The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-09-12
CRUISER TO
 GO TO CUBA The Des Moines< <Jrdered
 to Key Vest.
 V- THE sITUy4ON IS SERIOUS - Roosevelt Keeping Close Watch
 Upon Developments. Visit Of warship Not In the Interest of Either Government or the Rebels--TaIk of Military In-
 terference.

| Washington. Sept. 1.-The critical
 situation in Cuba is absorbing the att
 tention of the administration to the ex-
 clusion of all other foreign topics. as
 indicated by the activity of the officials
 of the State Navy and War departments. l The President at Oyster Bay is keep
 ing In close touch with every develop
 ment of the revolutionary movement
 in Cuba and is in constant communica-
 tion by wire with the officials here who
 indeed are even in receipt of detailed
 instructions from him as to what they
 shall do.
 The prime object of the administra- | tion at present is to get at the facts
 which is no easy task. in view or the | mass of indefinite statements that | emanate from various quarters. Part | iculariy is it desired to know the pre-
 else strength of the revolutionary sem timent in Cuba and the relative powers
 of the government and the insurgents there.
 MT Morgan, American Minister to | Havana, is understood to be hasteninS | from Europe where he has been on va
 cation, to the Cuban capital, and mean
 while MT. Sleeper. the secretary of the I
 acting as Charge, is supplying the
 state department with daily bulletin containing such facts as he is able to rather. It is realized. however, that
 MT. Sleeper Is bound to accept the of- fieia1 rendition of the daily collisions
 between President Palma's troops and 1 the insurgents in the field He has no means of securing the rebels state- ments of these same occurrences and | in the view of officials here there is | good reason to believe that the whole
 truth is not disclosed by either side
 wiIl Proceed Deliberately.
 So. as stated today. officially. 1t Is
 the purpose Of the administration to l proceed with great deliberation in deal- 1 ing with the Cuban question and 1t was
 said on the highest authority that there l would be no intervention by the United States unless the rebellion assumed ] the proportions of a general conflagra- | tion. It was further stated that there had been no application for tnterven- | ton from any authorized party which l statement answered an inquiry as to
 whether any of the foreign governments l whose citizens interests were suffer- 1 ing from the depredations of the Cuban
 insurgents had called upon the United
 States government to step in and pre- serve the peace.
 Another interesting statement from | the officials was to the effect that care | fui inquiry had satisfied the adminis- | tration that none of the American cap | italists interested in Cuban institu- tions and properties had expressed a desire for the intervention of this Government under the terms of the
 Platt amendment On the contrary, | these people seemed adverse to this action. fearing that 1t would precipi-
 tate the destruction of their property
 during the long guerilla warfare that might be expected to follow the land | ing of American troops in Cuba. They realized that even if they were paid
 for the property SO destroyed (about
 which, 1t is pointed out, there Is no
 certainty, many international lawyers | holding that Government is not re-
 sponsible for loses caused by rebels) it
 might be a matter of ten or more
 years before any adjustment could be
 had, so they prefe~i ed peace under pres ent conditions.
 The development of the day was the | admission that the American cruiser Des MoInes, which sailed yesterday, hastily. had gone southward to Key
 West. with the ultimate purpose of pro- | ceeding to Havana if developments
 within the next two days seem to war rant such action. At Key West the | Des Moines will be about eight hours run from Havana and while waiting Commander Halsey will be in close | communication with the Navy Depart
 ment prepared immediately to carry out any request from the State Depart | ment.
 VIII Not Show PartialIty. There is no intention in the move ment of the Des Moines toward par | tiality toward one side or the other in | the present conflict in Cuba. The ship
 will be at Havana to serve as an asy- | lum in case Gf need and will be at the | disnosaI of the American Charge She | is not a formidable craft, bejng only | 3.1OO tons displacement and with | main battery of six-inch guns. but for the duty intended she will be quite as 1 effective as batteship.
 If the navy is making ready in other respects for contingencies in Cuba. the | fact is carefully concealed at the de- I nartment but 1t is known that the am | hilton of the general board is to keep tbe ships in state of preparedness and | if is believed there will be no difficulty in dtspatching almost immediately from | tbe home posts any naval force that
 might be required in Cuba.
 For it's part, the army is prepared
 to answer the call though there are l absolutely no orders yet from the pres | ident or secretary of war. The individ- nal ofhcers responsible for campaign
 work are merely making ready for any emergency without specific instruc- | tions
 i Tn case the United States government finds it necessary to intervene in Cuban 1 a fairs under the provisions of the Platt amendment which gives this gov ernment power to maintain public order i the forces which would have to be used 1 for that purpose would be found in a much better state of preparation than when hostilitles began between the
 Irnited states and Spain The long
 military occupation of Cuba by the
 limited States troops afforded an op- i portunity to army officers to become i Familiar with the island and probably
 m portion of the earth Is better known to the military authorities Of the United States than the island of Cuba. In ad dition to the familiarity of the army officers with the geography and general conditions of Cuba. all of the supply denartnents are better equipped Ii fs not expected that a large force would he used in case of intervention. af least not for some time. and not until demonstration of the need of large | force All supply departments of the army have on hand all that Is neces-