The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-09

New York, May "a special to the
Tribune from Washington says:
Aggressive action along the whole
line describes the attitude of the adj
ministration, according to the policy
now definitely adopted, growing direct
ly out of Admiral Dewey's unparalleled
achievement in Asiatic waters. Any
hope that existed that Spain, after a
crushing blow, would recognize the fu-
tility of senselessly resisting the inevi-
table, has at last been abandoned. The
president has determined that the
fighting shall be vigorously forced with
the full power of the United States, in
order most speedily to terminate the
conflict by the destruction of the last
veStigeS of authority eXerted by the
Madrid government beyond the shores
of the Spanish peninsula itself.
The belief to which conservative Of
ficials chung, that Spain, confronted
face to face with forces like ours,
would throw herself upon the mercy of
the European concert and yield her
n7isgoverned exterior possessions TO
escape humiliation, if not utter deg
radiation at home, has wholly disap-
peared, and the presidents advisers
are now united to a man in supporting
the policy of extreme aggression. The
bugbear of the yellow fever scourge
is to be ignored, and the Spaniards are
to be elected from Cuba before mid
summer, if American soldiers can drive
them out.
Last weeks decision to keep the vol
unteer army in great camps at home,
to drill and harden them for the cam
paign of invasion next fall, has been
set aside, and instead the new regi-
1iSt Nv la cfo no
hurrying toward Cuba within a week.
There will be no temporary establish
ment of a base at MatanZaS in order
to distribute arms to Gomez, no dis
patch of several thousand regulars to
return few weeks later, and no tenn
porizing with the grave situation that
is marked by the lingering starvation
of half q million human beings. Next
Sunday the permanent army of occu-
patton will be established in Cuba be-
yond the shadow of a doubt, and vol
unteer regiments will be hurrying for
ward to reinforce it from nearly every
state east of the Rocky mountains. At
the same time, the regulars and volun-
teers west of the great divide will be
embarked on transports and fairly
started on their voyage of $500 miles
to establish American colonial govern
ment in the Philippines.
Orders have gone forward from the
war department to utilize all the vast
resources of the nation to carry out
these plans with energy and rapidity.
The first division of regulars, aggre
eating nearly 10000 men, will be landed
in Cuba as speedily as they can be
transported to a point within 300 miles
of the gulf coast cities. This force will
at once establish an intrenched camp,
fully fortified, to be used as the base of
operations for the land attack on Ha-
vana- The transport vessels, as soon as
they are emptied, will hurry back to be
refilled with volunteer regiments order
ed as achievements to the regulars,
the latter beginning active operations
in the field as soon as they are relieved
of the duty of holding the established
base. Within ten days after the first
landing, it is expected that the trans
ports will complete third round trip,
and the volunteer division, which has
in the meantime held the base, will
evacuate it on the arrival Of their re-
lief and advance in support of the first
regular division, occupying positions
which have already been established
for them. This process will be repeated
until at least two volunteer army corps
of $4,000 men each have been success
fully established in Cuba, with a sup
porting force of $4,000 volunteers more
on the southern coast, less than "a
hours away.
The volunteer regiments to compose
the force will be selected from among
those most prompt to muster. State or
CARNATIONS which are earliest accepted
by the United States will be rewarded
with the most active duty, except in a
few instances, and those, which, for one
reason or another, are delayed in per-
fecting their organizations for actual
service, will have small chance of reach
ing the front. General Miles and the
other general officers who have been
charged with carrying on the agrees
sive campaign, have little doubt that a
sufficient number of men for every
contingency of the Cuban operations will
be forthcoming and ready for duty when
they are needed. The reports of muster
ing officers show that the total number
mustered. which was about 5000 last
Thursday, had risen to 5000 yesterday
and, as all the questions which delayed
rapid mastering in the beginning have
now been settled, the volunteer force is
expected to be 10000 tomorrow, and fully
&C 900 by next Thursday.
AS rapidly as the regiments are per-
fected and equipped they will be hurried
to the front. The ruling was made today
that the regiments should be completely
equipped in the order of their mastering
first come, first served. and that equip
ments needed by the earliest regiments
should be taken if necessary from regi-
ments not ready. in order to secure most
expeditiously the dispatch of men to the
gulf states.