Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-01-25
ORDERED TO HAVANA
Batt|eship Maine Viii! Anchor
in Cuban Waters.
WHAT THIS MOVE MEANS
acc 'rd'hE to; !, atcment by Assistant Sec
rotary Day 1t Simply Signifies. ). .'Ise-
sumption of Friendly Re-
i"tions With Spain"
By Telegraph).

"ASr1lNIION, Jan. N.-Within for
ty-eight hours. for the first time sinca
the insurrection broke out in Cuba
three years ago, the United States gov
Dor OF Havana by a warship The u,-
clston to send the United States stea M
snip Maine was finally reached at a
special meeting al the White House this
! morning between the President Score
| lary Long, Attorney General Mcken-
ma, Assistant Secretary Day and Gene
| raj Miles, and it is a striking fact tina +
with the exception of the Secretary Of
| The Navy and the Attorney General
not member of the cabinet knew OF
the Presidents intention to take this
radical action. 1t is not denied, how
:.Ver. that some such move has been
| :"'1s in contemplation, as is evidenced
n the following statement OF Assistant
| Secretary Day. made this afternoon:
| Tine sending Of the Maine to Havana
| means simply the resumption of friend
naval relations with Spain. 1t is
customary for naval vessels of friendly
nations to pass in and out of the llar-
bors of other countries with which they
are at peace, and British and German
Marships have recently visited Havana
| RMS is no new move. The iPresiden
| has Intended to do ii for some time but
heretofore something has happened to
! postpone it. The orders to the Maine
mean nothing more than l have said,
md there is nothing alarming or un-
| friendly in them. The Spa nish minister
here is fully Informed Of What is going
! on. and SO far as know has not made
| the slightest objection to it,
Further. Assistant Secretary Dav
said that Consul General Lee had not
sent for a warshtp. This statement
| shows that the movement was made
| deliberately. and that it could not have
been taken if there were serious appre-
| tensions of its result in Havana The
I general belief here, however. is that in
Madrid rather than in any Cuban town
IS trouble to be Looked for If there
should be any MISREPRESENTATION of the
! purpose of the government IN ia ing
| The Maine to Havana. The temper of
! the opposition newspaper dispatches
las been threatening for some time. and
| 1t may require the strong hand of the
news censor to repress utterances that
s"ould lead 70 rioting. u -. ~ ~.
| atrliraf Sfcard's orders were not
made public in their text at the NAVY
Department. but 1t was stated shat the
substance of them was contained in
! the following statement made. nv Seq
| rotary Long:
| so far from there being any founda-
tlon tor the rumors yesterday of trou-
| Die at Havana, nlatters are now in such
! condition that our vessels are going to
resume their friendly calls at Cuba II
| ports and go in and out Just as the YES
|
| Viii go III a day or two on just such a
f! visit. The department has issued or
| tsrs for vessels 10 attend the public
celebrations in Mobile and the ,Mardl
! Hras a. New Orleans, and for the tor
oedo boat ilotilla TO visit Galveston,
| Texas"
The orders We're not sent directly to
| the Maine, for the reason that she is
| now attached to the squadron, and the
| naval regulations require all such or
Nv.
There is some question whether the tel
aSram reached the admiral before he
| sailed with his squadron from Key
West for Tortugas harbor. The belief
| S that it did not, but this will make
| little difference in the program. mas
| much as the telegram doubtless will be
sent to the admiral by one of the tor
pedo boats or some other means of con-
veyance. The details of the Names
movements are believed to be left for
the arrangement of Admiral Sicard but
! t is thought that the ship, which put
o sea with the squa dron. will return
| to Key West before going to Havana.
| The German ships, to which Assist
ant Secretary Day referred in his state
ment. are the Charlotte and the Geyer,
both training ships and not of form!da-
| Bile type. though one sufficed 20 settle
! hastily the dIaytien difficulty. Their
! touching at Havana is not believed to
be significant, as their cruise was ar
| ranged in all details last September
and the same ships are due at Charles
! ton. S. c., early in February next.
| At the Spanish legation nothing was
known of the order for the Maine to
proceed to Havana. Minister de LONE
| said that. even III case it We're true, it
portended nothing serious. 1t was per-
fectly in accord with usage for WarshipS
of two friendly powers to enter and
| leave each others ports. The warships
| Of SPAN had visited American ports on
complimentary missions three times in
as many years. and if there mad not
| been an American warship in Havana
in the same length of time it was mere
tiy because the United States govern
| msnt had not seen fit to order one there
AZ to the possible consequences of the
Names appearance at Havana at this
time the minister expressed himself as
| not at all uneasy.
| There was no doubt. he said. OF the
conservative behavior of the loyal
Spaniards in Havana and elsewhere,
and the only thing which might lead to
| Unpea santneSS was some overt act by
| the insurgents With the hope of en-
broling Spain and the United States in
| just such an incident as happened with
the Baltimore's crew during the insur-
rection in Chile.
| In response to am inquiry the minister
said that it was not customary and a
| part of diplomatic usage for one colIn-
] y
| tives of another in advance that it in
| tended to send war vessel to the wa
tiers of the other nation.
The statement OF Minister de LONE
makes it apparent that the Spanish
| government will not regard the dis
patch of the Maine to Havana as an
hostile act. and equivalent to a breach
| II the friendly relations between the
| two countries.
Minister de Lone called at the State
| Department about 8 o'clock this after
noon in pursuit of information con-
corning the movements of the Maine.
He asked and was freely permitted to
| see the orders sent to Admiral Sicard,
directing the Maine to proceed to Ha-
vana. The fact that the Spanish min
! 'ster was shown the orders is regarded
| AZ an indication that there Is nothing
If threatening or bellicose nature in
hem. The Navy Department receiv-
"a information during the day that the
squadron had sailed from Key West