colonel
> John V. Whlti-, of Fort Hancock.
On every hand there was warlike
preparations. ISarly in the day 200
marines left the Brooklyn yard; en
route to Philadelphia to hoard tho.
United States transport Pr?rie- Army
I officers who had been ordered to ru
I port at Washington occupied two ex?
tra coaches over the Pennsylvania
this morning, and two cars full of of?
ficers and men left ovor the namo road
to-night for Newport News, Vs.
Thousands of boxes of ammunition
were taken aboard the Jamestown In
addition cacti soldier carried sixty
rounds of ball ammunition in his equip?
ment.
? Rear-Admiral Staun ton's flagship,
the Tennessee, and the sister cruisers
Montana and North Carolina wore ly
I Ing off Tompkinsvillo at a late hour
' tb-ntght with their lights and the oc
! casional movement of a launch from
lone ship to another. or t.i the shore
the only evidence of activity; All day,
? however, tho crews had been busy
hoisting ammunition aboard and coal?
ing, and the Tennessee sent a wire?
less to the Brooklyn Navy Yard to?
night that they were ready to start,
although it Is believed that the ves?
sels will not weigh anchor until to?
morrow morning.
Murderer Surrender?.
St. Augustine, Fla., March S.?B?s
oom Carl ton, charged with killing
Deputy Sheriff White and A. Schneider
at Hspanola Sunday, surrendered to
officers to-day and was brought to tho
Jail here. Owing to threats of lynch?
ing, tho prisonor was heavily guarded.
Asked .by War Department to
Take Part in Manoeuvres
in Texas.
INTEREST IN RICHMOND
I Several . Local Officers Will
' Probably Accept?General
Sale May Go.
! Washington, D. C., March S?The
I militia officers of all the States of the
I Union will be Invited to participate In
the Operation? of the nrniy nt San An?
tonio?'TexM. This nnnounceiuent wat?
mailc by the Wnr Department, and was
i coupled with the statement that the
invitations will he extended with a
view to giving the ofllcers of the Nn
Uonnl Ouard prncticnl Held training in
the extensive manoeuvres which, offl
clnlH declare is the purpose of the mil?
itary demonstration. There are about
8,000 of these olllccrs. As It Is purely
an Invitation, nntl Its acceptance is
optional vilth tbe mea, It cannot he
foretold how ninny villi avail them?
selves of the opportunity tu take Part
la the present military activity.
This announcement In regard
to the militia officers gave rise
to further speculation in Wash?
ington In connection with the
movement of troops. The known dearth
of officers la the army and the fnet
thnt 1 the VVnr Department has heeu
knocking: at the doors of Congress for
Aildlltonnl ofllcers, gave ground for the
conjecture that the real purpose of
the Invltution to the officers of the mi?
litia ??? to use them to command reg?
ular troops. The need of the army for
more ofllcers for command positions
lent considerable color to the ndrrnt
of the nillltla Into the puzzllug situa?
tion.
The Wnr Department, however, gave
emphatic denial to tbe suggestion thnt
the mil I tin ofllcers would he used to
till vacancies In command, and reiter?
ated the statement that the assembling
I of the National Onard officers would
merely be for the purpose of Instruc?
tion.
lllchmonders Pleased.
Surprise was created and enthusiasm
aroused last night when local officers
of i o Virginia Volunteers were In?
formed by The Times-Dispatch of tho
invitation of the War Department
which will be extended them to par
(Iclpatc in the army mancouvres in \
Texas. Most of those seen expressed i
delight at an opportunity of being
able to join In the tleld op.-rutlons, and
although the announcement was sud?
den, most of them seemed anxious to
take part In the mimic warfare, and
declared they would make every ef?
fort to go. Liino ofllcers appeared es?
pecially willing to travel nearly 2.000
miles for the sake of their Interest In
the militia.
It Is believed that this sentiment
i prevails among ofllcers throughout the
! Siate. There aie about forty general.'
Held, staff and line ofllcers stationed
in Richmond. --' *
General Sale May Go..
Adjutant-General W. yv. Sale was
much elated over the news, for ho Is
anxious that the, commissioned men of
the service have every opportunity for
Increasing their efficiency. Asked
whether he would go. General Sale re?
plied that he would lie prepared to
do so. but would tako no steps with?
out first consulting Governor Mann.
"Whatever the Governor deems advis?
able I will tie," he said.
Colonel lo Lane Stern, Inspector
General of the State, declared he would
not go. "1 do not think general start
olllccrs would ho materially benefited
' (Continued fa Third Page.)
MEXICANS ARE
DISTURBED Bl
TROOPS' RUSH
TO BORDERLINE
All Are Unwilling to
Believe That This
Country Plans
Intervention.
BUT PEOPLE
ARE RESTLESS
AND PUZZLED
Mexican Ambassador Points to
Cordial and Frank Relations
Which Have Existed Between
Two Countries, and Declares
No Demand for Intervention
Has Come From Any Quarter.
Takcs Explanations Given Out
at Washington on Their Face
Value?Insurgent Leader, Vol?
uble and Excited, Says United
States Always Has Been Fait*
to Insurrectos.
REASSURANCE IS
GIVEN BY TAFT
Mexico City, March 8.?Setting rit
rest rumor? that the United States
Im rtrcPnrlug for Intervention In Mex?
ico, President Toft to-dny sent to
President Din/, n telegram. In ?Vilich
lie said the military manoeuvres lie
Inc conducted nloop, the frontier In
Texas hove no significance which
sliould enusc concern to Mexico.
The mensaee xvos transmitted to
the Departmeut of Foreign Relations
by Fred Morris DccrliiR, charge d'af?
faires of the Mexican embassy. Fol
loulng is the text:
"I have the honor to advise Your
Excellency that I am In receipt of
iUMtructlonit from my government
dlreetlujr me to Inform Hin Excel?
lency, President Diaz, through the
medium of four Excrllcuey, that the
President of the United Stote* wishes
to eapron* the hope that no misap?
prehensions will result from un?
founded and sensational newspaper
conjectures ns to the nillltnry run
noruxTes about to take place In
Tc*?as find elsewhere, and to clvc to
President Diaz insurance that the
nmnocuvrcH have no significance
trhlrh should cause concern to the
frlnrdly neighbors of the United
States to the south.*"
To the forcRolns; Cenerol Dins re?
plied, through Minister Creel und
tile American embassy, ncknovrledff- .
ing receipt nnd expressing gratitude
??for the courtesy of explaining In
such explicit terms'' the situation.
Xcw York, .March 8.?The Mexican
ambassador to the United States, the
United States nmbassador to Mexico,
the Mexican Minister of finance nnd
the representative here of the Mexican
Insurrectos nil professed theruaclvcs
nimble to offer nny explanation to-dny
of the movement to the Texas border
of a formidable United States army,
All nllke were mm Illing to hellcvc In?
tervent Ion In Mexico is Imminent*
Senor Do Labarra, the Mexican am?
bassador, was cheery, if baffled. Am?
bassador Wilson was guarded and ret-'
icont. Jose Ives Llmantour, the Mex?
ican Minister of Finance was terse and
rather sombre, lie did not disguise his
uncertainty and anxiety or the fact
that his latest reports from Mexico
brought word that the people there
were restless and puzzled. Gustavo
Madero, brother to the provisional ih?
sursent President, was voluble and ex?
cited.
Long Cipher Dispatch.
Sonor De Labarra returned from
Washington to-day and was closeted
with Senor Llmantour until late to?
night; At 1 o'clock he gave the news?
paper men what ho called "iust a pa?
renthesis." a brief interview, in which
he outlined the matters discussed up
to that time. "At ."> o'clock," ho said,
'T am going back to Washington," but
shortly after arrived Cayetano Horn
cro, the Mexlea.i consul-general. In a
great hurry, bearing with him a long
dispatch in cipher, and when ."> o'clock
came the Mexican ambassador did not
lenvc. Nor nt 6. nor at T, and at 3
Senor l-imantour sent down word that
he should be unable to grant the eve?
ning interview he had promised, and
that honor Do Labarra did not know
whether he should spend the night bore
or not. in Heu of tho promised Inter?
view. Senor Llmantour gave out
through his secretary a brief state?
ment :
".No representations have been made
to the Mexican administration," ran the
statement, "by either Great Britain or
France that thej would Intervene in our
affairs unless their property was better
safeguarded, nor have there been any
iutlmoticns thut they would apply to
the United States to intervene.
"1 have heard again to-day from
President Diaz, und his health, and ap?
pearance remain what they have beer.
?excellent.
Disitiirbina Effect,
'The announcement from Washington
that -0,00a American troops were to be
sent to the boundary lino has had a dis?
turbing. effect in Mexico, where it in
not understood."
Senor De Labarra, In his afternoon
interview, said he had three reasons
'for believing the explanations given
put at Washington on their fine value.
"In the first place," he cxpialnod,
"the relations between the two coun?
tries have been most cordial for 4
period ot years. In tho second place?