The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-08-10
Rear Admiral Sampson.

We should think that knowing
American character as he does-its in
stinctive love of fair play and it's SEN
sitiveness when it believes this has
been denied-Secretary Long would not
feel puzzled to understand why such
bitter feeling is manifested in many
quarters toward Admiral Sampson"
He may consider that this feeling has
origin in a distorted popular compre-
hension of the facts: but with that
reservation made even he must admit
that the intention behind the public at
titude with reference to this matter de-
serves the respect of every honest man.
The genesis and development of a
feeling of popular antagonism against
Sampson is long story perhaps not
worth retelling in detail; but it may
be said that at the outset Sampson
had the public confidence in the fullest
measure, and he even retained it after
his futile and seemingly extravagant
bombardments of Matanzas and San
Juan, which had the effect to make
the American navy appear ridiculous
rope. There was a feeling that but for
Dewey and Schley the waste of good
powder on uninjured Notifications
would with the occasional capture OF
blockade runners, have been the limit
of our naval achievements under the
singularly matter-o of fact and unimag-
NATIVE methods of the commander-in-
chief of the North Atlantic squadron.
That Commodore Sampson, acting rear
admiral, is all which the department
claims for him as a master of routine
and patient plodding performance of
commanded duties can readily be con-
ceded; but the fact remains that the
American people, brought up on the
glorious traditions of Decatur, Perry,
lngraham, Farragut, Cushing and Por-
ter, and stirred by the brilliant aplomb
of Dewey, expected of the commander
of their largest fleet something more i'm
portant in results than the clerical and
administrative work which it is con-
ceded he did carefully and well. This
expectation in itself may have been ex-
travagant and unfair, but it existed as
background to the operations around
Santiago.
In Commodore Schley the public, af-
ter its disappointment in Sampson
recognized the elements of a popular
hero. We have not seen it stated that
Schley lacked knowledge of seaman
ship or ability as a commander of men
on large scale of naval operations
He was SIMPSONS superior officer ere
the war began; he had commanded
fleets and done notable sea service
while SIMPSONS experience on sea
duty had been limited to the command
at brief intervals of single vessels. The
pushing of Sampson ahead of Schley
did not set we'll in the beginning, but
II was recognized as within the option
OF the navy department and complaint
did not arise in volume until Schley
having bottled Cervera up, was agair
subordinated in spite OF the fact thai
the records of the two men both before
and during the war, as we'll as the
simplest dictates of fair play, pointed
10 Schley as being the better man tc
have charge of a sea fight. 1t wa:
Schley who ran the game to cover; &c
Schley should have been given, as by
poetic Justice subsequently was giver
In spite of SIMPSONS industrious eff.
fort to appropriate the credit, the op.
poytunity to bag that game. Even aftel