Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1898-06-13
COMMUNICATIONS WITH
SAMPSON
Who is in Possession Of
Guantanamo.

washington, June l3.-Ine navy ue-
partment has been in communication
with Admiral Sampson off Santiago by
cable and by mail, with the result that
1t Is now known officially that the
American flag floats over Cuba; that 1t
was raised by United States marines at
the mouth Of Guantanamo bay The
marines who have thus glorified them
selves We're 500 In number. They were
obliged to fight for their lives, and in
the course of that fight to burn down
thu town chosen as the site for debarka-
ton. All is ready at Gantanamo now
for the landing of United States regular
troops as soon as they arrive there, the
marines holding the ground that they
won and being protected by the guns of
the Marblehead, under Captain McCalla,
who has already during the present war
50 distinguished himself by energetic
and valuable services as to encourage
the belief that he will regain the num-
bers he lost some years ago through an
unfortunate incident. Regarding the
fleet of transports no statement Is OBJ
tainable at the war department, and it
Is believed that the situation Is I'M
changed as regards the starting of the
expedition.
he only SuDJecl IOl ttI OlllCldl Dullc-
tin at the navy department was Hob
sons glorious feat in bottling up the
Spanish squadron with the hull Of the
Merrimac With the frankness and cam
dor peculiar to the man. Admiral Samp-
son withheld no credit from Hobson for
either the execution or projection of
we'll worked out scheme to which the
constructor was entitled, and he has
II II 1l~, Af
dissatisfaction that had shown itself
among few Of the line officers because
of the selection of a staff officer in the
person of Hobson to conduct the des-
perate enterprise.
Hobson to BE Lieutenant Commander.
Reference was made in SIMPSONS
statement to the 'inspiring letter" Of
Secretary Long as basis for the re-
quest of Hobson's promotion. With the
consent of Secretary Long the particu-
lar passage in the letter to which Ad-
miral Sampson referred is now made
public. 1t reads:
Each man engaged in the work of
the inshore squadron should have in
him the stuff out of which to make a
possible Cushing, and If the man wins
the recognition given him shall be as
great as that given to Cushing, so far as
the department can bring this about"
Hobson has won, and if he escapes
from his present thraldom the navy de-
partment will redeem its promise. A
consultation of the records of the navy
department shows that the recognition
accorded Cushing was his advancement
one full grade-that Is, from the rank
Of lieutenant, which he held when he
took his little boat up to the Albemarle.
to the rank Of lieutenant commander.
In addition he was given a vote of
thanks by congress. If Hobson Is
awarded in the same measure he WILL If
kept in his corps, be raised to the rank
of lieutenant commander at least and
made a full constructor instead of as
sistant constructor, which he now Is
The war department has finally closed
the charters for the steamships Vic
torla, Olympia and Arizona, which are
to be used in the transportation of
troops to Manila. The chartering Of
these ships has been delayed for some
time.
An Interesting Ruling.
The attorney general has rendered an
opinion Of great interest to state off,
Gals and others who have accepted
commissions in the volunteer army He
holds that section 1920 of the revised
statutes which prohibits army officers
from exercising the functions of civil
office on penalty Of losing their army
commissions, applies only to officers of
the regular army. He is of opinion that
1t would be unfair to construe the stat
ute as affecting officers In the volun-
teers because many of them accepted
these positions, believing that the war
with Spain would be of brief duration
and therefore preferred not to relin-
quish the compensation of the civil Of
fees they held. The case in question
was that Of Mr.. Grigsby, a state officer
of South Dakota, who was appointed
colonel OF one of the regiments of
rifemen authorized by the vol
unteer army act.
It is understood here that the opinion
of the officials is that the question OF
the compatibility of state officers re-
talning their positions while at the
same time holding places in the volun-
teer army is a matter which must be
settled by the states themselves.