The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-04-28
SPANS FLEET WILL
NOT MEET DEWEY
This Is the Belief Among Naval
Authorities.
HER SHIPS ARE INFERIOR
They May Show Fight With Shore Bat
terieS to Back Them Up.
WE WANT A., COALING STATION
May Be Possible to Secure It and
Avoid Fight.
May Be Possible to Secure 1t and
Avoid Fight.
ALL OTHER COUNTRIES ARE NEUTRAL
Official Notification Received From Russia,
Italy and Smaller Countries-France
Expected to Act Today-Nothing
From Austria or Germany.

| Washington April 27.-The war situation
| Is substantially this: The blockading
| squadron remains passive before Havana
| with no present purpose of bombarding or
| of drawing the fire of the shore batteries.
| The strategic purpose of effective blockade
| of the Cuban capital is being accomplished
| to the entire satisfaction of the authori-
| ties here.
There Is no indication that part of the
fleet will be withdrawn for the purpose of
| affording additional protection to North
| Atlantic ports. AS to the reports of the
| imminence of a naval battle off the Phil
| ippines the naval authorities seriously
| doubt whether the Spanish fleet will make
a stand against the American ships. Their
| reason for this belief is that the Spanish
fleet is very inferior in quality and number
to the American force. In the department
| therefore it is said that the Spanish fleet
| will not go to do battle on the high seas
| with Admiral Dewey but will remain in
| port to secure the protection of the batter
| les of Manila and consequently an engage
ment is not expected for about two days.
| There is no certainty that there will be an
| engagement at all in the immediate future,
| the main purpose of the American expedi-
| ton being to seize and hold some suitable
| Spanish territory in the Philippines as a
| base of operations in Asiatic waters. 1t is
possible that this can be done without at
lacking the Spanish fleet at ALL but by
| Selling a suitable port some adjacent
| island without fertilization, the sympathies
| of whose inhabitants are with the in
surgents.
| Coast Bonbardment Improbable
The very fact that the Madrid offc ais
| have rather ostentatiously declared that
| the Spanish fleet has sailed to lombard the
cities on the North American coast is TAX n
| as certain indication at the navy depart
| ment of the utter improbability of such
movement If this We're contemplated the
| Spanish officials would be the very last per-
| sons to make their purposes public.
At the war department there is a grow
| ing belief that the campaign proper in
! Cuba will not be in full swing before next
| fail, when the rainy season has ended. That
| belief, however, has not prevented the OFF,
| GERS, whose duty it is to get troops to-
| gether, from pushing their work with the
| greatest energy.
Thus, within twelve hours after the Hull
! bill became law, the department was
| able to begin to send out circulars pre-
| scribing the methods to be followed in re-
| cruiting the regular army up to its full war
strength of $1,000 The enormous
| amount of work involved in this, including
| the army, regular and volunteer, has
| caused General Miles to abandon his south
| ern trip for the present.
| The officials of the department were over
| whelmed with all sorts of protests and APP
| peals against their action in making the as
| signments of troops among the volunteer
| forces and many changes may be looked
| for.
Other Countries Are Neutral
| The state department posted notice to-
| day stating that 1t had been officially adj
4 .fx1 troll dong hxy
| Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Nor
| way and Sweden Russia and Colombia.
| To these should be added Great britain,
| that country having issued neutrality
| proclamation, although the state DEPART
| ment has not yet been officially advised of
| the fact 1t is supposed also that the off,
| cial notice of Frances neutrality will be re-
/ ceived tomorrow, as press dispatches an
| nounce that such a. proclamation was
| agreed upon at yesterdays council OF the
| cabinet at Paris.
| Including France, four out OF the six
| great powers of Europe have declared their
neutrality, namely, Great Britain, France,
| Italy and Russia There remain Of the
| great powers Germany and Austria, neither
| of which have yet acted. The delay of
| Austria's does not cause surprise, us Aus
| trials sympathy with Spain is more pro-
nounced than that of any other country ct
| Europe. 1t is not doubted, however, that
| Austria will assume a neutral attitude
/ sooner or later. The delay of Germany is
l felt to be due solely to her consulting Ter
| own commercial interests before shaping
/ the exact terms of her neutrality proclama-
| ton.
| Search of Merchant Vessels
From the first Germany and Great Britain
have opposed the right of search as detri-
| mental to British and German commerce.
| Thus far Spain has announced much
| more radical doctrine than the United
| States on this matter The Spanish order
| published in the Official Gazette last Mon
day announced the purpose of exercising
4 the right of search of all merchant ships
| on the high seas. The presidents pro-
| clamation of yesterday qualified the right
| of search by saying that cit is to be exer-
| cised with strict regard to the rights of
| neutral powers and that mail steamers are
not to be interfered with except upon the
| clear ground of suspicion" etc.~It is I'M
| derstood that this matter of right of search
| is causing the hesitation on the part of
| Germany, and IL it is satisfactorily estab-
| lshed that German merchant ships shall
| not be. subject to endorsements Germany
| will adopt the same course as other ma
| lions.
The action already taken by four of the
| six great powers shows there will be no
| concert of Interference, either between the
| great powers or between the three great
powers constituting the Driebund.
PortugaPs Attitude Important
The attitude of Portugal is felt to be
| more important just at present than that
| of any Of the great powers, owing to the
| presence of the Spanish fleet at the Cape
| de Verde islands, belonging to Portugal.
Neither the state department nor the Por-