The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-05-14
|IE FLYERS HAVE FLOWN.
Fleet Retreat of the Flying Squad
ron for Which Admiral Samp-
son was Looking.
UNEXPECTED APPEARANCE At eADlz.
This Leaves the Way of the Oregon
Open and Invites the Immediate Oc-
cupation and Liberation OF Down
trodden Cuba.

trodden Cuba.
WASHINGTON, May lit is hard to
tell whether the naval officers were re-
lieved or disappointed by the news
that came late yesterday afternoon to
both the navy and state departments to
the effect hat the Spanish flying
squadron had arrived at Cadiz, Spain.
The safety of the Oregon from attack
is now assured, and the way is clear
for military operations in Cuba with
out running the risk of having the oc-
cupying army's line of communication
cut off.
On the other hand, it is believed that
no enduring peace can be secured I'M
til the Spanish fleet has been de-
stroyed, and it now appears that to do
this our sailors must make up their
minds to go after the Spaniards, a task
very much more difficult than that of
meeting them near our own shores.
1t was suggested by some of the
members of the wal board that there
was just 4 possibility that the Spanish
squadron might take a quick passage
into the Pacific through the Suez canal
and attack Dewey at Manila. 1t is
said that, contrary to the common I'M
derstanding, the Suez canal is open to
the war ships of belligerent powers SO
that if the Spanish choose to take this
curse they would nave a long start of
any pursuing fleet from our side of the
Atlantic. 1t is scarcely believed, how
ever, that the Spanish are willing to
take the great risk of exposing to our
attack their w home ports by the
withdrawal of So considerable a por-
ton of their naval strength as would
be required to overmatch Dewey.
Nothing was heard from Sampson,
but there was a confident expectation
that interesting news would be coming
from his squadron within "a hours.
Whether this meal an attack on Porto
Rico or not cannot be learned.
One effect of the retreat of the Span
ish fleet has been to hasten even more
the preparations already under full
Roadway for the dispatching of mill
tary expeditions to Cuba. 1t also has
caused a complete change in the con-
centration plans. Time is now believed
to be the great factor. There is no
longer opportunity to indulge in ex-
tensive drilling and practice maneuver-
ing. The regular army troops do not
need these, and r to be thrown at
once in the front of the fray.
Many of the regiments of the ma
tiOnal guard which are entering the
volunteer service are felt to be suffi-
GENTLY trained, from a military point
of view, to follow the regulars imme.
diately, and he department indicated
its purpose yesterday of dispatching
these volunteer troops directly to the
gulf coast for shipment, instead of send
ing them to Chickamauga.
This disposition was shown by the
changes in the new orders issued to
the troops, although there yet may be
a return to the original programme of
concentration if the plans show signs
OF weakness, as they develop.
The quartermastcr general has al
ready gotten under charter ~ mer-
chant steamers for the transport of
troops and, roughly speaking, these
should carry about 10000 men. Others
are being procured as rapidly as posi-
BILE.
The plan of the var department is to
these vessels assemble at the diff
fercnt gulf ports, Tampa, Mobile, New
Orleans and Galveston, to take on
troops which will be sent there. The
department is expected to furnish
conveys for these transports, which
would be absolutely helpless against
attack. At this point
there are signs of friction. First,
the transports will be obliged to await
Admiral Simpsons return, in order to
secure proper convoy, and, secondly,
the navy objects very decidedly to I'M
dertaking the task of conveying a num-
Der of transports. 1t insists hat to in
sure the safety of the convoy of the
troops, all the transports should be
gathered in one fleet to start from
Tampa, and the navy is likely to pre-
vail in this.
Now hat Mai-Gen. Sewell has been
assigned to command the concentration
camp at Falls Church, Va, preparations
are being rushed to put the grounds
there into shape for the reception of the
volunteers.