Evening star., 1898-07-29
War Department Would Not Be Sur
prised at Surrender.
POSSIBLY 4 SPANISH ASSUMPTION
August May Have Been Sent
Permission to Give Up.
A SUSPICIOUS CHANGE


has surrendered to the combined Americ IN
military and naval forces gathered on the
| shores of Manila bay and off Cavite. How
ever, there is 10 official confirmation yet
| of the report that was printed this morn
ing to that effect The United States gov
ernment is in a position, it is believed, to
receive news of so important an event
| sooner than the Spanish authorities at
| Madrid. Being hemmed in all sides,
| Capt. Gen. Augusti would not be able to
| communicate with Hong Kong. the nearest
cable station, without passing his message
| through the United States lines and secur
ing permission for its transmission by boat
| to Hoi Kong. And even if boat bearing
such a message had arrived at Hong Kong
1t is only fair supposition that the news
of the fall of Manila would be communicat-
ed at that point to the world at large by
| means Of the cable instead of being con-
| fined to the Madrid government.
| Possibly an Assumption.
| Consequently it is believed that this an
| nouncement of the fall of Manila is an
| assumption, perhaps on the strongest basis,
| for it may be that the Spanish government
] having sent permission to Augusti to sur
Tender. concludes that he has done so.
| 1t was knovO to be the disposition of
| the Spanish authorities at Manila to sur
! render to the American forces instead of
| to the insurgents when 1t came to that
point where the town must fall. 1t IS
tolerably certain that Admiral Dewey
might have received the surrender at any
! time within the past six weeks had he
| been disposed to exert the slightest pres
| sure in that direction. Indeed, in one of
| his dispatches he made the blunt state
| Inent that he could take Manila in twenty
four hours if he desired. The reason Ee
| did not desire to do so was undoubtedly
because of reluctance on his part to en-
| trust the destinies of the great city to the
| insurgents under Aguinaldo, who, at first
| tractable. had begun to show signs of chat
ing under restraint.
| Dewey realized that he was being held
| morally responsible by the civilized world
for the protection of the people of Manila
against eXcesses at the hands of the insur-
gents. There was also the strongest rea-
| sens why he should not by failure to care
! for the interests of foreign residents in the
| town open the door to Intervention of any
| of the neutral naval commanders who had
| been lying in the harbor jealousy watch
| ing for their opportunity. Therefore it be-
came necessary for the admiral to maintain
existing conditions until a sufficient military
| force arrived to enable him to receive the
surrender of the town and to occupy and
protect 1t. This has been done with some
difficulty, as will be revealed in the end
| when all of the CORES pondence is pub
| lished for it has been almost impossible to
keep the insurgents out of the town, and
| their efforts to effect an entrance have re-
doubled as they learned Of the approach of
| the American forces and saw dawning up
| on them the possibility of an American
occupation of the town that might exclude
them from Manila, precisely as Shafter ex-
| cluded Garcia's Cubans from Santiago.
| Now, however, Dewey has undoubtedly
| with him sufficient military force to war;
| rant him in accepting the surrender of
| Manila, although perhaps not enough to
justify an assault upon the town, presum-
| ing that the inhabitants are not yet ready
| to surrender. 1t is said at the War De-
partment that at least three of the six mil
| itary expeditions that have been dispa tched
| to the Philippines from San Francisco are
now at Manila, affording army of be-
| tween ten and fifteen thousand men backed
| up by DeweySs ships and sailors.
Possibly a Spanish Trick.
Suspicious interest attaches to a pub
lished statement in one Of the Spanish
semi-official organs to the effect that Au-
gust has been shorn of jurisdiction over
the Philippines beyo1 Manila and its i'm
| mediate environment, the captain general
| cy OF the Philippine group being trans
ferred to Col. Rice, CT mmander of the Viz
caya Islands. 1t is just possible that there
is ar important connection between these
two items Of news, the surrender of
Manila and the other Augustus replace
| ment, both coming fIom Spanish sources.
As to the latter, it was frankly stated in
the Spanish dispatch that the purpose was
| to prevent Augusti fl ON surrendering the
entire Philippine group, so that it is con-
ceivable that, having now arranged the
matter SO hs to protect their interests in
the remaining islands so far as possible
and having placed tho emselves in position
| to deny that the United States government
has made the conquest of the Philippines,
the Spanish ministry may have directed
August to surrender the small jurisdiction
remaining to him to the United States TO
prevent it from falling into the hands of
the insurgents. AS the matter will have a
decided bearing en- any program the United
States may outline respecting the acquisi-
ton of a coaling station in the Philippines
or the requirement OF the entire group of
Islands, official reports as to the exact state
of affairs are anxfously awaited.
Gen. Merritt Relieved to he There,
1t is believed at the War Department that
Maj. Gen. Merritt has arrived at Manila.
He sailed from San Francisco June %, just
month ago today. His vessels were fas-
ter than some OF the others and ought to
have reached their destination by this
time. If Gen. Merritt has arrived he is in
command of the Department of the Pa
cific, the designation now given the Phil
ippines and the military territory in that
| part of the Pacific. Next in command to
Gen. Merritt is Gen. Anderson, who was
| in command of the first expedition
There have been six expeditions for the
Philippines. as follows:
May 25 under Brig. Gen. Anderson, ar
rived June 80
July Is. under Brig. Gen. Green. arrived
July II.
June %. under Mai. Gen. Merritt, accom-
panied by Brig. Gen. Macarthur, supposed
to have arrived by this time.
July Is, under Mai Gen. e, 8, Otia