The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-24
INVASION MAY Be A FACT
POSSIBLE THAT TROOPS ARE
ALREADY IN CUBA
Report at Washington That a Trans
port With the Van of the Army of
Occupation Has Sailed From
Tampa-COnfirmat Lacking.
Owing to the Rigid Censorship
That Prevails at Florida Ports.
Washington Bureau, st. Paul Globe, !
C0rcoYan Building.
Special to The St. Paul Globe.


WASHINGTON, May 23.-The inva-
sion Of Cuba by regulars Of the United
States army may be under way. 1t is
not certain that the Stars and Stripes
have not already been planted on the
Cuban coast. Rumors that the trans
port Florida, with the van guard Of the
invading army, has sailed from Tampa
were current today, and the rumor
is borne out by the orders known to
have been issued late last week for
the hurried transportation to the Flor
ida coast of large quantities of such
stores as would be needed for an army
of occupation.
It is possible that an advance move
has been made without news of it
reaching the public The censorship
at Tampa and other Florida ports Is
now more rigid than ever, and there
Is little chance for news to leak. News
channels at Washington are also close
ly stopped, so lack of confirmation is
not proof that the advance has not
begun, though 1t is not probable that
any movement in heavy force is yet
under way.
The censorship over war news from
the Florida coast has been extended
from Tampa and Key West to include
Miami and Jacksonville, and covers
all army as well as naval news.
NEWS LEAK STOPPED.
No army officer has been detailed
to Jacksonville, but it Is understood
that a civilian telegraph operator has
been sworn In there as the govern
ment representative.
The location Of a censor as far north
as Jacksonville Is due to the discov-
cry by the war department that the
censorship was being avoided by GER
tain newspaper correspondents who
forwarded their matter from Key West
to the Florida mainland by mail and
had it telegraphed from a point beyond
the censor's reach.
Hereafter 1t will be necessary to get
it above Jacksonville in order to escape
surveillance, and it is calculated that
by the time that is done the news will
be too old to do any particular harm.
Reports from the censor at Key West
show that in but two instances have
efforts been made to beat the censor
ship there by private ciphers. In one
case the newspaper whose correspond
ent was guilty Of the offense apologized
for the occurrence and promised that it
would not occur again. The other case
is still pending, the department not
having decided what to do in the mat
ter.
In this instance the correspondent
succeeded for several days in reporting
the movement of ships by private mes
sages which were to appearances inno-
cent.
MORE MEN WANTED.
The volunteer army is still $4,000 re-
cruits short Of the number called for
by President Mckinley.
Troops in various mobilizing centers
are being poorly cared for, and there
is great scarcity Of tents and cloth
ing.
Senator Mason, of Illinois, went out
| to Camp Alger near here yesterday
and found an entire Illinois regiment
without shelter. He wired to New
York an order for tents for the regi-
| ment.
| The early invasion of Cuba in force is
to be made contingent upon the wiping
| off the seas Of the fleet of Cervera. If,
| however, nothing is heard from Samp-
son OR Schley by Saturday, the general
forward move will not be delayed long
| er
Gen. Miles is known to favor a move
ment upon Cuba as soon as the Span
ish ships have been disposed of. Their
presence in Cuban waters at this time,
he urges, is a menace to the work of
transporting troops, the possible cap
ture of which would seriously hinder
the plans of the administration.