The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-09
REAR ADMIRAL CROWNINSHIELD
CLEARS UP SOME DISPUTED
SPANISH WAR HISTORY
LONG AND MKINLEY DID IT
CrOwninshieId Prepared the Order
at the DictntiOn of Secre-
tary of the Navy
Long.
ROOSEVELT WAS NOT IN IT

-
of navigation, today issued a formal
statement to the effect that he is the
author Of the famous dispatch to Admiral
Dewey ordering him to proceed from
Hong Kong to Manila and there capture
or destroy the Spanish fleet. Admiral
Crowninshield states that he wrote the
dispatch in the White house and submit
ted it to both Attorney General Griggs
and the president, and that the only
change made in the dispatch as he wrote
it was the addition of either the word
capture" or the word destroy"
The dispatch, according to Admiral
Crowninshield, then was handed to Lieut..
Whittlesley, who took it to Secretary
Long, and after the latter had signed 1t,
sent it to Admiral Dewey
In conclusion Admiral Crowninshield
says that whatever credit comes from
having given the order belongs to the
president and Secretary Long.
Secretary Long said upon this subject:
My recollection is entirely distinct
Immediately upon the declaration. 1 had
conferred with the president about an
order to Dewey to attack the Spanish
fleet at Manila.
"On Sunday morning, April "a, I went
to the White house. sat with the president
on sofa in the corridor and earnestly
advised the sending of such an order.
But for Admiral Crowninshield's state
ment, I should have said unhesitatingly
that l had with me the dispatch which
had been prepared in his bureau of nav
igation, and, that, the president approx
ing, l returned to the navy department
and sent it in to the bureau of navigation
to be put in cipher.
Il then went out to drive. AS 1 drove
out between II and y o'clock, 1 remember
of passing Admiral Crowninshield AS
to what transpired later at the White
house at the meeting which he describes.
l, of course, have no knowledge.
1T seems to me probable that the presi-
dent, after his interview with me, sent for
some members of the cabinet and Admiral
CrowninshiCld and took up the dispatch
which, acc )rdi12 to my recollection, had
already been prepared and ga ye it tlnal
consideration. Probably also there had
then come in Dewey's dispatch of the day
before advising us that he had been ORDER
ed to get away from Hong Kong"
LENTZ's CONTEST.
Alexander Mcdowell clerk OF the house
of representatives, today opened and sent
to the public printer the testimony in the
test case of John J. Lentz VS.. Emmett
Tompkins, involving the congressional
seat from the Twelfth Ohio district The
papers consisted of Lentz's charges and
the testimony taken in support of them.
and TOmpkins answer. Tompkins'
majority was only eighteen, and LentG
alleges that it was secIred by the use OF
money.
This is the last contest case to be open
ed by the clerk. There are seven Of them.
One involves the contest from the Seventh
South Carolina district over tha seat
which was accorded to DIR. Stokes, who
has since died. According to precedent
in the house the contest will be prosecut-
cases in which notice of contest was Civ
en-, the contestants failed to file their
papers
STOVES SALARY TOO SMALL.
The resignation of James G.. Stowe.
United States consul general to Cape
Town, has been received at the state
department.
The resignation was based on the utter
inadequacy of the salary of the post
The cost of living in South Africa, under
normal conditions, is exceedingly high,
and in time of war, such as prevailed for
the past two years, the $1,000 salary al
lowed by congress for the United States
consul general would not defray the cost
of maintaining family in modest circum-
stances at Cape Town.
The United States consul general is the
lowest salaried consular officer at the
Cape.
Mr. Stowe was appointed from Kansas
City, Mo. The vacancy has not yet been
filled.
PLAGUE EPIDEMIC IN CHINA
Consul Johnson, at Annoy, China. to the
secretary of state reports the appearance
of plague at that place two weeks earlier
than usual this year. His statement is
dated May IA. He says he has refused
to permit Chinese steerage passengers to
depart for Manila, and adds:
THE spread of plague during the past
ten days has been rapid and the fatalities
most appalling. 1t is Impossible to give
approximately accurate data, as no sta
tistics are kept by the officials, and no
amount of inquiry can result in accurate
figures 1t is my opinion, based upon
the most reliable data from native
sources that during the week just clos
el there were as many as 100 deaths per
day in Annoy and it's suburbs. The same
condition Of affairs exists III surrounding
cities within thirty miles of Annoy"
The representative of the Marine hos
pital service at Hongkong also reports
the earlier appearance of the disease in
that city and a more rapid spread than
usual. He says that several Europens
have been attacked.
CUBAN BO.NOS.
It was ascertained at the war depart
ment today that it is not the intention
of this government to interfere in Cuba
to the extent of preventing the payment
of Cuban bonds should the new govern
ment of Cuba determine to assume the
bonds issued by the former so-called
government and Junta. Under the Platt
amendment the amount of the indebted
ness is limited by the provision that the
new government shall not assume or con-
tract any public debt which the ordinary
revenues of the government will not pay
the interest upon and also create a sink
ing fund to pay after defraying the ex
penses of the government. Under this
clause the United States will determine
when the debt either contracted or as
sumed has reached a limit 1t is stated
that the independence of Cuba carries
with 1t the right to create obligations
and to incur Indebtedness within these
limitations.
CASH FOR SCHOOLS.
The treasury department today drew
warrants aggregating 81, 1,2OO,O or $25,OOO
each for forty-five states and two ter
ritories. being the maximum amount pro-
Vided by congress in the act of Aug. 20
1890, for the endowment and maintenance
of colleges for the benefit of agriculture
and mechanic arts. This act provided a
minimum sum of SIS, 600 for that year
with an annual increase of 81, 900 for ten
years up to $4,000. The maximum is now