The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1898-05-13
PEACE PlOTTERS IN FEATHER.
They Would Make Our Blood Won
Victories Barren.

dignation Manifested Wherever the Plot
Of the Peace Worshipers is Revealed-A
Proposal That the United States Inglori-
ously Surrender the Philippines and
Porto Rico to spafn-stamp Out the I'm
holy Cabal!
Special Correspondence of the CHRONICLE.
WASHINGTON, May 12.-The problem
that is expressing the Navy Strategy
Board just now Where is the Spanish
feet? AT the time the Cape Verde fleet
sailed from ST. Vincent last week it was
given out that a part of it had gone
north to Cadiz and part had sailed
westwardly. If this information was
correct the feet now reported to have
of the Cape Verde feet that set out for
that port last week. This would leave
the other, and, if report is to be believed.
the more formidable part unaccounted
for. 1t was matter of conjecture at
the time where the squadron that had
sailed westwardly was going, whether to-
intercept the Oregon on its slow journey
up the South American coast, or whether
to Porto Rico, or to raise the blockade
of Havana. 1t is apparent from the
cautious instructions given to Admiral
Sampson, to continue to be on the look
out for Spanish feet. that the Strategy
Board is not satisfied that the entire
There are two possible ways by which
this Spanish squadron, if it kept right on
across the Atlantic, might now reach
Havana ahead of Sampson. If it kept
course that would bring it out near the
South American coast it could enter the
Caribbean at its southeast corner
through some of the passages of the
Windward Islands and, then striking
boldly across that sea, could skirt the
south side of Porto Rico, learn the situa-
ton. and then come to the north of Cuba
by passing through either the Mona Pas
sage between that island and San Do
mingo and along the north coast of the
latter, or it could skirt the south coast of
San Domingo and come north through
the Windward Passage between that
island and Cuba, thus reaching the north
coast of Cuba. By either of these plans
it would in all probability succeed in
reaching Havana with Sampson and his
fleet too far to the east to be Of use for
the moment in beating off an attempt
on the part of the Spanish
feet to raise the blockade of
Havana. Apparently the best we
can hope for in respect of this matter is
that neither of these plans will occur to
the Spanish commander, provided there
is Spanish feet or squadron headed
this way. Late bulletins say that the
Spanish fleet at Cadiz has orders to sail
with sealed orders. If this be true, and
especially if the entire Spanish navy re-
naming after Admiral Dewey's destruc-
tive work at Manila is at Cadiz, the
problem as to its intentions remains as
oppressively mysterious as ever. 1t may
be the intention to send it through the
Suez Canal to the Philippines in an effort
to regain those valuable possessions. In
that case it would have a long start of
any relief we could send Dewey. The
Strategy Board evidently has some fears
that this is the Spanish plan. for the
Charleston has been ordered from San
Francisco to Manila without waiting for
the expedition or other relief intended to
aid Dewey Unfolding his prize.
Any kind of victory-the defeat of
Dewey by an overwhelming force, the
raising of the blockade of Havana, the
destruction of the Oregon, any Of these
in the near future, would be hailed with
frantic joy by the Spanish people and
would probably save the boy king his
tottering throne. There is a feeling
among great many that the war has
not been prosecuted as vigorously as it
might have been and as it ought to have
been; and if any sort of disaster, no mat
ter how slight, should now befall our
flag, this feeling would be ripened with
in an hour into conviction. San Juan,
Porto Rico's capital and chief port, could
have been seized days ago and could have
been fortified and held by small force,
thus leaving the entire energies of our
fleet and army to be expended upon the
capture of Havana and the reduction of
the island of Cuba. AS it is, the war in
these regions has languished and we are
faced by the same problems as at the
outset in regard to them.
~
A few days ago the accepted plan as to
Cuba was to land small column on the
island with plenty of provisions for the
suffering Cubans and plenty of arms and
munitions of war for the insurgents, and
then retire and let Gomez and his men
fight it out with Blanco and the Span
iards. If by fall Gomez had not driven
Blanco out of the island then we were to
go to the rescue. Suddenly this plan of
s'masterly inactivity" gave way to one
of immediate invasion with an army of
at least $1,000 men. In the War and
Navy Departments. especially in the
former, feverish activity became the
or5ar of the hour The mastering of the