The record-union., 1898-05-24
PHILIPPINE
ISLANDS
EXPEDITION.
Difficulty in Obtainin 6
Transports
Cause of Delay in Sending
Relief TO Dewey.
Not Enough Ships Of American Reg
iStry TO Convey the Troops.
The First Regiment of Volunteers Now
Aboard the City of Peking, Which
Will Sail for Manila ina
Day or Two.

WASHINGTON, May 23.-Much COM
ment and some criticism has been
| caused by the delay in forwarding
troops to the Philippines to support Ad-
miral Dewey. Both the comment and
| the criticism had their origin
! in the desire of the Presi-
| dent that the fruits of Dewey's victory
at Manila should not be endangered by
any lack of assistance from the Navy
or War Department.
| 1t is known now that troops would
have been sent to Manila before this
had it been possible for the War De-
! partment to secure transports on the
| Pacific Coast. The utmost difficulty is
! being experienced by the department in
obtaining such transports. The coast
! wise trade on the Pacific is not large,
as compared with that on the Atlantic,
and a majority of the vessels engaged
in the trade are of foreign register. OF
course ships flying a foreign flag cam
not be used as transports by the Gov
ernment, as such would constitute vio-
latiOn of the neutrality laws of the ma
ton whose flag the ship bore
Tonight the War Department is ne
gatiathag by telegraph with the Pacific
Mail Steamship Company for the
charter of two of the company's vessels.
the China and the Colon. The Colon
flies the American colors, but the China
is under the Hawaiian flag. The diff
ference between the War Department
and the steamship company is now one
Of price. Whether satisfactory terms
will be agreed upon remains in doubt.
Tonight Assistant Secretary Meikle-
john received a telegraphic offer from
the agent of the Northern Pacific
Steamship Company at Seattle. placing
at the disposal of the Government the
company's entire fleet of steamers, pro-
vided they be given American register
These ships are the Tacoma, Arizona.
Olympia, Columbia, Victoria and Argyll.
All are British built vessels, and fly the
British flag.
Commenting upon the situation which
confronts the department, Secretary
| Meiklejohn said: IF we cannot get
vessels at what we consider fair prices.
we shall be forced to impress such as
we may need into the service, and leave
the prices to be adjusted subsequently,
by a board appointed for the purpose.
We have made every possible effort to
secure vessels of American register,
indeed. we want nothing else. But it
is impossible TO obtain them on the Pa
cific Coast We shall have simply to
ask Congress to give American register
to vessels that we can obtain. There
is no other way out of the difficulty"
The likelihood is that the War De-
partment will send such vessels of the
Northern Pacific Steamship Company
as may be needed to San Francisco, and
then ask Congress to give them Ameri-
can register, in order that they promptly
convey the available troops to Manila.
1t is the desire Of the department that
the troops following those to be sent
to the Philippines on Saturday next
shall so not later than Wednesday,
June 1st.
1t is imperatively necessary that they
be gotten to Manila as soon as possible.
but in order that they may go at ALL it
will be quite necessary that some for
eign ships be given American register
by Congress.