Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1899-09-17

At the same time, while honoring this noble and unsefish sentiment, let us hope that the Dewey" will be the name of one of the new American war ships now on the stocks, and form one of an admiral class as illustrious in American history of the future as ships like the Nelson, Howe, Rodney, Anson and Collingwood are by association in our own feet"
 Talking of the rewards open to sue eessful commander in the service of q republic, I asked Admiral Dewey what his reward would be for his naval vic tory, and added that he would certain ly have been made a peer under mon aFehy. "Yes; l suppose I would have been,2 he remarked, simply; ..but have been very amply rewarded, for see from the papers that the senate has voted me a sword of honor, though, mind you, l have not heard q word about 1t myself. And. my friends tell me. they hope to secure my promotion to the rank of rear admiral. l am only commodore now, and perhaps they will me medal, too. Besides, every one has been most kind 10 me, and you won't credit the number of Hattering little presents that l have received Here was republican simplicity with yengeauce-a sword medal and per- haps. q step of rank for winning great naval yictoryl
 Among the many little presents which the admiral showed me was a new broom decorated with the stars and stripes, and embroidered with the inscription: ''A Clean Sweepi To Ad- miral Dewey, from the Nu Club of Boston, He also brought out q hand some little carved baton and cigar case, presented to him by Aguinaldo, the in sareent leader and ally of America dur ing the war, together with d very cor dial letter which accompanied them.
 Illustrative of Admiral DeweY,s promptness and grasp of situation, minor incident may be mentioned. \ letter was received one evening from Againaldo saying that he had attempt cd to land on a certain small island in the bay, and to take possession of it, together with some Spanish prison CTS who had been left there, but had been prevented from carrying out the operation by the German man-of-war Irene, the captain of which ship ap- pears 10 have been q singulaElE indis- erect person. The admiral. European complications or no complications. very naturally resented this second infrae- ton of sea manners, and calling on hoarG the captains of the Raleigh and Boston. gave them explicit orders to proceed at once to the scene of dis pute. and 10 land troops on the island at all hazards. These instructions were literally and promptly executed. The two American war vessels cleared for action, ran up their fighting pennants and bore down in all earnestness upon the good German. The local emblem of the mailed fist" had hardly bar gained for this exceeding prompt and robust action and cleared out with more haste than deeency, some say slipping his cable in his hurry, and left AgHi- naldo and the Americans to effect the necessary capture. Judging from the general behavior of the Germans re- gently in these waters, they are perhaps a little liable to forget that though they have colossal and probably good army, their nayy is very low in the scale of sea power. Argument on land, backed by a couple of million soldiers, is liable to be effective, but a couple of million soldiers are not of the least advantage in an argument at sea.
 Admiral Dewey's firm attitude, backed up as it no doubt was by the moral support of British naval opinion on the spot, went far to clear the at mosphere and to make sufficiently ap- parent to all and sundry that be meant to take his rights as a belligerent cap able of insisting upon them, and that he would brook interference from no one. Tn the extraordinary and unwar- rantable behavior of the Germans lay the chief danger to the general peace, but German buster was met with quiet dignity by the American commander, who showed the most undaunted front and clearly declared that if the Ger mans did not as neutrals adhere to the laws of neutrality, he should fire on them. But, that, sir, would mean war with Germany" said the horror stricken German admiral. sl am per feetly aware of the fact. was the suave reply of Admiral Dewey. When the question of the bombardment of Manila was under discussion, matter which lay entirely between the belligerents. and which remained for them and them alone to decide, the German admiral was again on the point of exceeding his rights as a neutral in interfering, and with a view to ascertaining whether the British squadron would support him, he visited Sir Edward Chichester and asked what action he proposed talk ing in the event of the Americans bom- barding the town That, sir. is known only to Admiral Dewey and myself" was Sir Edwards polite but crushing reply-a reply which did more than much diplomacy toward furthering the prospects of a pan-Anglo-Saxon alli- ance. When at the end of the trou- bles the Immortalite, on her way to HongKong, steamed out of the bay, every ship in the American fleet manned her wards and oave the Rrif-