The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1898-05-06
DEWEY IS SILENT BUT SAFE.
Continued from First Page.


over our retention of Manila or any other
harbor of the Philippines as coaling
station would be fully as great as those
that would be aroused by our keeping the
whole group. Therefore growing
feeling is in favor of retaining the whole
group.
~
Anyway. whatever of the islands we
keep finally, whether the harbor or the
group, and we will have to retain pos
session of the whole during the war, it
will be necessary to send military force
there and maintain order and repel any
possible attempt of the Spanish to regain
possession. The Administration is now
preparing this force and considering the
names of several OF the major generals to
command the same. The Administra-
ton is considering the advisability of
sending to the Philippines civil COVER
nor. He would conduct the civil govern
ment, the military being used to support
his authority. The capture of the
Philippines has plunged this country into
the thick of the far Eastern question, a
question which is to-day the leading
problem of the commercial powers of
Europe, every one of which is busily
engaged in securing territory and COM
mercial advantages in that rich region.
The best diplomats of Europe, and of
Japan as well, will be on the ground to
dispute with us as to the final disposition
of the islands. The result is apt to be
that we will find that, whatever difficult
ties our holding the islands may present,
the letting of them go will present even
greater. Wemay therefore be compelled,
willy nilly, to keep them.
WASHINGTON, May Both official
and unofficial Washington continue in a
state of citation over Admiral Dewey's
signal victory over the Spanish at Man
liza. The unofficial citation is natural, for
to the uncritical masses victory is vic
tory, regardless of the circumstances un-
der which it was won.
~
The calling here at this time of Major
General Wesley Merritt of the Regular
Army, commanding the Department of
the East with headquarters at Cover
nor's Island, New York, is regarded as
significant. Gen. Merritt is looked upon
by number Of people as the ablest mil
itary commander now in the army. This
is the first time he has been called here
since the war began or since, in fact, it
became apparent that war was to be the
outcome of our differences with Spain.
~
In his nomination for major generals
and brigadier- generals the President has
so far carried out his expressed idea of
appointing men Of military experience.
All but four Of those named are promo
lions in the army, and of those four,
Fitzhugh Lee, Joseph Wheeler and
James H. Wilson are graduates Of the
Military Acadamy at West Point and
gained renown in the civil war, while
William J. Sewell fought through that
war with great credit. All the briga-
diers named so far are colonies and lieu
tenants-colonels in the permanent estab-
lishment and all of them saw much SER
vice during the civil war as well as
since. There are therefore no expert
ments among them, no mere political
generals, the curse of the military SER
vice in every other war in which this
country has been engaged.
~
The report has reached me from a
source usually well informed that one of
the military officers sent to Cuba to find
out what force General Gomez could
muster to meet an invading column has
been heard from and that he informs his
superiors that Gomez has at his ina
mediate command less than thousand