The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-02
Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippines Are to Be
Occupied.
ALGER'S OFFICIAL STATEMENT
OUTLINES GOVERNMENTS PLANS
Elaborate and Expensive Plans For the Cuban INVASION
Recruiting Under the Second Call

Washington. June For the first
time since the beginning of hostilities
there appears to be something in the
nature of an official statement of the
plan of campaign of the United States
government This is contained in let
ter Of Secretary Alger to the speaker
of the house, transmitting certain rec
concentrations and statements of Gen
eral Ludlow, which disclosed the pur-
pose of the war department to send
10000 men to Cuba, 10000 to start at
once and the remainder just as soon as
they can be made ready for departure.
Then there was an estimate for estab-
fishing electrical communication in con-
nection with the army lin Cuba, Porto
Rico and the Philippines" showing for
the first time officially an implied in
tention on the part of the government
to land troops in Porto Rico.
Of course all these movements have
been anticipated by the press, but
nevertheless a strong element of doubt
existed and therefore an official state
ment of the governments purposes,
made even in this indirect fashion, Gre
ated a profound sensation here. The
three are to go together, Cuba, Porto
Rico and the Philippines.
Inasmuch as the secretary says that
the second contingent of troops is to go
forward as soon as they can be pre-
pared, q good deal of interest is at
tached to an order that was madeNto-
day at the war department, providing
for the organization OF the $4,000 addi-
tional volunteers called for. The order
heretofore made in Tuesdays dis
patches, that a large proportion of the
new men are to be used to fill up the
existing regiments of volunteers, which
are, in most cases, deficient in num-
bers.
1t is to be presumed from today's or
der that the volunteer regiments COL
Iected under the first call will be de-
tanned until they are filled up in this
fashion, so that the order has some
bearing upon the plan of campaign
NEARING THE END.
The statement from Madrid, in what
seemed to be an almost semi-official
form, of the acuteness of the financial
stringency there, and the plain intima-
ton that the bank of Spain, and con-
sequently Spain, was nearing the end
OF their financial resources, was re
garded at the state department as Of
more real significance than many of the
stories of battles on land and sea that
the past few weeks. The effect of this
notice may be to hasten the operations
against Porto Rico, lest the prize slip
from our grasp through a sudden and
unexpected termination Of the war.
ALGER'S LETTER.
In recommendations submitted to
congress today, Secretary Alger,
through the medium of a letter accom-
panying his recommendations, outlined
in a general way the steps contem-
plated in the campaign against Cuba,
Porto Rico and the Philippines.
The letter is from Chief Engineer
Ludlow, who makes the significant
statement that it is now proposed TO
forward to Cuba an army of invasion,
to be composed of 1900 or 10000 troops,
to be followed as rapidly as practicable
by $4,000 more. The secretary's rec
concentrations were for appropriations
aegregating $3,710,0 900. One recommen-
datior is for 81, $685. 900 of deficiency in
the appropriation for gun and mortar
batteries, required Immediately, for
tie use of the war department, to re-
main available until expended" This
amount is needed to provide emplace-
ments and carriages for high power
and rapid-fire guns TO be procured by
the ordnance department with the
funds already appropriated. a second
one is for S195. 900. for the establish
nnent and maintenance of special cleo
trical communication ia connection
with the army in Cuba, Porto Rico and
the Philippines"
This amount includes the purchase,
equipment and repair of field electric
telegraph, signal equipment, etc. in
Guiding war balloons, telephone appar-
atus. maintenance and repair of mill