The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1898-06-09
ANN0YSALGER'
Newspaper Statements Purport-
ing to Detail Movements
Of Troops
Might Do Great Injury if They
Should Happen to Be
True.
The Secretary Declines Positively
to Give Out Any Infor.
nation
As to Whether Troops Have Left
Tampa---The Report of
Sampson.

WASHINGTON, June 8. - Secretary
Alger positively declined to say whether
or not the United States troops had
sailed yet from Tampa. He holds that,
Notwithstanding the bottling up Of the
Spanish squadron in Santiago, there
are still good and sufficient reasons
why every precaution should be adopted
to prevent the Spanish from obtaining
information as to the departure of our
troops, the point selected for their de.
barkatlon, and the strength Of the ex.
pedltion. He was good deal annoyed
at the attempt of some Of the news.
papers to indicate the very point Sc.
lected for landing the troops and siege
guns in the neighborhood Of Santiago.
II 1t were true that the department had
selected a place where there is strong
wharf upon which the vessels may dis.
charge the heavy siege train directly,
the publication Of that fact, if authen-
ticated, might very naturally lead the
Spaniards to
! Destroy That Particular Wharf
and thus seriously hamper the opera.
tons OF the troops. Careful inquiry at
other places III the war department
where information as to the movement
OF troops might naturally be expected,
! developed the fact that no word had
yet come Of the departure of a military
| expedition from Tampa.
1t Is deemed probable they WIZ get
off some time during the day and that
notice TO that effect will be the next
news received at the department.
No further word from Admiral Samp.
son was received at the navy depart.
ment. Tie bulletin made public by
the department i'll confirmation of the
press reports OF the attack upon San.
tiago last Monday is believed to be
merely skeleton statement Of Admiral
Sampson $ cablegram, which, it is sur.
missed, contained a good deal more in
formation than it was deemed pruden,
to make public. OF course, to protec,
the naval cipher, the matter published
was paraphrase, and it was said
at the department that the
term used in the bulletin' "silenceG
works quickly without injury
at any time" was based upon state
ment i'll the original dispatch broat
enough to Indicate that the ships hac
sustained no injuries, and that ther,
had been no casualties among the per
sonnel Of the American fleet.
One Important Object Secured.
Naval officers expressed the belle
that about all Of the force landed Mon
day from Simpsons fleet We're marines
and that their purpose was not SO mucl
to take military possession Of the land
ing as, perhaps, tosplke some guns ant
destroy some batteries that might hav
been reoccupied by the Spaniard
to advantage after the retiremen
of the American fleet from til
action. One object of Admiral Saml
son s attack which has escaped genera
observation, though exceedingly i'm
portant, was pointed out at the nav
department. This was to prevent tn
Spaniards from making successful al
tempt to remove the obstruction Of tn
, channel, caused by the wreck of tn
: Merrimac. Having silenced the for,
at the entrance Of the harbor, which
while effective, obliged the America
fleet to lie many miles out at sea
keep out of range of their guns, Saml
son will now be able to place one {
moro of his ships close to the mouth {
the bottle, where it will lie i'll compar;
tive safety and yet be able to comman
easily with its guns the wreck OF tt
| MerrimaC