The evening times., 1898-12-01
THURSDAY, DECEMBER ], lssS.
Snmnson ON shafter.

The supplementary report OF Admiral
Sampson to the Secretary Of the Navy,
but clearly intended for the newspa-
pers. is in reply to the reflections on his
course contained in General Skaters
published report. The two documents
are an interesting revelation as to the
situation before and behind Santiago.
The commander Of the army, with a
block of ice on his feyerad brow, insist
"a that il was the duty of the navy 10
make an assault and clear the way for
the entrance of the army. The COM
mander Of the ships, with his feet in
tub Of hot water TO draw the bio from
his throbbing head, maintained that il
was the exclusive duty of the army to
take the place that the navy might put
prize crews on the captured shipping.
Shafter said the men in the navy were
no better than soldiers and had no more
right to escape danger. Sampson re-
piled that il was his ships he wanted TO
protect. as there was not room for
duck to swim in the bay without
springing a mine. Each wanted the
other TO assume the dangers Of an effec-
tive movement. Shafter intimated that
Sampson was oyer-timid and Sampson
suggested that Shafter had been afraid
to carry out his pledge to follow bonn
bardment by the navy with an assault.
Sampson wanted Shafter to take GER
tain points, which would have insured
the destruction of the mines and the
entrance of the American fleet" Shat
ter agreed, then didn't And so on.
What the impartial reader learns
from the controversy and from the ac-
tual history of events is that the two
commanders, both on the half-sick list,
would have continued urging each other
TO do something until Spanish re-en-
forcements enough to hold the place
reached Santiago, if the subordinate
officers of the army and the soldiers
had not gone in on their own account,
and if Toral had not been impressed by
the arrival of General Miles with re-
endorsements" When the town fell,
Sampson, always on the lookout for
personal glory. insisted that his name
should be on the articles of capitula-
tion that generations yet unborn might
know he played part in the opening
and closing event of a short but memoir
able war Shafter wouldn't have 1t.
He maintained that the navy had done
nothing Of practical value in the reduc-
tion Of the stronghold, but on the con-
trary, had distinctly refused to take
what he regarded as the small risk Of
forcing an entrance to the harbor. Also,
with an eye ever upon perquisites,
Sampson did not wait for the smoke to
clear away before he sent his repre-
sentatives to take possession of the
shipping in the harbor, which stood for
prize money. Anticipating this, Shafter
had placed army officers aboard with
instructions to throw out anybody
Sampson might send, which they did
This, more than anything else, shows
the feeling between the two command
ers. Shafter could get no prize money
from the captured ships, but he was re-
solved Sampson should not.
There is a characteristic paragraph in
SIMPSONS screed. This is where he ex-
presses his surprise and indignation a;
the extraordinary openness with which
every detail Of hope, effort or sugges-
ton on the part of the army has beer
published" He thinks 1.-The unwisdom
Of such procedure is too manifest fol
discussion" Here is the ideal bureau
official That the public should be in
formed of anything which il is possible
TO conceal, is maddenlng to him. Sc
crecy, mystery, is the first and highes
aspiration Of bureaucratic art. The
barest outlines are grudgingly given tc
the people. except when it is possible Il
advance the renown of the officials per,
sonality. He is condescending enough
20 listen TO the applause of the great