The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-08-19


old French line running from Cape
Cod, Mass, to Havre. France 1t is
the longest cable line in the world. the
other Atlantic cable being shortened
by touching at Nova Scotia.
The exchange today is the second OF
the kind which has occurred, President
Buchanan and Queen Victoria having
exchanged congratulations August 5.
1858, when the Atlantic cable was first
laid.
General Wheeler received orders to-
day to assume command OF Camp
Wikoff until the arrival of General
ShafteF. de was told ty the secretary
Of ar &c purchase everything neces
sary for the comfort of the men and
to spare nothing that would alleviate
the sick and wounded
GEN. WHEELER IN CONFERENCE
WITH THE PRESIDENT.
General Wheeler had a three-Quar-
ters OF an hour conference with the
president today. The president wanted
with General Wheeler and this was
the object of a telegraphic summons
that brought the general here.
The president put numerous ques-
tionS to the hero of the Santiago cam
paign and received, not only an ac-
count of his general experience in that
campaign, but also his views on vari-
Gus issues incident to the adjustment
of affairs on the island. One point that
was uppermost was the possibility of
a rupture with the Cuban insurgents.
General Wheeler's statements were
very reassuring. "All the friction, he
said, between the Americans and Gu
bans will soon pass away and there
will be harmony and the best of feel
mo hofx tbny, 10 % w a
a class of men in Cuba who had never
been friendly to the Cubans, but, on
The contrary had been favorable to
Spain who likely would do all they
could to keep up this misunderstand-
ing, though he did not apprehend any
dangerous results. General Wheel er
suggested that the charges against the
insurgents of taking articles IN the
field had extenuating circumstances,
especially in view Of the starving con-
dition of many Of them. General
Wheeler believed the CubanS in time
when freed from oppression and given
a stable and humane government,
would become law abiding and useful
people.
The president is very SOli"itOuS about
the health of the Montauk Point camp
and gave explicit instructions verbal
ly to General Wheeler as to the con-
duct of the camp. lie wanted every
thing possible and reasonabl done for
the interests of the men at the camp.
WHEELER DEFENDS THE Gu
BANS.
Just at the close of office hours in
the war department General Wheeler
stopped to speak to a group of news
by a crowd of employees as we'll, who
listened to what he had to say re-
garding his experience with the Gu
bans. The trouble seemed to be that
they wanted to cooperate and not be
under orders from the American gen.
erals. After all was explained to them,
however, he, for the most part, got
along very well. He said that they
could not understand our language and
often orders given to them when trans
lated seemed no doubt harsh and alb
rupt. This led to several misunder-
standings.
AS to be Cubans refusing to work,
he said they did some work when they
understood it's Importance, but they
were not able to accomplish much,
owing to their physical condition. They
had been living mostly on fruits and
vegetables and did not possess the
strength for the hardShips which we'll
fed soldiers have to go through. Cen
eral Wheeler also spoke of the reports
of the pilfering with which they are
charged and said that about 20, 600 peo-
pie came out of Santiago without any
thing to eat. The soldiers when they
were pushing ahead in an engagement
had to discard their rolls containing
provisions. Some of them complained
that their food had been stolen: but it
might have been the destitute people
who came out of Santiago as we'll as
the Cuban soldiers.
SENATOR DAVIS ON THE PEACE
COMMISSION
Washington, August Ex-senator
Davis, chairman of the Senate COM
mittee on foreign relations, has accept
ed the tender of an appola tment as a
member of the Spanish American
peace commission.