The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-26

States m Spain would have met had
passed. n that official information
might arrive at any m either that
Cervera was bottled up, or that his fleet
was at the bottom of the ocean.
Il do not look for unofficial informa-
tion." said he, for the reason that the
commanding officer Of the United States
forces has concluded that he cannot
give information to newspaper men un-
til he has first given it to the govern
ment."
The administration is convinced that
IL Admiral Cervera does not show a dis
position to fight, and returns to Spain,
our vessels will follow them.
1t is calculated by naval officers here
that the Spanish feet has now about ex-
hausted its fuel. and that it cannot I'M
dertake the difficult task of r~etreating.
The only honorable outcome to Spain is
for Spain's ships to try conclusions at
once, while the coal bunkers and the
food supply are not completely exhaust
ed. There will be no news from Samp-
son or Schley until one or both of them
has tested the Inclination or ability of
Admiral Cervera to fight. Naval off,
GERS laugh at the suggestion that IL
Cervera should give the United States
ships the slip. the vessels of SIMPSONS
or Schley's fleet would be again with
drawn to Key West to protect the
transports in moving the army to Cuba,
leaving Cervera to stay in these waters
or to return, as he pleases.
admiral Sampson" said an officer of
the navy Of experience, lis reasonably
free to move and act as he. chooses. He
has the opportunity to carve a place in
our history alongside that of Dewey.
You will not catch him coming back
empty handed to hear the tibes of the
disappointed people. Explanations will
be of no avail If he does not render a
good account OF himself under his in
structions to seek and destroy the Span
ish fleet. If he does that, explanations
will never be asked for by anybody.
And / think that tomorrow will bring
the opportunity for us to cheer for
Sampson and Schley along with Dew
ey."
Ii addition to the belated policy of
censorship adopted In regard to the
transmission of reports of naval move
ments by telegraph, 1t appears that the
navy department has decided to dis
pense with the attendance of newspaper
dispatch boats upon the fleet in Cuban
waters.
The information has reached here that
before the beginning of the recent oper-
alton of the s~quadrons of Sampson and
Schley against the Spanish fleet notih-
cation was given to all the newspaper
boats h have been watching and re-
porting the blockade, that they would
not be allowed to follow the warships on
their cruise. The notice was peremp-
tory, it is understood, and its strict en-
forcement is supposed here to account
for the Jack of news from the fleets.
which has amounted to a famine for the
last week. Had the newspaper boats
beer with Sampson and Schley in their
pursuit of the Spanish squadron. 1t is
reasoned that the t~elegraphing censor
ship at Florida points would not have
prevented the receipt of Information by
other routes from some n of the many
cable stations in the West ndies.
The permission given by the navy de-
partment to the dispatch boats to follow
the fleets on previous cruises has been
very seriously criticised here as inimical
to the best interests of the service, and
altogether an ~undignified proceeding. II
has given rise to considerable unfavor-
able abroad also, n has been
the particular butt of sarcasm from the
emperor, who is said to have
derived considerable amusement from
the spectacle of a feet of warships at
tended by a convoy of newspaper boats.
Whether these criticisms nave resulted
in the decision of the department to ex-
clude the boats is not known, but the
decision is generally commended as a
wise one. The presence of the news
paper craft may not have done any
harm, it is pointed out, so long as h
naval operations were confined to a
peaceful blockade, but now that a Sc
naval campaign is on, II IS recog-
nized thai ii is the part of wisdom to
free the fleet of such espionage.