The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-07-16
SURRENER ALL RIGHT
BUT THE SENSITIVE CABAL-
LERO WANTS HIS SWORD.
BLANCO HAS RATIFIED THE ARGUMENT
PerpIeMng Problem Now 10 be Solved is How
10 Gel The Spanish Troops Home--Mere-
Iy a Matter of Money and
Time though.

Washington, ID. c.. July 15.--Ihere
was a long and anxious wait today to
hear further news from the commission
ers who had been charged to make ar
rangements for the surrender of the
Spanish army at Santiago. For eighteen
hours no word came from either Gen
era Shafter or General Miles, al
though there was the keenest desire on
the part of the President and his Cabl-
net to know whether the actual surren-
der of Santiago and the Spanish troops
had been carried out. When the Cabi-
net met at II o'clock there was positive
ly nothing from the front to serve as
guide for the deliberations. 1t was
thought the cable had been interrupted,
but on inquiry of General Greedy, he
gave assurance that the cable was intact.
Thereupon Secretary Alger sent a dis
patch inquiring as to how far the sur
render had proceeded No answer
came while the Cabinet was in session.
In the meantime General Greely had ca
bled and he was the first official to hear
from the front. A dispatch from Lieu
tenant Jones, military censor at Playa
del Este. reported that the message from
the Secretary of War to General Shat
ter was only six minutes in passing
from Washington to Playa del Este. The
message received by General Greely
came at 2:30 y. m. and indicated that
negotiations We're yet in progress, but as
the dispatch was submitted to the Presi-
dent no details were given out. Toward
the middle of the afternoon dispatches
from General Miles and General Shaf-
ter began to arrive in response to Sec
l
Such portions as were made public.
showed that the negotiations were still
in progress and that the Spaniards had
raised some rather unexpected questions
Most important of these was an insist
ance that the Spanish troops should re-
tain their arms when they returned to
Spain. There was entire willingness on
the part of General Toral to turn over
the arms to General Shafter at the time
of the surrender. but with this was to
be the understanding that the arms were
to be returned to the Spanish troops
when Spanish soil was reached. lThis
was condition which had not been an
ticipated. The authorities here did not
regard it as likely to overcome a final
settlement, as it was attributed to the
Spanish sensitiveness against the humili-
alton involved in the laying down of
their arms. At the same time it was a
point on which neither side appeared to
be ready to yield. One of the dispatches
from the front stated that it was be-
lieved Il settlement would be reached be-
fore today closed General Shafter
himself summed up the situation by say
ing:
at can not be possible that there will
be failure in completing arrangements"
No question whatever has been raised
as to the surrender itself Not only has
General Toral agreed to it, but this
agreement has been ratified by General
Blanco at Havana and by the Spanish
authorities at Madrid.
General Greedy received another dis
patch at 3 o'clock containing the i'll
formation that Colonel Allen had landed
the shore end of the signal corps cable
ut Playa del Este from the cable steamer
Adria. Colonel Allen was not allowed
to land ut Playa del Este ON account of
the Adria coming from an infected dis
trict. All were we'll on board. Colonel
Allen returncs this evening to repair the
French cable at that point and establish
regular communication between Playa
del Este and Santiago de Cuba so that
the army will be in telegraphic commune
cation with Washington as soon as the
The perplexing problem now to be
solved is how to carry out the pledge
made by General Shafter to remove the
Spanish soldiers to Spain. 1t would
have been no easy undertaking to remove
the 10000 men across the Atlantic under
the best conditions, but the reports that
indicate the existence of yellow fever
among the Spaniards threaten all kinds
of difficulties. After all, it was decided
to he only matter of money, and if the
price offered is large enough steamship
lines can doubtless he found to under
take the transportation. Several weeks
vii lbe required to remove the Spaniards
so that it will be necessary to maintain
considerable proportion of the Ameri-
can army in the neighborhood for some
time. Still being under no care to pro-
tect themselves against the foe, the
American troops can be so disposed as
TO make themselves very comfortable,
and by removing them into the hills Just
in the rear Of Santiago. il is believed
that the danger of an extension of the
yellow fever will be reduced so far that
it will no longer be cause for grave ap.
prehension. The surgeons reports de-
scribe the disease as of Il mild type, and
it is said that this will readily yield to
change of location into higher and
cooler ground.