The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-08-15
NEAR TO a BLUNDER.
How Cleveland Was Saved Humil-
iati0n.

NEW YORK, July 29.-The Recorder
prints the following special dispatch
from Washington: In the history OIL
foreign relations during the Cleveland
administration there i an incident III
which the Administration has come
out with marked credit
That il the incident in which Adj
miraI Benham figured when he up
held American interests IN the harOor
of Rio JaneirO, and by firing two shots
across the bow of Admiral Da Gamas
insurgent cruiser, gave the lnsurgent
leader to understand that he could not
with impunity interfere with Amerl-
can vessel carrying American goods.
Benham's spirited action thrilled the
land, and a few days after the event
the country was gratitied by the an
nouncement that the Secretary OF the
Navy had sent a dispatch TO the brave
Admiral indOrsing, in the name
of the United States Govern
unent. his act in protecting American
interests, and informing him that the
future was intrusted to his discretion.
1t was given out from sources close
to the Administration that not only
was the action Endorsed, but that 1t
had been taken in pursuance OF IN
structions from the Navy Department
at the time he was ordered to Brazil
ian waters.
This version of affairs does not run
with the facts that can now be pub
Iished for the first time. The approval
eabled by Secretary Herbert was an
afterthought. The dispatch from Adj
miral Benham giving his account OF
the episode was received at the Navy
Department on the night of February
29th by Secretary Herbert, who took
il at once to the White House, where
he and the President went over the
situation together.
What happened in that conference
nobody knows, but it is certain that
the President disapproved the course
of the American Admiral and that at
his suggestion the Secretary prepared
an elaborate dispatch calling Benham
TO account for his "precipitate action"
informing him that by his course he
might have seriously compromised the
United States and expressing regret
for the occurrence.
The dispatch concluded with an Or
der for Benham to turn over the COM
mand of the fleet and return to Wash
ingtOn.
The length of the dispatch saved the
Administration from perpetrating a
bIunder. 1t took a long time to pre-
pare it and then it was given over to
translators III the Navy Department
to be put ia cipher. They set to work
at il on Tuesday, the 30th, but on
Tuesday morning the news oil Admiral
Benham's action became public
1t sent thrill through the country.
Congress was in session AMI dispatches
began to pour in, heartily praising
Admiral Benham. The press of the |!
country was unanimous in adulation.
When the Secretary of the Navy |
read the newspapers the next morn |
ing, he realized that he was on the |
point of reproving an officer who had
performed the most popular act of the
Cleveland administration. He rushed
TO the Department., where the trans
lators were still at work, and called
for the dispatch. There was another
consultation with the President, and
the following day another dispatch
was framed indorsing the course of
Admiral Benham, and this was sent.
The original dispatch was torn up by
Secretary Herbert, and the record of
the Administration saved.