Mesa free press., 1898-05-13
WASHINGTON NOTES.

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Congress will remain in session until
the war is over.
Secretary Long has decided to create
an auxiliary navy for Pacific coast
defense at once.
The dynamite cruiser Nictheroy.
purchased from Brazil, will be re-
named the Buffalo.
The family physician of John Sher-
man Is credited with having induced
his withdrawal from the cabinet
The list of cadets who will graduate
at once from the military academy
will be appointed second lieutenants.
Since his return to the capital, Sena-
tor White has reiterated positively his
determination not to be candidate
for reelection.
A Washington dispatch says there Is
talk Of the United States seizing the
islands of Minorca, and using 1t as a
base Of supplies.
! Lieut.. Count Won Goetzf, the German
military attache at Washington, now in
Berlin, has been ordered to return to
the United States.
Merchandise has been classified into
three classes by the government. They
are absolute contraband, occasional
| contraband and goods not contraband.
Secret service men are watching
several Spaniards at Washington who
are alleged to be keeping Spain post
ed on the movements of the army and
navy.
A Key West special says that sailor
on the Puritan, Spaniard by birth,
was caught tampering with the lock
on the powder magazines. The mat
ter was reported and he was court
martialed and sentenced to be shot.
Only about 200 Of the 450 members
of the Delaware militia and half the
| officers have volunteered to the Unit
ed States government, the others re-
fusing to go fearing that their own
officers would not be in command.
| Secretary Alger has issued a sweep
| ing order directed to all bureau chiefs
of the War Department and all officers
on special duty, from the highest to
| the lowest, instructing them under no
circumstances to give any information
to the press on any subject connected
with the war.
1t is very hard to secure from the
| naval authorities admission touching
the movements Of the squadrons or in
dividual ships. Secretary Long has
reasoned that If he undertook to
answer questions Of this character,
even though they may not be of i'm
portance, shrewd and correct inference
might be drawn from his refusal to
answer the questions, and the enemy
might profit thereby.
| A special from Washington says:
The clerks in the dead letter Office at
the postoffice department have been
busy all day examining the captured
Spanish mail, the first batch of which
has been received in Washington from
the postoffice at New York BY an
order issued by the postmaster gem
eral, all postmasters throughout the
country are instructed to forward to
the department at Washington all let
ters and packages addressed to per-
sons in Spain. When this order went
into effect there was considerable mail
matter accumulated in the New York
I postof1ce and en- route to Cuba by the
fast mail, via Florida.
The French embassy has received
dispatch from the Foreign Office at
Paris announcing that a decree Of
neutrality between the United States
and Spain has been issued, and that
detailed copy will be forwarded by
mail. On the receipt of the dispatch
the French ambassador, M. Cambon,
wrote to the State Department inform
ing them of Frances neutrality. The
cable notice is brief, stating only that
the decree follows the treaty of Paris
of 1856. The State Department has
also been informed that Mexico, Ar
gentine Republic, Korea and Belgium
have proclaimed neutrality. Korea's
neutrality Is considered important,
owing to her proximity to the
Philippines.