Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-07-21
WANTS ARMS RETURNED
STILL ANOTHER STRING TO GEN.
ToRAL'S SURRENDER.
Neithor Americans Nor Cubans Will be
Allowed to Enter the City of San
tiago at Present-No Chance
For PiiIage or Plumber.

| Washington, July 15.-Therc was long
and anxious wait to-day to hear further
news from the commissioners who had
been charged to make the arrangements
for the surrender Of the Spanish army at
Santiago. For is hours no word came from
either Gen Shafter or Gen. Miles, al
though there was the keenest desire on
the part of the President and his cabinet
advisers to learn what had been done and
particularly whether the actual surrender
of Santiago and the Spanish Uoops had
| been carried out. When the cabinet met
at II o'clock there was positively nothing
| from the front which would serve as
guide for the deliberations. 1t was thought
the cable had been interrupted but on In
quiry of Gen. Greedy he gave assurance
that the cable was intact. Thereupon Sec
rotary Alger sent despatch asking for
the situation up to the last moment, and
particularly inquiring as to how far the
surrender had proceeded. NO answer
came while the cabinet was in session.
| In the meantime Gen. Greedy had cabled
and he was the first official to hear from
the front. A despatch from Lieut.. Jones,
military censor at Playa del Este report
ed that the message from the secretary Of
war to Gen. Shaft was only six minutes
in passing from Washington to Playa. The
message received by Gen. Greedy came at
2:2S p IN. and indicated that negotiations
were yet In progress but as the despatch
was submitted to the President no details
were given out.
Toward the middle of the afternoon des-
patches from Gen. Miles and Gen. SHAFT
ter began to arrive In response to Secre-
tary Ayers rather imperative request.
They were not given out in full but such
portions as were made public showed that
the negotiations were still in progress and
that the Spaniards had raised some rather
unexpected questions. Most important of
| these we're an nsistance that the Spanish
troops should retain their arms when
they returned to Spain. There was en-
tire willingness on the part f'Gen. Toral
to turn over tho arms to Gen. Shafter at
the time of tho surrender but with this
was to be the understanding that the
| arms were to be returned to the Spanish
troops when Spanish soil was reached.
This was "A condition which had not been
anticipated. The authorities here lid not
regard it as serious or al likely to over
come fnal settlement as 1t Was attri-
butcd to the Spanish sensitlvoness against
the humiliation involved in the laying
down OF their arms. At the same time it
was a point on which neither side APP
peared to be ready to yield One OF ihe
dcgpa tches from the front after specify
ing that this difference had arisen, added
that It was believed a settlement would
be reached before the day closed.
Gen. Shefter himself summed up the
situation By saying 1t cannot be possible
that there will be failure in completing
arrangements. No question whatever has
leen raised as to the surrender itself. Not
only has Gen. Toral agreed to 1t, but this
agreement has been ratified by Ger.
Blanco at Havana and by the Spanish au-
thorlties at Madrid.
Gen. Greeley received another despatch
at p. m. containing information that
Col. Allen had added the shore end of the
signal corps ca BILE at Playa from the cable
steamer Adria. Col. Allen was not allow
ed to land at Playa on account of the
Adria coming UP from an infected district.
All were well on board but no one was
allowed on shore. Col Allen returns this
evening to BaiQuiri to repair the French
cable at that point and establish regular
communication between Playa and San
tiago, so that the army Will be In te,e
graphic communication with Washington
as soon as the city is surrendered.
The nerplcxing problem now to be solv-
ed is how to carry out the pledge made
~ Gen. Shafter to remove to Spain the
Spanish soldiers who surrendered. II
would have been no easy undertaking "a
remove 10000 men across the Atlantic I'M
der the best conditions but the reports
that indicated the existence of yellow fe-
yer among the Spaniards threatened all
kinds of difficulties.
After all II was decided to be oilv a
matter of money and If the price Offered
Is large enough steamship lines can
dountlcss be found to Undertake the trans
portation.
At the best several weeks probably viii
be required to remove the Spaniards sc
that it will he necessary to maintain a
considerable portion of the American ar
my in the neighborhood for some time
Still heinz under no care to protect them
selves against the foe the American troop:
can be so disposed as to make themselves
very comfortable in comparison with
what they have undergone, and by remov
ing them to the hills just in the rear OF
Santiago II is believed that the danger OF
, an extension OF the yellow fever will b
, reduced SO far that 1t will no longer b'
the cause for grave apprehension. The
, surgeons reports describe the disease a:
of a mild type. and IT is said that thi:
will readily yield to change of location
to higher and cooler ground.