Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-08-05
NO WORD RECEIVED
Presidents UItimatum Not
Yet Answered.
MEANING OF THE DELAY
spanish fntcrnni Politics WIN Not Ccuu.
t"nh""e unresisting Subn,ission
without an Attempt at Least to
Improve Terms OF Peace,

(By Telerraph F,

.M (By Telegraph
WASHINGTON. August 4.-Yhera
was an expectation at the State De-
rartment that perhaps towards the
close of the afternoon some word mieht
he received from Spain through the
rrench ambassador in reply to the
Presidents leliverance yastnrdoy ,,non
Tue subject OF peace conditions This
tAPsetati"n was based upon the fact
WA, me terms themselves had not been
n'""lhed IN amy essential point, so that
'nrre was i!ttle occasion for prolonged
ulscusSion by the Spanish cabinet
which was presumed to have thorough
~ considered this matter before rem
derlns the first reply. However. ii was
perceived from the news dispatches
mat the Madrid cabinet meeting had
pseH lhconciusive. 81 that it was pre-
sumed that nothing definite could he
expected before tomorrow noon Mt ira
earliest There is a confident hel{af
among the administration officials that
.he spanish government Will accept the
terms laid down by the President and
,iat !he delay of n day or two In rec
osnlzing the inevitable is to be account
rd for by reasons of Spanish interna,
politics. which would not countenanca
an unreSistinS submission wlth0ut ar
least display OF a purpose to improve
the terms This, however cannot b..
accomplished. and the French ambas-
sauor. who is we'll aware Of that fact
unuueston;, bly, has so informed The
spanish government. though that gov
eminent mas preserved It's record in
good form TO meet the criticism OF its
political opponents by submitting the
counter proposition presented yester-
day by Nj. CambOn to the President.
Nleilnwhle preparations for the Wade
expedition go on steadily. u number or
general officers today being ordered to
'tttach themselves thereto, among them
General Randall, who was assigned
only Yesterday to command the new
military. camp at Montauk Point Navy
ioei'artnient officials also insist that no
change has been made In the orders to
the Watson squadron. Indeed, there
seems to be now evident n purpose to
dispatch this fine squadron to Euro
Iean waters. regardless of the terminal.
ton of the war, the idea being that the.
splendid display w hich will be made by
theaAmer1cn lips will have a. sbeneff-S
cfal effect in inspiring respect for our
naval strength.
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, OF the
Rough Riders. has succeeded in hurry
ing the movements of the War Depart
ment in fetching Shafter's army away
from Santiago. though In his disregard
OF the conventionalities he has drawn
upon his head rather sharp rebuke
from the secretary OF war. who evil
IDENTIFY regards the course pursued by
Colonel Roosevelt as calculated to in
lure discipline. though inspired by the
most worthy motives. 1t Is only fair
to state that the War Department for
some time has been intent upon remov-
ing these troops and lit Is now more
than week ago that General Shafter
was instructed by special cablegram
to cheer up the soldiers by publicly in
forming them of their determination
n Of =
means than OF lack of intention to re-
deem this promise that caused the de-
lay. As FAR as the question of remov-
ing the troops back into the mountains
was concerned tthe question which
seems to have precipitated the indig-
nation meeting among the American
commanders at Santiago), it is learned
that the medical department here made
no such accommodation. All that 1t
had announced on this subject was that
if the troops must remain near Santi-
ago an effort should be made to remove
at once 70 some healthier camping
ground. Surgeon General Sternbere
agrees thoroughly with the opinion ex-
pressed by the signers of the round
robin" at Santiago that men who have
suffered from the severe malarial fe-
rers of the south Cuban coast so far
from being immune against attacks OF
yellow fever. as has been asserted In
some quarters. are actually in very
much greater danger than those who
have escaped the malaria. MalariaI fe-
Yer, ii is stated. is no more protection
against n subsequent attack Of yellow
fever than would be a case of measles
against small poX. while the fearful
debility resulting from the malarial fe-
Yer would certainly tend to make the
victim an especial mark for yellow
jack.
The department today gave out a
statement OF its resources In the way
of transports at Santiago. and also, as
an incident, directed attention TO the
fact that the troops cannot be with
drawn d whole until the Spanish
prisoners are disposed Of Otherwise
there is no certainty. finding them
selves able to do so. the Spaniards will
not overpower their captors, repossess
themselves of Santiago and thus lose
to the American army the small foot
hold in Cuba which 1t has cost so much
blood and money to secure. 1t Is, how
ever the expectation that all of the
American troops will have been re-
moved from Santiago to the United
States by the end of this month and
that is probably the very best that can
be done under the circumstances.
Today also passed without news from
General Miles and in his case the War
Department feels sure that no news Is
good news.
1t is believed that at the rate of prog
resss he is reported to have been max
ing III his march across the island
the general will be at the doors of San
Juan by the end of next week. No very
desperate defense OF Porto Rcos capt.
tai is expected.