Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-09
REWARD FOR VICT0RS.
CONGRESS ACTS WITHOUT ANY DELAY.



Presid mi today sent the following
message to Congress;
To the Congress of the United states;
On the cath of April / directed the
secretary of the navy to telegraph or
ders to Commodore George Dewey of
the United States navy, commanding
the Asiatic squadron then lying In the
port of Hongk0ng to proceed forthwith
10 the Philippine Islands, there to
commence operations and engage the
Spanish fleet.
Promptly obeylng that order the
United States squadron, consisting of
the flagship Olympia, Baltimore. Raj
egh, Boston. Concord and Petrol. with
the revenue cutter Hugh McCulloch as
an auxiliary dispatch boat, entered the
hirbor of Manila at daybreak ON the
LIST OF May and Immediately engaged
the entire Spanish fleet OF eleven ships,
which were under the protection OF
the fire Of the land forts. After
stubborn fight. in which the enemy
suffered great loss, those vessels were
destroyed or completely disabled. anu
the water battery of Cavite sllenced.
of our brave officers and men not one
was lost and only eight injured. ana
those slightly. All of our ships escaped
any serious damage.
BY the fourth of May, Commodore
Dewey had taken possession Of the
naval station at Cavite, destroying the
fortiflcations there and at the entrance
of the bay, and pntroling their gar
risons. The waters of the bay are un-
der his complete control. He has ~,
tabllshed hospitals within the Ameri
can lines, where $50 of the Spanish
sick and wounded are assisted anc
protected.
rtst..
hardly he measured by the ordinary
standards of naval warfare. OUT
Weighing any material advantage Ia
the moral effect of this initial success.
At this unsurpassed achievement, the
great heart of our nation throbs, not
with Boosting or with greed of con.
quest but with deep gratitude that
this triumph has come in Just cause
and that by the grace of God, an eff
fective step has thus been taken to-
ward the attainment of the wished-for
peace. To those whose skill, courage
and devotion have won the fight, to
the gallant commander and the brave
officers and men who aided him, our
country owes an incalculabe debt.
Feeling aus our people feel, and speak
Ing In their name. ! at once sent
message to Commodore Dewey, thank
ing him and his officers and men for
their splendid achievement and over
that / had appointed him an acting
rear admiral ] now recommend that,
following our national precedents ana
expressing the fervent gratitude OF
every patriotic heart, the thanks of
Congress be given Acting Rear Ad-
miral George Dewey of the United
States navy, for highly distinguished
conduct In conflict with the enemy, and
to the officers and men under his COM
mand. for their gallantry in the des-
truction of the enemy's fleet and the
capture of the enemy's fertilization in
the Bay of Manila.
WILLIAM MCKINLEY.
Executive Mansion, May o. 1898.
A special cabinet meeting met at
o'clock to consider the situation gener-
ally and the message of the President
to Congress recommending a tender of
thanks of Congress to Admiral Dewey.
CONGRESS ACTS PROMPTLY.
Senator Hale and Representative
Boutelle. chairmen respectively OF the
Senate and the House committees on
naval affairs, were called to the White
House during the cabinet session to
consider the resolution Of thanks rec
commended In the Presidents message.
They spent but a few minutes there
and the two chnirmen subsequently
met at the capitol and decided upon the
form OF legislation for making Com
modore Dewey renr admiral to be in
troduced simultaneously.
The congressional resolution is as fol-
lows:
Joint resolution rendering the thanks
of Congress to Commodore George
Dewey. u. s, N, and to the officers and
men of the squadron under his COM
mand.
Resolved. BY the Senate and the
House of Representatives of America
in Congress assembled, that in pur-
sf of LAT -
President made in accordance with the
provisions Of section 1903 of the re-
vlsed statutes, the thanks of Congress
and of the American people are hereby
rendered to Commodore George Dewey,
u. 8. N, COMMANDMENT chief of the
Asiatlc station, for highly dlstin-
gulshed conduct in conflict with the
enemy as displayed by him in the des-
truction Of the Spanish fleet and bat
teries In the harb0r of Manila, Philip
pine islands. May /, 1898.
Section 2-Thnt the thanks of Com
gress and of the American people are
hereby extended through Commodore
Dewey to the officers and men under his
command, for the gallantr.S and skin
exhibited by them on that occasion.
Secion 3--Be 1t further resolved, that
the President of the United States he
requested to cause this resolution to he
communicated To- Commodore Dewey
and through him to the officers and men
under his command.
SWORD AND MEDALS PROVIDED
Senator Lodge presented and theSen-
ate passed resolution authorizing the
President to present n sword to Dewey
and medals to officers and men under
him, who were In the battle at Manila
II appropriates $4,000 for the purpose
The following Is tn g bill passed by
Congress- raising the number of nd-
mirals from six to seven to provide fol
Commodore Dewey's promotion:
Section THAT the number Of real
admirals in the United States navy nav
allowed by law be now and hereby Is
Increased from six to seven. and this
act shall be construed and taken as
validating and making in force and Of,
feet any promotion to said rank nj
rear admiral in the United states navy
made heretofore or hereafter, and dur
ing the existing war. and based on tbs
thanks OF Congress"
st. Louis Has Zig Fire.
al Louis, May "a special to the
Post Dispatch from Excelsior Springs
Mo, says.
The Elms Hotel. which had 500 room
and was the finest country hotel In tn
lie Ia iva lng. .,F o., tl,