The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1898-05-27
MANY WAR RUMORS.
The Officials at Washington Think
Spain Has New Plans.
No Information Received Tending 20 Con
firm the Reported Engagement OF the
Fleets and Admiral Cervera May
Be HOmeward Bound.

WASHINGTON, Nay %. There was a
lapse into sensational war rumOrs in
Washington yesterday, after week
Of comparative quietude- The rumOrs
ranged all the way from the capture /
of the little MangrOve, with a crew of /
Is men, to the reported destruction Of /
the entire Spanish feet by SIMPSONS /
and Schley's combined forces They /
were circulated with persistence, not
withstanding their denial as soon as
they could be brought to the attention |
of any official capable Of passing judg- /
ment on their accuracy. As the day |
rolled along the officials themselves |
became apprehensive, as was shown /
by the frequency with which they |
called fOr.the latest newspaper bulle- |
tins at the close of the day, how
ever, it was again announced in the
most positive manner that the navy
department had no information to
warrant the report OF. any. sort Of en-
gagement in the Windward passage. i
This did not especially cover the wa
tiers Of the West Indies, but in view Of
the fact that the department has almost
pledged itself 70 let the public know
Of anything in the nature of a general
engagement, possibly the bulletin an
nouncement IS sufficient to cover the
case.
When Secretary Long started for
! home after an exceptionally busy day,
/ he stated to a group Of newspaper
men that the department. had received
no information of Importance. In re-
spouse to an inquiry as to where the
/ Spanish feet was located, Mr.. Long re-
/ piled that his belief was that 1t was
/ still at Santiago de Cuba Concerning
| the reported capture of the MangrOve
/ and the loss Of other ships, the secre-
/ tary dismissed these stories as purely
/ cOnjecturaI and not supported by
/ facts. Word had come from the com
mander of the MangrOve, since the
/ time Of the alleged capture, showing
/ that the ship could not have been in
the hands of the Spanish.
The cutting of the cables at San
1 tiagO and at San Juan de Porto Rico
as reported yesterday was a military
move Of the first Importance. .Blanco
has yet one link left Of communication
with the outer world, but the Spanish
commander at San Juan now finds
himself totally in the dark as to the
! conditions in Spain or In Cuba, while
/ the value of that port as a place of
refuge for the Spanish flying squadron
| is materially diminished. 1t is safe to
say that the remaining cable to San
/ tiagO will be cut soon, like the others,
SO that If Cervera Is misguided enough
| 10 have entered Santiago harbOr he
( Will be completely out OF touch with
his home government on the one hand,
and equally unablertO communicate
with Blanco at the other end Of the
island. ..--.-
4 CHANGE N. SPANISH WAR PLANS
| WASHINGTON, May 25.-The British
lembassy has received no reports from
London or from British sources in the
West Indies concerning the reported
engagements between the American
and Spanish squadrons in the Wind
| ward passage. 1t is believed that
when an engagement occurs, word of
it is quite likely to come from London
or some other foreign point, owing to
the difficulties the American COM
manders have in cabling to the navy
department. Notwithstanding the
persistent rumOrs in circulation. It
can be stated positively that the
navy department has no information
that tends in the slightest to confirm
these rumors- Unless the improbable
happens, there is no immediate pros
pect of a naval engagement of any
magnitude, in the opinion Of the navy
department officials. The unanimitv
/ with whiGh the best informed express
I this view almost warrants the conciu-
! sion that il IS based upon knOwled &c
that the hostile fleets are again far
apart Indeed, there IS no certainty
that Admiral Cervera is not already
bound hOmeward, providing be has
succeeded in securing a supply Of coal,
for he could not make the run back to
the Canaries with less than about 9, 500
Or 8, 600 tons
There are signs in Madrid that have
been noted here seeming TO warrant
the suppOsition that there has been a
complete change in the plan Of con-
Quoting the war. Indications are be-
iieved to point 70 a relaxation, if not
total abandonment, of the efforts &c
conduct the campaign IN Cuba and the
West Indian waters The natural
conclusion, if this promise is well
founded, would be that the Spaniards
are going to concentrate their en-
tire energies IN the defense Of the
Philippines, with the view of retain
ing them in the event peace Is forced
upon them, by virtue Of the principle
of international law which limits a
victorious nation, In indemnifying
herself from the vanquished, TO the
territory she actually occupies when
peace Is declared 50 the retreat Of
the Spanish squadron from the West
Indies would be Insignificant, first, IN
the danger it would place Dewey i'm.
mediately, and, second, IN the hint il
would convey that the Spanish mind.
for the time, eontemplates the posi-
bilities Of peace
Gen Lee Leaves for tampa