Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-05-20
SPAIN 5 Futile PROTEST.
Objects to France Allowing the
Harvard to Remain in Har-
Dor Of St. Pierre.
TORPEDO BOAT READY TO CATCH Her.
Our Fast Auxiliary Cruiser Making
Repairs and Given the Right to
Remain Seven Days - This Will
Cheat the Spanish of Valuable
Prize.

Prize.
Washington, May 16.-Official in
formation reached here Saturday that
the Spanish government had filed pro-
test at the foreign office in Paris against
the permission given by the French au-
thorities at Martinique to the United
States auxiliary cruiser Harvard to re-
main in the harbor of st. Pierre, Mar
Unique, for seven days, to make neces-
sary repairs. The French government
has taken speedy action on the pro-
test and insists that the United States
cruiser, being disabled, has full right
to remain seven days, or such time as
may be necessary to complete her re-
pairs, and that in the meantime no
steps will be taken to have her leave
the French port.
The Spanish protest is an important
development in the present critical
naval situation in the West Indies, as it
serves to permit France to give con-
spicuous evidence of her friendly atti-
tude toward the United States, and to
offset the insinuatons which have been
IL.
1t also makes clear for the first time the
plan OF the Spanish admiral to have
the Harvard forced out of the harbor at
Martinique and then to capture her by
nus swift cruisers and destroyers. 1t is
impossible for the Spanish warships to
attack her while she is inside the har-
Dor. The most the Spanish admiral can
do is to wait outside the harbor in hopes
OF taking the Harvard as she leaves. It
Is evident from the filing of Spain's pro-
test that she had fully expected the
Harvard to leave ST. Pierre and that
Spanish ships were lying in wait for
her.
Too Long to Wait.
But a wait for seven days would be
futile, as other American ships can go
to the relief of the Harvard before that
time. Moreover, while the capture of
the Harvard would be valuable incl
dent to the movement of the Spanish
squadron, it is obvious that it cannot
shape Its entire movements for the next
seven days in order to effect this one
capture. Had the French authorities
decided, in view of the protest, that the
harvard must leave at once, her posi-
ton would have been extremely crit
ical, as her batteries are insignificant
compared with those of the big Spanish
warsh1ps, and her heetness would not
avail when the Spanish ships command
ed the harbor entrance and had 3O-knot
vessels among their number. AS it is.
the navy department is relieved of all
serious apprehension on the Harvard,
as the action of the French government
insures her safety.
BY strange coincidence the French
ownership of Martinique is bringing
protests from both quarters, the United
States as well as Spain, although those
from this country are entirely unofficial
and are aHfrnss1y- n1SrounIenanced by
the state department. They relate to
the use OF the French cable system be-
tween the United States and the West
indies, intimations being made that
these served to assist the Spanish au-
thorlties and to embarrass the officials
at Washington. There appears to be no
ground for this suspicion, as it is point
ed out that the French Gable COMPANY
H0 ~ W VI ming against us own inter-
est by such course of action and,
moreover, would subject itself to the
danger of having its cable cut at Couey
island, where il makes the landing.
1t developed Saturday that Gen.
Greeley, chief of the signal service, had
laad down strict course of action for
the cable company, to which the COM
pany fully acceded. On Thursday Gen
Greeley notified the company that the
government was reliably adYised that
Spain was secretly using the French
line to send messages from two Spanish
officials in London to the Spanish au.
thorities at Cuba and Puerto Rico. He
said this doubtless was within the
knowledge of the company. He then
laid down certain classes of forbidden
messages. These included messages be-
tween Spanish officials, code or cipher
messages, and messages inimical 10 the
United States in its present war against
Spain.