The Portland daily press., 1898-08-08
TIRED OF ROUND ROBINS.
Secretary AIger Decides That He'll Drop
Them.

Boston, August IA WdsAliSoon ooo
patch to the Herald says:
Secretary Alger has determined to
make no further investigation into the
matter of the publication of the Roose
welt 'round-robin, as he says that to do
so would only continue to stir up
things, and make more bad blood. al
ready there is quite enough quarelling
over the whole Santiago expedition,
and the war department. authorities
have quite enough trouble on their
hands now, without seeking to make
any more. 80
Seven transports are now reported to
be in Santiago, to be used in bringing
Skaters army to Montauk Point. Ihere
is great fear expressed now that the
wharf facilities will be insuf1lclent 70
accommodate all the ships that are 20
be there within the next few days, anu
orders were sent today to employ llgntefs
to the fullest extent posslbl IN alaIns
in the loading of our troops on boaTd ths
transports. In addition to the Ohlgou
States transports. which ore to bring our
men home the Spanish ships VIII Do az
Santiago within the next few days, ana
the work Of sending Torals army BACK TO
Spain will be begun All the transports
that have been at Porto Rico have been
ordered around to Santiago to ald tne
work Of transporting Skaters army.
Secretary Ager made the Important
announcement today that in all future
operations of the American troops the
men would be armed with Krag-Jorgen-
son rifles, which are intended for smoke
less powder, or else that the Springfield
rifles would be used, with new cartridg
made with smokeless powder. All The
troops that are now with Gen. Miles at
Porto Rico will be armed with Krag-
Jorgenson rifles
The dispatches from Porto Rico today
show that already the work OF substi-
tuting these weapons for the old Spring
field rifles has begun. Twenty thousand
of these rifles were sent to Gen. Miles,
and when the announcement was made
today that one of the transports had sunk
in the harbor Of Ponce, with large num-
Der of Krag- Jorgenson rifles on board. u
was reported that Mies s men would have
to use the arms they already have; but
the announcement that the distribution
of the new rifles had already begun lnd1-i
Gates that an error YVES made In the dis
patch from Ponce Beside this, neither
Secretary Alger nor the quartermaster's
office had been informed today of the
sinking OF any transport and they believe
the report to be entirely incorrect.
In spite of many assertions 10 the con-
trary, the secretary of war is authority
for the statement that the expedition
under Gen. Wade will go to Porto Rico.
When the suggestion was made to Gen.
Alger that peace might intervene to make
this expedition unnecessary, he said that
he was proceeding on war basis. 1t Is
evident however, that until all the
transports shall have brought Skaters
army North and carried the regiments of
immunes to Santiago there is no chance
of Wade's, expedition getting away.
Gen. Fitzhugh Lee and his corps, which
is now at Jacksonville. will be the first
troops to garrison Havana in the event
that peace Is declared Competent mill
tary observers have remarked upon the
good military condition of Gen. Lees
command, and at the war department it
is said that his troops are in better con-
dition to 40 to Havana than any others
in the volunteer army. There are many
regiments of southern troops in Gen.
Lees command, and they are thought to
be less likely to be affected by the climate
Of Havana than troops from the states
in the North and West.
Gen. Lee will be the military governor
iii Havana, and some intensely dramatic
scenes are expected when he shall return
clothed with the highest military all
thority to administer the government of
the city and province of Havana. where
he did such good work as consul.general
in UNFOLDING the honor of the American
flag end protecting American citizens.