The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-04-29

as we'll as Spain. with the conviction
| that the people Of the United States
are united in the determination TO pros
| ecute the war on a scale and with a
vigor that make prolorgation OF hostil-
tiles useless.
With this object in view. your COM
mittee recommend the levying OF inter
nal revenue taxes either on articles Of
voluntary consumption or on objects
| that will make such taxes fall mainly
| on persons able to contribute to the
| national defence, which will in the ag-
| gregate yield from $50 000. 900 To $780,,
| 900. 900 Of additional revenue
The report then enumerates the diff
| ferent articles to be taxed and the es-
| innate heretofore published of the
| amount of revenue to be derived.
| In conclusion the report says:
1T is evident that it will be neces-
| sary in order to maintain the public
credit not only to raise the additional
| revenue provided by the accompanying
bill, but also to authorize the secretary
| of the treasury to borrow on the credit
| OF the government from time to time,
as the public necessities will require.
! we have given, therefore, authority
| to issue and sell not exceeding $500 OOO-
| 900 of ten-twenty per cent. coin
| bonds to be offered as a popular loan
believing as We do, that such a bond
will be taken from time to time by the
masses of the people,
In view of the fact that it will be
necessary in a very few weeks before
| the proposed war taxes can be placed
| to provide means to meet the rapidly
augmenting war expenditures, author
| ity is given the secretary of the treas
ury to temporarily borrow money, in no
case exceeding one year, by the issue Of
per cent. certificates of Indebtedness
1t is important that the secretary of
the treasury shall have this authority
in any eXigency that may arise in the
future
Washington, April 26-At the close
of office hours today Adjutant General
Corbin had received dispatches from
the governor of nearly every state and
territory in response to Secretary AL
gers call for information as to the
troops the states and territories will
be expected to furnish under the pres
idents call for 125,000 men. The tenor
of these replies shows there is no mis-
taking the patriotism of the people of
this country in the present emergency.
On every hand there was expressed
Willingness to come to the govern
ment's aid and the offers were in eX-
cess of the present demands. The body
of the kilograms was made up for the
greater part of an enumeration of
what the national guard had on hand
and for this reason the reports of the
governors were not made public. The
condition of the guard as regards their
arms, equipment for field duty, etc, is
in many instances not satisfactory, and
these will have to be furnished by the
government. Such are the condition
of affairs in the war department that
this will be only a matter of time, how
ever. So that when the militia men are
regularly mustered in the United
States service prompt measures will
be taken to equip them thoroughly for
every duty.
Recruiting for~the regular army un-
der the Hull army reorganization bill
will be begun at once. With an ade-
quate force the officials believe that
quick progress will be made toward
recruiting the army to it's full war
strength of 1000.
It appears that the assignment of
Rear Admiral Erben, retired to re-
lieve Commander Elmer, in charge of
the mosquito fleet was caused by the
i'll health of Commander Elmer. More
than dozen retired officers were call
ed into service by Secretary Long to-
day.
New York, April 26.-Commander
Horace Elmer, until recently command
er Of the mosquito fleet, and who was
recently, because of i'll health, relieved
by Admiral Erben, died at the Man
sion house in Brooklyn at 500 o'clock
this afternoon.
Washington, April 27.-The war sit
uation is substantially this:
The blockading squadron remains
passive Before Havana, with no pres
ent purpose of bombarding or NJ draw
ing the fire of the shore batteries. The
strategic purpose of effective block
ade of the Cuban capital is being ac-
complished to the entire satisfaction
of the authorities here. There is no
indication that a part of the fleet will
| be withdrawn for the purpose of af-
fOrding additional protection to North
Atlantic ports.
AS to the reports of the imminence
| of a naval battle off the Philippine is
lands, the naval authorities here ser
| iously doubt whether the Spanish fleet
will make a stand against American
| ships. Their reason for the belief is that
| theISpaniSh fleet is very inferior in mum
| ber and quality to the Amari
| can force under Admiral Dewey. The
| department, therefore, is satisfied that
| the Spanish fleet will not go to do bat
| tie on the high seas With Admiral
| Dewey, but will remain in port to Sc
| cure the protection of the batteries
| of Manila and consequently an en-
| gagement is not expected for about two
| days. There is no certainty that there
| will be an engagement at all in the inn
| mediate future. the main purpose OF
| the American expedition being to seize
| and hold some suitable Spanish terri
| tory in the Philippines as a base of
| operations in Asiatic waters. 1t is pos
| sible that this can be done without
| attacking the Spanish fleet at all, by
! seizing suitable port on some ad-
| jacent island, without fortifica tons,
the Sympa thies of whose inhabitant 5
| are with the insurgents.
| No word has come 10 the depart
| ment up to the close of Office hours
/ of the arrival of the Montserrat at
| CienfuegoS. The officials are inclined
| to believe that if She has gotten in that
port she did so before the blockade Of
| Cienfuegos had begun.
The very fact that the Madrid Off
| cals have rather ostenta tiouSly de-
| clared that the Spanish fleet has sailed
to lombard the cities on the North
| American coast is taken as a certain
| indication at the navy department OF
| the utter improbability of such a
/ movement. If this Were contemplated
| the Spanish officials would be the very