The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1898-03-22
INTENSE INTEREST
NOW EXHIBITED
Maine Inquiry Report Expected 10
Washington 90 Thursday.
THE PLAN OF PROCEDURE
Businsss Suspended kaiiing the Report
Opiaioh Chanqisg to the External
Caass Theory Positive 5 and

Washington. March p The procedure
ln connection with the submission Of tho
report of the Maine court of inquiry By
the president 10 congr'ss f. now clearly
outlined and cabinet oricer today tx
planned the general line u action at pres
cni Intended 90 be- pursued upon receipt
N the report which h expected 20 reach
Washington nca, Thursday 4 copy OF
o. will b. laid before the Spanish gov
rmm,nt very early and ns soon as u can
bs consistently done the report will be
sent 10 congress and be- made public at
M, rame time The fepor, 10 congre"
Will be- accompanied by message from
thc president stating that after receiving
,hc report the conclusions were laid be-
fore the Spanish government and apprn-
pirate action from that quarter asked.
u ir stated positively that no part oi
the report and no intimniion Of the md
ings has reached the executive authori-
Ties in Washington as yet AZ the same
time it ~ noticeable fact tina; the cur
rent of Official opinion Is beginning TO fol-
low that of the unofficial opinion eX-
pressed So positively and persistentIy a,
Havana and Key west that the cause
Of the explosion was external 10 the bat
u,shlp Officials hiFh In the administra-
ton state today that while they were
wholly without exact Information as TO
the findings Of the court Of inquiry they
found themselves sharing In the appar-
entity intangible conviction that the cause
u the explosion was not accidental
The opinions cxpr.ssrd o. the Maine
survivors who reached here last satur
day have contributed largely to this view
In orlclai circles In this connection I, Is
understood that one Of the officers who
arrived on Saturday stated not as his
opinion hut as his personal observation !
on the night Of the disaster, that there
were two explosions The tendency OF
this is to suppor, the theory OF the ex-
tcrnal cause as It is based on the idea
that the first external explosion was fol-
lowed by a second internal explosion.
Interest In the report was intense today
az the White House and state. war and |
navy departments. The president re-
cciycd a number OF congressional leaders,
among them being Speaker Reed and
chairman HIT Of the house committee
on foreign affairs The visit Of Mr..
Reed naturally attracted much attention.
as he seldom leaves the congressional
sphere to make calls on the executive
branch
No further purchases ot warships were
concluded today and negotiations are not
assuming a promising aspect except In the
showing that the United States can COM
mand the market as against Spain,
The ordnance officer Of the war depart
mcnt was very busy scene today when
bids were opened for furnishing the de-
partmcnt about leo castiron proiectiles
for sea coast cannon with which 10 man
the fortlacatlous, The advertisement,
called for l95 lO-inch solid shot, 9lO ls-inch |
mortar shells, weighing $40 pounds each.
and SEQ ls.inch mortar shells weighing |
loo pounds each.
The contracts were not awarded today, |
The b0ttlcship Texas started northward |
from Key West today, thus settling the
question MS to the formation Of a second |
squadron at or near Hampton Roads, 1t
is expected the Massachusetts will follow |
In few days,
The session or the senate today was
quite unusual for the first working day |
VI the week That no one was prepared |
to 20 on with any pending measure was
given rs an explanation but privately |
the opinion was stated by some of the
senators that while the Cuban question
remains in such suspense there was no
desire to take up important legislation.
The outlook as to Cuba was discussed |
among the senators almost to the exclus-
ion Of other topics and the belief was
quite decided that the administration ia
preparing to take positive position
within the next week Several senators
made the prediction that the United
States would intervene, Other senators
thought the recognition of cuban indie
pcndence was more probable than inter.
yontlon Almost everyone expressed the
view that some action will follow the re-
pou OF the Maine court of inquiry, re-
gardless of It's purport,