The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1898-05-05

washington, May At is a curious
TACT that the nation most interested Of
all the great powers in the combat
That took place at Manila Sunday
should be among the last officially to
know Of the result Up to the close of
Office hours absolutely the only infor>
nation that our government had re-
celved Of the victory of Commodore
dewey and the winning of the battle
OF Manila on May day came to the
government through the medium Of
press dispatches. If the report is true
that Commodore Dewey has begun a.
compartment and blockade of the city
OF Manila it is unlikely that he can
spare a vessel from his fleet to carry
the news to Hongkong, the nearest
cable station, so it is not known when
official advices will come There was
some expectation that through the sur
render of the city the commodore might
acquire control Of the cable, but even
then there might be practical Difficult
ties in communicating through it. The
officers of Commodore Dewey's fleet in
cludes at least one lieutenant who is
good practical electrician and tel
egrapher, but he could not work a
cable successfully. A fear is also en-
terta!ned that before retiring from the
city the Spanish troops will smash the
delicate and complicated electrical ap-
paratus for the reception and dispatch
of messages, and
1t Is Very Uncertain
whether there is enough technical skill
IN the American feet to repair such
damage without aid from the main
land. The greatest anxiety is felt as
to the casualties sustained by the
American feet. From the stubborn
defense made by the Spaniards it is
feared that before they burned, blew
up or sunk their ships they managed
to inflict severe damage upon Commc-
dore Dewey's squadron. If Commodore
Dewey has lost considerable portion
OF his men it is feared he will be much
embarrassed in the work of maintain
ing possession of Manila for lack Of
sufficient forces. There was some talk
OF sending troops out from San Fran
cisco to aid in the work, but this has
not yet taken shape as far as can be
learned, and it is likely that the de-
partment will wait to hear from Com
modore Dewey himself before taking
any action. 1t may be, and in fact it
is expected, that by combination with
the insurgents he will succeed in hay
ing his men relieved Of the task of gar
risoning Manila. AS to the future of
the island it is likely that the govern
ment
Will Retain Possession
Of at least one good port such as Ma
Mia for a coaling station and base of
supplies during the remainder of the
war. There is no talk yet of European
Intervention, but one Of the most bene-
fetal results Of Dewey's victory is that
deep impression has been made upon
the European powers, who can afford
to no longer blind themselves, that
man-to-man the American navy is
equal to any in the world. It is entire
ly possible that Commodore Dewey
may secure his promotion to the rank
of admiral through the splendid exhibit
ton Of pluck, discretion and sailor
qualities he made in Sundays engage
ment. ~
The war department is still lending
it's energies to the mastering in of the
volunteers and the recruiting of the
regular army to it's full strength Of 61,-
600 men, These matters are we'll I'M
der way, and the officials feel confident
that within a reasonable time both the
volunteers and the regular armies
will be ready for practical military
duties. In few days all the troops
that, have been ordered to Tampa are
expected to reach that place, and the
eight large transports which are to
conduct the first expedition to Cuba
have been ordered to proceed to Tam
pa. The officials, however, decline to
give any information regarding the
expedition or the place in Cuba where
it will land.
Caused Much Uneasiness. ..
3 Although the British colonial office
bad been fully advised of the American
success from Manila the authorities in
London did not communicate with the
British embassy here, nor did the for
eign officer at Paris, Berlin or other
capitols notify their representatives
uSlC. 1ulS 10 ldhVu " 1uu1cdlO IudL TIE
foreign offices will not communicate
events of a strictly military character,
and also that the American occupation
of the Philippines has not yet assumed
political aspect at foreign centers.
The late reports that Manila was being
bombarded caused much uneasiness at
the foreign headquarters. TWAS said
that if the town itself was under bonn
Ia,