The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-28

Washington, May 27.-The military
situation, as at present decided upon
by those in authority, is to make no
forward movement of troops. either
upon Porto Rico or Cuba, until full and
definite information is received as to
the location of the Spanish squadron,
and its possibilities as factor in the
aggressive movements of Spain That
being the positive determination, there
is no present purpose to hurry forward
the troops now at the several points of
concentration, but the interval prior TO
an aggressive forward movement will
be employed in seasoning the men.
Steps have been taken to secure early
Information as TO whether Admiral
CerVerd'S squadron is inside Santi-
ago harbor, and whether the Ameri-
can squadron has such advantage
of position outside the harbOr as TO
make the escape of the Spaniards prac-
tically impossible In the absence of
positive information that the Spanish
admiral has been shut in at Santiago,
together with the certainty that he can
be held inside the harbOr there is no
purpose whatever on the part of the
war department TO make an aggressive
forward movement on Cuba or Porto
Rico. This was stated tonight in the
IuOSl lOSlllNG uldLHCI anu lIOll oil dQ-
thoritative source.
WAR DEPARTMENT LETHARGY.
An important phase to the military
programme is a decision not to take
up the details of organizing the new
force of $4,000 volunteers for at least a
week or ten days. At the cabinet meet
ing today. inquiry was made of Secre-
tary Alger as to what steps he proposed
taking on the organization of this large
additional force of volunteers. HIS re-
ply was that he had not even consid-
cred the details of this question and
that his plan was not 10 take up the
matter for a week or ten days. In the
meantime, no conclusion has been
reached as TO whether a portion of the
$4,000 volunteers will be used TO recruit
the regiments remaining untitled under
the first call for $4,000 volunteers,
which would take about 10000 men
from the second call. This would leave
$4,000 men to be organized in distinctly
new regiments. 1t would have the adj
vantage of filling every regiment in the
service, instead of leaving most of them
with depleted organization. On the
other hand, it would destroy the in
tegrity of this force of 20, 600 volunteers
as a second reserve.
The war department is anxious to OBJ
tain the views of the governors, of the
STATES anu lcIIltuIlCS III regard 10 the
filing to their maximum strength the
regiments already furnished by them
under the first call of the president. and
with this object in view, Adjutant
General Corbin today sent kilograms
asking the several governors to make
recommendations TO the department on
this subject.
A number of minor points coming up
constantly in relation TO the second call
for volunteers are being passed upon in
a general way at this time. For in
stance, the question arose today as to
whether colored officers as well as col
ored troops. would be taken as a part
of the organizations offered. General
Alger at once decided that if a colored
company had efficient, soldierly coIored
officers. they were as much entitled to
recognition and acceptance in the mill
tary service as were the troops them
selves.
In this connection it developed that
colOred men are being considered for
some of the staff appointments, and
the surgeon general of the army has
accepted a cOlOTed man as surgeon, with
rank of captain. The cOlOred surgeon
Will be assigned to a cOlOred regiment,
and cOlOred troops and colOred officers
will be kept together as far as pos
Sible.