The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1898-07-30
lTMAYBETRUE
Government Has. Heard Nothing
OF the Surrender Of Manila
to Dewey,
Though 1t Would Not Be Sur
prising If 1t Had Been
Done.
Hasis Of the Spanish Dispatch Be-
lieved to Be Permission to
Surrender.
Dewey Was Only Awaiting Suf
ficient Force to Keep Aguin-
aldo in Check.

WASHINGTON, July YO.-The war de.
partment would not be surprised to
learn that by this time Manila has sur.
rendered to the combined American
military and naval force gathered on
the shores Of Manila bay and of Ca.
vite. However, there is no official con.
firmation Of the report to that effect.
The United States government is in a
position. 1t is believed. to receive news
OF SO important an event, sooner than
the Spanish authorities at Madrid.
Being hemmed in on all sides, Captain
General Augusta would not be able to
communicate with Hong Kong, the
nearest cable station. without passing
his message through the United States
lines and securing permission for its
transmission by boat to Hong Kong.
And even II boat bearing such a
message had arrived at Hong Kong.
II Is only q fair supposition that the
news OF the fall Of Manila would te
communicated at that point to the
world at large by means Of the cable,
instead OF being confined 10 the Madrid
government. Consequently it is be.
lieved that this announcement. Of the
tall OF Manha Is an assumption, per.
haps on the strongest basis. for i, may
be that the Spanish government, hav.
ing sent permission to Augusti to sur.
! rcudcr.
Concludes That Hc Has Done so.
l, was known TO be the disposition
OF the Spanish authorities At Manila to
surrender to the American forces in.
stead h to the insurgents. when the
town must fall. 1t Is tolerably certain
that Admiral Dewey might have re.
| oeived the surrender at any time with.
in the past six weeks had he been dis.
posed 10 exert the slightest pressure in
that direction. Indeed. in one of
his dispatches he made the blunt
statement that he could take Manila in
| "a hours II he desired. The reason he
did not desire to do SO was undou btedly
because Of reluctance on his part "a
enirust tho destinies Of the great city
TO the insurgents under Aguinaldo
who, at frs: tractable. had begun &c
show signs OF impatience under re-
straint.
RcaiiEed His Responsibility.
Dewey realized that he was being
held morally responsible by the civil
lied world for the protection Of the
people OF Manila against exccsses a,
the hands Of the insurgents, and there
was also the strongest reasons why be
should not. by failure to care for the
| interests Of foreign residents in the
town, open the door to Intervention o.
any Of the neutral naval commander.
who had been lying in the harbor jeal
ously watching for their opportunity
| Therefore it became necessary for the
admiral TO maintain the status quo
until n sufficient military force ar
rived to enable him to receiv,
tho surrender Of the town. and t
occupy and protect it. This has beer
done with sone difficulty. as vii
be- revealed in tho end when all Of tn,
correspondence is published, for it ha
been almost impossible to keep the in
suryents out Of the town. and their Of
forts to effect an entrance have re
doubled as they learned Of the ap
proach Of the American forces and saw
dawning upon them the possibility o
an American occupation Of the tow,
that should exclude chem from Manila
precisely rs Shafter excluded Garcia
Cubans from Santiago. Now, how
ever. Dewey undoubtedly has will
him sufficient military force to war
rant him in accepting tho surrender 0
Manila, 1t is said at the war depart
meut that Mt least three Of the six mil
itary expeditions that have been dis
PATCHED to the Philippines from Sal
Francisco are now at Manila, affordin,
an army OF between 10000 and 1900
men. backed up by Dewey's ships an'
sailora
| Cut His Sleeping hoy.
PAuLrNA, Mimi, July SO.-Whil
emitting grain close to his house Hectic
Cowan. Jr., ran over small son of hi
who was lying asleep on the edge Q
tho grain, nearly severing leg and al
,rm, and otherwise injuring him.
Porto Rico Adopts Autonomy.