The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1898-05-10
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, TUESDAY, MAY TO- 1898
NATIONS TRIBUTE 70 DEWEY

NhllUN . IMDUlL III ULWLl |
Special Disratch to THE Sun.
WAsnISGToS, May 9.-President Nc.
kinley today sent the following message
70 Congress:
70 the Congress of the United States
On the 24th of April | directed the
Secretary of the Navy to telegraph orders
t9 Commodore George Dewey, Of the
United States navy, commanding the
ASatic squadron, then lying in the port
of Hong Kong, to proceed forthwith to
tho Philippine Islands, there to com
mehce operations and engage the assem-
ble4 Spanish feet.
Promptly obeying that order, the
United States squadron, consisting Of the
| flagship Olympia, Baltimore, Raleigh,
Boston, Concord and Petrel, with the
revenue cutter McCnlloch as an auxiliary
despatch boat, entered the harbor OF
ManilR at daybreak on the lst OF May
and immediately engaged the entire
Spanish fleet Of eleven ships, which we're
under the protection Of the fire of the
land forts. After a stubborn fight, in
which the enemy suffered great loss,
their vessels were destroyed or con
pletely disabled and the water battery at
Cavite sienced OF our brave officers
and men, not one was lost and only
eight injured, and those slightly All OF
our ships escaped any serious damage.
BY the 4th OF May Commodore Dewey
had taken possession OF the naval station
at Cavite, destroying the notifications
there and at the entrance of the bay and
paroling their garrisons. The waters of
the bay are under his complete control.
He has established hospitals within the
American lines, where 250 of the Span
ish sick and wounded are assisted and
protected
The magnitude of this victory can
hardly be measured by the ordinary
standards of naval warfare. Outweigh
ing any material advantage is the moral
effect of this initial success. At this un-
surpassed achievement the great heart of
our nation throbs not with boasting or
with greed of conquest, but with dee
gratitude that this triumph has come in
just cause and that by the grace of
God an effective step has thus been taken
toward the attainment of the wished-for
peace. To those whose skill, courage
and devotion have won the fight, to the
gallant commander and the brave officers
and men who aided him, our country
owes an incalcuable debt.
Feeling as our people'feel, and speak
ing in their name, | at once sent mes
sage to Commodore Dewey, thanking
him and his officers and men for their
splendid achievement and overwhelming
victory, and informing him that had
appointed him an Acting Rear-Admiral.
| now recommend that, following or
national precedents and expressing the
fervent gratitude of every patriotic heart,
the thanks of Congress be given Acting
Rear-Admiral George Dewey, OF the
United States navy, for highly distin-
guished conduct in conflict with the
enemy and to the officers and men under
his command for their galantry in the
destruction of the enemy's fleet and the
capture of the enemy's Notifications in
the Bay of Manila. (Signed)
WILLIAM MCKINLEY.
Executive Mansion, May 8, 1898.
The congressional resolution as passed
by both branches of Congress is as fol-
lows:
Joint resolution rendering the
thanks of Congress to Commodore
George Dewey, U. $. N, and to the Off
GERS and men Ofthe squadron under
his cOmmand:.--
Resolved, BY the Senate and House
n q In
States of America, in Congress assem-
bled, that in pursuance of the recOln-
mendatiOn of the President made in
accordance with the provisions of Sec
tion 1908 of the Revised Statutes, the
thanks of Congress and of the Ameri-
can people are hereby rendered to
Commodore George Dewey, U. s. NJ,
COmmander-in-chief of the Asiatic
station, for highly distinguished con-
duct in conflict with the enemy as
displayed by him in the destruction of
the Spanish fleet and batteries in the
harbOr of Manila, Philippine Islands,
May 1, 1898.
Section 2---That the thanks of Con-
gress and of the American people are
hereby extended through Commodore
DeweytO the officers and men under
his command for the gallantry and
skill exhibited by them on that Occa-
sion.
Section :s---Be it further resolved,
that the President of the United
States be requested to cause this resO-
luton to be communicated to COmmo-
dore Dewey and through him to the
officers and men under his command.
The following is the bill passed bv
Congress today raising the number Of
admirals from six to seven to provide
for Commodore Dewev's promotion:
Section THAT the number Of rear.
admirals in the United States Navy now
by law be, and is hereby in.
creased from 6 to I, and this act shall he
construed and taken as validating and
making in force and effect any promo
tion to said rank of rear-admiral in the
United States Navy, made heretofore or
hereafter and during the existing war,
and based on the thanks of Congress.
The Senate also passed II resolution
the President to present a
sword to Dewey and medals to officers
and men under him who were in the
battle at Manila. 1t appropriates $4,000
for the purpose.
Political Crisis in Madrid.
Special Dispatch to THE Sun.
MADRID. May GA crisis in the min
ist wv 10 Nv paotnI bof,ra t,nnrro,r