The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-06-02

Washington, June 1.-For the first
time since the beginning Of hostilities
there appears to be something in the
nature of an official statement OF the
plan Of campaign of the United States
government. This is contained in a let
ter Of Secretary Alger to the speaker
of the house, transmitting certain recon-
mendations and statements of General
Ludlow. which disclosed the purpose of
the war department to send 10000 men
to Cuba. 10000 to start at once, and the
remainder just as soon as they can be
made ready for departure. Then there
was an estimate for establishing elec-
trical communication in connection
with the army in Cuba, Porto Rico and
the Philippines, showing for the first
time officially an implied intention on
the part of the government to land
troops i'm Porto Rico.
OF course, all these movements have
been anticipated by the press. but new
ertheless a strong element of doubt ex-
listed and therefore an official state
ment of the governments purposes,
made even i'm this indirect fashion, ere
ated a profound sensation here. The
three are to go together, Cuba, Porto
Rico and the Philippines. and pass into
the military occupation of the United
States troops. Inasmuch as the secre-
tary says that the second contingent of
| troops Is to go forward as soon as they
! can be prepared. a good deal of interest
is attached to an order that was made
to-day at the war department, provid-
ing for the organization of the 75. 900 ad
a tntaa vol. 1A1 -Ia.-
officially established the statements
heretofore made in Tuesdays dispatches
that large proportion of the new men
are to be used to f1ll up the existing
regiments of volunteers. which are, in
most cases. deficient in numbers.
IL is to be presumed from to-days
order that the volunteer regiments col
I lected under the first call will be de-
! tanned until they are filled up in this
fashion, SO that the order has some
| bearing upon the plan of campaign.
The naval officials have been consid-
| erably mystified throughout the day by
reports of an engagement OFF Santiago.
! Corroborative evidence coming from
many quarters. including the official an
! nouncement from Havana and Madrid,
| led the officials to concede late in the
day that some engagement had taken
| place. although they did not regard 1t
| as a serious one. No bulletins were
issued by the department during the
| day. and at the close of office hours it
was stated that no dispatches from
| Commodore Schley had been received
| during the day. There is reason to
believe, however. that the department
received indirect advices through the
state department. possibly not bearing
| out the detailed press dispatches, but
| sufficient to indicate that an engage
ment of some kind had occurred at San
tiago The impression is that in exc
! cution of the general instructions to all
comma nders on the Cuban coast to pre-
vent the construction or strengthening
| of batteries by the Spanish. Commo-
| dore Schey, observing work of this
! kind going on at MORO castle. had
drawn his fleet up close enough to stop
| it. 1t Is not believed that he made any
real attempt TO enter the harbor. but
while engaged in the task of shelling
the shore batteries, seeing the Cristobal
| Colon i'm range, he could not resist the
| temptation to try a few shots at her.
The statement from Madrid. in what
| seemed to be an almost semi-official
| form, of the acuteness of the financial
stringency there. and the plain intima-
tion that the Bank of Spain. and con-
| sequently Spain, was nearing the end
| of their financial resources. was re-
garded at the state department as OF
/ more real significance than many of the
| stories of battles on land and sea that
have been coming over the cables for
the past few weeks. The effect of this
! notice may be TO hasten operations
against Porto Rico lest the prize slip
! from our grasp through a sudden and
unexpected termination of the war.
An additional evidence that the actual
| forward movement of the army and
navy has begun was given in the action
of the foreign naval and military observ-
| ers. They have been sojourning in
Washington for some time, but in the
last week all of them have started for
| Florida.