In order to comply with the President’s Proclamation of July
12, 1919, prohibiting the exportation of arms or munitions
of war from the United States to Mexico, and to prevent the
indiscriminate sale of arms and other munitions along the
border:
1. All railroads will immediately embargo all shipments of
arms and ammunition to Mexican Border points, except the
following:
- (a)
- Those covered by Government bills of
lading;
- (b)
- Those authorized by proper military
authorities;
- (c)
- Those that are authorized to be exported into
Mexico by a license issued under the authority of
the Secretary of State, as provided for in paragraph
five (5) hereof;
- (d)
- The small arms, small arms ammunition and other
items described in paragraph 3(b) hereof.
2. As used in this order, Border Points will be understood to
be as follows; all points inclusive; the cities of Galveston
and Houston; Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe—Rincon and points
south and west; El Paso and Southwestern—Alamo Gordo and
points south and west; Texas and Pacific—Pecos and points
west; Southern Pacific—Yuma to El Paso and all points south.
In addition all points on and south and west of a line
following the Southern Pacific from El Paso to San Antonio
and the San Antonio and Aransas Pass from San Antonio to
Corpus Christi.
3. (a) Among the arms and munitions of
war referred to are included the following: artillery of all
calibers and ammunition therefor, machine guns, automatic
rifles, grenades and bombs.
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(b) This embargo does not include
small arms, such as shot guns, rifles, revolvers, and
pistols; small arms ammunition; dynamite, blasting powder
and other high explosives used for industrial purposes, and
fuses or caps for firing same.
4. Local persons, firms, or corporations desiring shipments
of embargoed articles made to them at border points, as
defined in paragraph two (2), will apply to the commander of
the military forces at the nearest one of the following
points; San Antonio, Brownsville, Laredo, Eagle Pass, Del
Rio, Marfa, El Paso, Columbus, Douglas, Nogales and
Yuma.
Such commander is authorized to approve these requests when,
in his judgment, such arms and other munitions are not to be
used for purposes inconsistent with the purpose of these
restrictions. When his approval is obtained; it should be
forwarded to the shipper for file with the bill of lading,
as authority for the railroad to transport the property in
question.
5. Persons, firms or corporations having authority from the
War Department to ship to border points arms or munitions
described in paragraph 3(a) will
furnish the shipper a copy of such authority for file with
the bill of lading covering the same. Persons, firms or
corporations having authority from the Secretary of State to
export arms or munitions into Mexico will furnish the
shipper a copy of such authority for file with the bill of
lading covering the same.
6. Agents in billing shipments of arms and munitions as above
described to border points or into Mexico, which have been
properly authorized, will, for information of intermediate
roads, place notation on waybill accompanying shipment, to
the effect that authority from the War or State Departments,
respectively, authorizing shipment, is on file at the office
at point of origin.
In order to conform to the foregoing restrictions, effective at once,
an amended embargo should be issued by each road to its own
employees, and to its assigned short line railroads.
