Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-07-28
THE WORLD AT LARGE:
Summary of the Daily News
WASHINGTON NOTES.

FIFTY-FIvE men belonging to COM
pany A, Twenty-second Kansas volun-
teers. at Camp Alger, Washington.
were poisoned on the 10Th by eating
hash cooked in q tin-lined vessel that
had become corroded. Fifteen of the
men were seriously i'll and were not
expected to recover The hash was
eaten at breakfast and those who par
took of it became i'll shortly afterward.
The hospital doctors pronounced it to
be ptomaine poisoning.
The war department received a dis
patch from Gen. Shafter saying that
the roster of prisoners had been
handed in by Gen. Toral and that the
total was %. 7S9 men. Gen. Skaters
dispatch added that the prisoners
turned over to him far exceeded in
aumbers the strength of his own army.
A RECENT Washington special said
that Gen. Miles was urging the presi-
dent and war board to allow him to
.ead an army of invasion to Spain
after the conquest of Porto Rico. Gen.
Miles, it was stated, strongly argued
that the appearance of an American
army ready to invade the kingdom
would force peace more quickly than
the presence of the eastern squadron
THE war department made a ruling
that, under the law providing for the
appointment of volunteer officers by
the governors of the states when. the
organized militia was called into the
federal service. the right to fill vacan-
cies in such places caused by death,
designations or discharge rests with the
president and not with the governors.
THE navy department continues to
receive elaborate designs for the sword
to be presented to Admiral Dewey I'M
der the act of congress. One of these,
which came to Assistant Secretary
Allen on the Goth, is bas-re1ief of an
actual sword, representing diamonds
and rubies The design itself, with
the many brilliants, is more costly
than most swords. i;
IT was reported at Washington on
the 31st that Gen. Gomez will proceed
to Havana and lay siege to the city.
THE president on the 2fst issued a
general order opening postal commu-
nication between the United States
and the Santiago districts and other
districts that may be taken hereafter.
The statement that the Watson eX-
petition to the shores of Spain had
been abandoned was denied by Secre-
tary Long on the 21St. It is only de-
layed because some of the vessels are
wanted in the Porto Rican expedition.
THE subjoined practically official
statement was made to the Associated
press at Washington on the 2lst: "Por-
to Rico will be kept by the United
States. That is settled and has been
the plan from the first Once taken it
will never be released It's possession
will go toward making up the heavy
expense of war to the United States
Our flag, once run up there, will float
over the island permanently"
ASSISTANT POSTMASTER GENERAL
HEATH has force of postal employees
ready to go to Porto Rico as soon as
the army has opened up the way to es-
tablish offices in the various cities and
towns of the island as fast as they are
occupied.
The president has appointed Ferdi-
nand w. Peck, of Chicago, commits
sioner general of the Paris exposition.
PRESIDENT MCKINLEY stated to Comp
troller Dawes on the 22d that there
would be no third call for volunteers
rs it would not be necessary.
THE comptroller of the currency has
called on the national banks for a
statement of their condition at the
close OF business on July IA.
GEN. WooD, of the rough riders, has
been appointed military governor Of
Santiago de Cuba. succeeding Gen. Nc
Kibbin, who returned to his old duty.
THE cabinet session at Washington
on the 22d occupied an hour and half
and was devoted almost exclusively to
the Porto Rican expedition and Incl
dental aggressive steps in the cam
paign.
LIEUT.. HoBsoN arrived in Washing
ton on the 22d and paid his respects to
the president and naval officials His
mission was about saving some of the
Spanish warships at Santiago
ADMIRAL SAMPSON sent word to Wash
ington that the expedition to the bay
of Nipe, on the north coast of Cuba,
was success and base of supplies
will be established there, as it is near
er than Santiago.
A CONSOLIDATED statement prepared
by Mai. John A. Johnston, assistant
ndjutant general. showed that of the
377, 500 men authorized by congress to
be enlisted in the regular and volun-
teer armies, 254. 479 up to the 22d had
been mustered into the service. OF
the 23,03i yet required to complete
the authorized quota of the army. 49,
80S are regulars, 5000 are volunteers
under the second call, S62 are immunes
and S51 are engineers.
GENERAL NEWS
GEN. GARCIA. before retiring to the
interior with his forces after a rupture
with GEN Shafter. held a council OF
his officers and rendered to Gen. Gomez
the Cuban commander-in-chief his
resignation by courier as commander