The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-28
CERvERA FAR FROM CUBA.
sp.NIsH SHIPS NOW REPORTED
OFF COSTA RIGA.

Ar,erican Consul at Panama Con-
erms the Report-Governmen OIL
cioIs Mt Washington Never Fully
satisfied That the Spaniards Were
ot santiagO-President Reported
Do+ermiRed Not to Send an Army
.o Cuha in the Near Future, Nor
until 1t Is Fully Prepared to Go.
washington. May 27.-To-night Admiral
(-arvera and his Spanish fleet is reported
% he off Costa Rico, hundreds of miles
from Santiago, where he is supposed to
ba bottled up by Commodore Schley's fly
ing squadron.
This startling piece of information reach
cd Washington via New York, and later
on the department of state received a dis
match from the American consul at Pan
ema repeating the report. The story Is
generally discredited at the White House
and the navy department, but it has occa-
STONED much uneasiness in administration
circles.
Whether the Spaniard has slipped away
or not the future must develop. This is
certain. however, neither the President
nor his close advisers have ever been al
together satisfied that Commodore Schley
had Admiral Cervera as thoroughly bot
tied up as they first thought. Commodore
Schley has never stated that he knew of
his own knowledge that the Spanish ships
were inside the harbor at Santiago, but
has given in each of his kilograms his
source of information. This has been an
tnsurgent or insurgents, and there is a dis
position here to discount everything that
comes from the insurgents
Only to-day President Mckinley placed
his hand on Secretary Alger's shoulder
and said: 'I wish, General that I knew
whether the Spanish fleet is inside tha,
harbor at Santiago" This was after the
cabinet meeting, at which the Secretary
of War had manifested impatience at the
delay in getting the army into the fray
The remark is highly significant of the
lack of information in the hands of the
government officials.
OF course, if this last report proves true
oil calculations are upset. The idea of
moving the army on Cuba or Porto Rico
has been based, Of course, on the presump-
ton that the Spanish admiral was safely
bottled up at Santiago. If he Is not there,
everything is off.
There cannot be and will be no move
rnent on Cuba as long as that Spanish fly
ing squadron is in a position to appear
suddenly on the scene while the fighting
ships of our fleets are off hunting it some
where else.
But even If it develops that this report
is untrue and that the enemy's fleet is at
Santiago, the best opinion here is that
there will be no movement on Cuba in the
very near future. The President declared
himself to that effect to-day in the strong
est terms. He was talking with a SEN
ator, who is his close personal friend. In
that talk he declared that no matter how
strong the pressure from members of Con-
gress, no matter how great the impatience
Of the newspapers, no matter whether he
was caricatured by the papers or not, he
did not propose to send an army to Cuba
until it was in thorough shape to 60 He
said he was acting on The best advice from
the men who were the trained heads of the
army and navy the men whose opinion
on matters of this kind is best.
The Presidents declaration as it is re-
peated to the Morning News correspond
ent was just as explicit as a declaration
could be. and unless his hearer misunder-
stood him entirely, the President meant
that he had no idea of sending an army
against Havana for weeks, If not for
months.
It is evident that the President is still
listening to his navy advisers, who have
oil the time maintained that the enemy 5
fleet must be disposed of before anything
else is done.
An interesting change in the situation in
Congress has been precipitated by Senator
Lodges amendment to the war revenue
bill The MaGsacb1Icptfe
TO force the hand of the mighty Tom Reed
ana make that car permit a vote on the
Hawaiian question in the House. Speaker
heed has undertaken to threaten the Sen
ate, and those of his Republican brethren
VINO do not agree with his sugar trust op-
position TO annexation, have their backs
up. To-day before Senator Lodge introduce
cd his amendment, he stated that in his
opinion all talk of early adjournment
OF Congress is idle. Then to prove his
words he introduced the Newands an
neXaiion resolutions as rider on the bill
which Tom Reed is most anxious TO see so
through Congress-
This is the first step in what promises to
De as pretty a legislative tangle as Con-
gress has seen in years Senator Petit
grew, who is a bitter annexationst pro-
poses to inject the silver question into the
debate and for that purpose will propose
lree silver amendment to the revenue
Dill. If that sort of retaliation begins IN
earnest, the end Is far from being in
sight.
All sorts of complications may follow,
and those patriots who are counting on an
early adjournment to enable them to 20
back home and look to their political
fences are destined to bitter dlsappolnt-
ment. When the end villa come no man
eau say.
CERVERA AN ARTFUL DODGER.