The Bourbon news., 1899-02-28
DEWEY WANTS THE OREGON.
The Admiral May Want the Big War Ship
for the Moral Effect 1t Will Have
on the FuipinOs.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25.-Secretary
Long took to the cabinet meeting Fri
day morning two cipher cablegrams
from Adm. Dewey, dated Friday morn
ing. The following are translations:
''MANILA, Feb. 24.-Secretary of the
Navy: For political reasons, Oregon
should be sent at once.
(Signed) dewey"
''MANILA, Feb. 24.-Yorktown ar
rived. Charleston and Petrol cruising
around the Philippine islands At
fairs more quiet. DEWEY"
WASHINGTON, Feb. 25.-The cable
gram from Adm. Dewey asking for the
Oregon was received with surprise by
the officials here. No one knew, or at
least would acknowledge that he
knew, of the political reasons which
the admiral says demand the imme-
diate presence of the peerless battle
ship. The cablegram was taken to the
| cabinet board and fully discussed there.
The admiral, it is said, possibly feels
| thet the moral effect of the presence of
| the big ship upon the insurgents them
! selves, and particularly upon that large
| element among the Filipinos that IS
| believed to be restrained with diff
| Guilty from joining fortunes with Aguin-
| aldo, with whom their sympathies lie.
would be good. But there is an un-
derlying doubt whether or not the adj
miral may not be keenly sighting a
| gathering cloud in the east and is
looking to prevention of any possible
! intervention or interference by Euro
pean powers in the struggle now in
progress in the neighoOrhOod of Ma
Mia. 1t is believed that in the big
fires much property of foreign resi-
| dents and business concerns was de-
strOyed. That these fires were caused
by the insurgents can not be denied,
and it may be that some of the for
eign naval commanders in the east
are disposed to seize upon the pretext
that their interests demand protection,
| which we can not afford them. to make
a landing or do something obnoxious
to the United States and likely to en-
courage the insurgents. With such q
strong naval force as would be afford
ed by the reinforcement of Dewey's
fleet by the Oregon there could not be
any sound reason, nor even a plausible
reason for any such action on the part
of third parties.
1t is said here that up to this moment
there has been no intimatiOn of pur-
pose on the part of any foreign gov
ernment to file any claims for pecuni-
airy remuneration for the property of
their citizens destroyed in the fires
and fighting at either Manila or
IlOilO. Just what disposition would
be made of any such claims is
not indicated here, though there
is ground for the belief that if it
can be shown that our naval and mil
itary and naval officers practiced the
precautions required by international
law in the matter of giving due notice
to foreigners of any action in the way
of bombardment that might injure
their property, and otherwise did ev
erything that could be done to protect
the foreign interests equally with our
own, then there is little foundation for
a sound claim for damages.
The Oregon arrived at Honolulu op
the 5th inst. according to the tele-
graphic report that came to the navy
department Friday morning. No men
| ~f ho, hoirCr in rnoI %
repairs as is stated in the press dis
patches. 1t is not known either why
the battle ship arrived at Honolulu
week before the Scindia and the
Iris, which started out with her from
San Francisco. The two tenders we're
supposed to attend the Oregon, to help
her out with tow in case she ran
short of coal, or was otherwise n dis
tress. Probably one of the boats broke
down and the other was left to take
her in tow while the Oregon pushed on
to Honolulu.
Assuming that the battle ship really
needed ten days repairs, she should
have started away from Honolulu on
her 4OuS run W MdHI1d Oh IHG IoCH III
stant. Allowing for detention on ac-
count of coaling at Guam or some 9th
er point between Honolulu and Ma
Mia, it is estimated that the Oregon
will reach Manila about the 10th Of
March.
| SAMPS0N-SCHLEY MATTER.