The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-07-04

prepared in the office of the adjutaEt
general Of the army shows that with
the departure of the Pennsylvania from
San Francisco, about $500 reinforce
ments were dispatched to the Philip
pines this week. There are about 1900
recruits at San Francisco which are
also intended to recruit the regular
regiments in the Philippines VI - their
maximum strength of 1913 men to a
company. Including the Nineteenth in
fantry, under orders for Manila, and
troops for San Francisco, there are
1000 ready to start to Manila as soon
as transportation ear be provided. The
war department is awaiting advices
from General Otis before proceeding
actively to the Enlistment of volunteers
under the recent decision of h ad-
ministration to organize nine regiments
of three brigades each, including the
three skeleton regiments in the Philip
pines, amounting in all, to about 10, 900
volunteers.
CABINET DISCUSSES SITUATION
IN PHILIPPINES.
The situation in the Philippines was
discussed at the cabinet meeting today
and general satisfaction was express
ed in the administrations plans for the
reinforcement of General Otis, who
contemplates the re-opening of active
operations on a larger scale when the
rainy season closes, September 18th.
Secretary Alger reported that enlist
mentS were coming up to expectations.
With a view to differing the regiments
raised under the volunteer provisions
of the army bill, the records of the Of
ficerS of he volunteer organizations
which saw service in Cuba and Porto
Rico and which are now serving in the
Philippines are being carefully exam
ined in order that recognition may be
given to such OF them as may desire
to re-enter or continue in the service,
according to their ability and merit.
Some of the meritOrious non-cOmmis-
stoned officers may also be recognized
and state lines are to be ignored. Some
regular officers are also to be commits
as volunteer officers.
Secretary Gage expressed the opin-
ion to his colleagues that the deficit for
the fiscal year would fall below $50, 000,-
900.
A RUSH FOR ARMY COMMISSIONS.
Since the announcement that about
$1,000 volunteers were ito be mustered
into the army for service in the Philip
pines, the president had been deluged
with applications for commissions. Al
most every congressional caller has one
or more applicants whom he presses
upon the presidents attention. The
president requests all his visitors to
file their application with Adjutant
General Corbin. At the same time he
makes it clear in a general way that
the policy of the administration in
granting commissions will be to give
preference to officers who
showed ability and who performed val
liable service during the Spanish war.
Some regular officers are also to be Civ
en- volunteer commissions in the belief
that one or two regular officers in a
regiment will be of great advantage.
The number of officers to be commits
stoned is being carefully guarded to
prevent a scramble.
YELLOW FEVER AT. SANTIAGO.
A report summarizing the yellow fe-
yer situation in Santiago up to the 26th
instant, has been received by the sur
geon general of the marine hospital SER
vice. 1t states that up to that time
during the present season there a
been thirty-fve cases and eleven deaths.
all of which, except four, were among
American soldiers.
GENERAL LEE CONGRATULATED.
Havana, June 3O.-The local papers
devote considerable space to the recent
troubles at G~uanajay, deplore tine &C.
ton of a few unprinciple / men and con-
graduate General FitZhugh Lee upon
the prompt measures he has taken to
put a stop to them.
According to The Diario de Ia Marina,
ali Matanzas, which hitherto has been
considered immune against crimes,
highway robbery and violence have
broken loose. Two armed Cubans have
help up village of Bachicha and
robbed the principal store after killing
the proprietor. The police killed a
man, bound and unarmed, at Cabezas,
claiming that he tried to escape, and
two Spaniards have been set upon and
killed by a body of Cubans at the Pre-
sio plantation, near Cardenas.
OWNS to the expressed opinion OF
Brigadier General james H. Wilson.
governor of the consolidated depart
ments of MatanZaS n Santa CARA,
that rural police are not wanted, trouble
is expected in the Dvlnce OF Matan-
ZaS for some time.
NO YELLOW FEVER IN HAVANA.
General Ludlow, military governor Of
Havana, in the course or an oIlcla.
communication to Governor General
Brooke. complains of statements occa-
sionally printed in American neWSpa-
pers regarding the existence OF yellow
fever here, which tnat the
authorities have reasons of their own
for c~oncealing the actual facts OF the
case. The particular statements 10
which he refers appeared ten days or
so ago, one of which asserted that per
sons who had just returned from Ha-
vana declared that there was more
yellow fever in Cuba than 1t was the
policy of the administration TO allow
the public to know of, n n other
that, notwithstanding the den1alS OF
American authorities in Havana, there
were fifteen cases of yellow fever mere
on June End. Both statements, Gen-
eral Ludlow says, are entirely without
foundation. Extreme care is taken TO
procure reports regarding all cases
known or suspected. Every case Is
watched with the utmost care by from
three to five physicians, and there is
absolutely no grounds for believing, he
declares, that he is not in possession
of every individual act relating ito con.
tagious or infectious diseases in the
city of Havan
There is not an atom of truth in
these statements" continues the LEI.
ter, 'and concealment would be as
= ~ ~f~,s~ THMUH.