The times., 1898-07-27
WEDNESDAY, JULY p. 1895.
Sampson's Report on SehIey's Vic
tory

tory.
The report Of Commodore Sampson
on the naval engagement in which lhe
Spanish squadron under Admiral Ger
vera was destroyed Of the harbcr OF
Santiago on the third Of July instant.
together with the reports Of Commo-
dore Schley, who was present and in
command on the occasion, and OF the
captains of the Iowa and Oregon.
viii be found printed in fun in our news
columns this morning. With their ap-
pearance in type the public secures an
opportunity to form its Judgment upon
a matter which has given rise To a
great deal Of criticism and some contro-
versy. ever since the publication OF
Commodore SIMPSONS cable after the
battle. in which. constructively if not
directly. he claimed the honors Of a
success TO which. it has since been
shown conclus.vely, he did not contrib
ute IN any active sense
His message. offering the American
people a Fourth Of July present in
behalf Of THE fleet under my com
mand" in which he carefully omitted
even a remote mention of the hero Of
the occasion, when the truth II the af-
fair became known created a storm of
Indignation. It was sufficient to shake.
though not to destroy. the foundations
Of favaritism in the Navy Department.
upon which Sampson has stood impreg-
nable from the time when he. a captain.
was arbitrarily constituted an acting
rear admiral. and placed in command
over officers his supsriors in rank. serv-
ice. and merit.
Friends and apologists have vehe-
mently asserted that, when his official
report should appear it would give
proper credit and full justice to the
gallant officer who commanded
throughout the battle. and who was
only superseded when receiving the sur
render Of the last Of the Spanish ships.
The iong-expected document i- before
us. and there is no difficulty in deciding
from its text whether this due need Of
praise TO the victor has been accorded.
or otherwise
There arr few people. indeed. outside Of
a small professional clique responsible
for the obnoxious favoritism which has
been shown To Sampson and for a dis
graceful inclination TO disparage Com
modore schley, who viii read the for
mer's report without a feeling of
amazement that any man could be
found with effrontery sufficient to Jug
gle with history, truth, and the coun-
try as Sampson does. Those who have
been charitably inclined toward him.
and have held that the selfish and men
dacious egotism with which his first
announcement Of the fight fairly br,s-
tied. was a mistake due to the exc -te-
ment Of the hour, and would be honor
ably atoned for later. will be disap-
pointed and panied. All others viii be
merely astonished at the monumental
ImpUdence Of the most remarkable con-
tribuiion TO the literature Of war since
the first publication Of Caesars Com
mentaries. It is not necessary to b. Sc
we're in reviewing Sampson. No indict
ment could be framed that would re-
cite the story Of his unworthy course as
pointedly or relentlessly as he tells it
himself and, in the telling, compels de-
ductions and conclusions vastly differ
ent 10 those he aims 10 establish. With
unconscious yet fine irony, he signs the
paper, wv. T. Sampson. Rear Admiral.
Z. S. Navy" a rank which he never
held, does not now, and. if there is the
least surviving sense Of justice in the
Congress Of the United States. never
VIII hold. He is the junior commodo re
Of the service, recently promoted in
virtue Of seniority, from a captains
berth. BY the grace Of certain infiu-