The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1885-01-13
THE HAzEN CHARGES.
Secretaries Lincoln and Chandler
ON the PrOteus Expedition.

ON the PrOteus Expedition.
Secretary Lincoln has transmitted TO
Chief Signal Officer Hazen long state
mont of his reasons for declining TO act on
the charges preferred against Lieutenant
Darlington.
The Secretary reviews eleven Of tho thir-
teen specifications of General Hazen's
charges, and concludes that th ey have been
fully considered and disposed of by the
Proteus Court of Inquiry. The sixth and
seventh specifications, which in substance
charge Lieutenant Darlington with neglect
of duty, in rotreating from LittletOn
Island before the Yantic arrived with its
supplies-such neglect causing, or tending
to cause, the death of nineteen of Lieu
tenant Greely's party from starvation
are considered at length by Secretary
Lincoln, who says they involve the most
serious charge which can be brought
against Lieutenant Darlington. After
viewing the whole matter most exhaus-
lively, however, the Secretary says that q
careful re examination of all known his
tory Of the Darlington Expedition fails to
convince him that the public interests re-
quire that court-martial should DO con-
vened TO try Lieutenant Darlington on Gen
eTal Hazen's charges.
Secretary Lincoln adds that, while he
does not think Darlington free from all
blame, yet he is not solely chargeable with
the disaster to Greelys party, his in-
ing defective. After regretting that he had
not the power to stay the original expedi-
tion of 1881, and remarking that such en-
terprises are almost necessarily disastrous,
the Secretary concludes by saying that he
does not think the errors of Judgment,
which led to the browning disaster, should
be followed by punitive action.
1t is said by Lieutenant Darlington s
friends that the refusal of the Secretary of
War to order court-martial on the charges
preferred by General Hazen is q great dis
appointment to Lieutenant Darlington him
self; that, by his counsel and IN person, he
repeatedly urged the ordering of such a
court, and that he learns with great regret
of the decision Of the Secretary Of War that
the circumstances do not seem to justify it,
Appended to Secretary Lincolns state
ment are letters from Secretary Chandler,
in one of which he says that there are
certainly grounds for doubling whether
Lieutenant Darlington and Commander
Wildes performed the utmost Of their du
ty toward Lieutenant Greedy and his
comrades, but in the absence of any evil
dence that Lieutenant Darlington had re-
quested Commander Wildes to visit Lit
Teton Island again and that the latter
had refused to do so, the Department did
not feel called upon to consider the
question now raised by General Hazen.
There is also furnished to the press in
this connection the letter of Secretary
Chandler to Mr.. Lincoln, of December 10
1854, with reference to the Hazen.Wildes
controversy, in which special mention is
made of what Is well known as the memo
randum of Supplemental Instructions u
This memorandum, Mr.. Chandler states,
was rejected by General Hazen as the ba'
sis of any instructions to Lieutenant Gar
lingtoD, and it was through the disre
gard of these instructions that the expo
dition of the latter was made failure
Enclosed with this letter is also o copy
of the Secretary's letter of Commander
Wildes of the same date, severely criti
cising the latter's conduct, but exonera-
ting him from any derelictions of duty.