Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-04-24
Objects to the Language Used by
Capt. Coghlan in New York.
SECRETARY BAYS VIEW OF THE Case
Left for the Navy Department 10
Settle.
TALK OF PUNISH MENT

ny captain COSnldll Oh tlle IedIS-Sii az liiS
Union League Club banquet in New York
| last Friday night.
| The protest was lodged with Secretary
| Hay through the German ambassador.
Secretary Hay replied that the language
| appeared to have been used at a dinner
in private club, and so could not be re-
garded as an official or public utterance in
| the sense that would warrant the State
Department in acting. However, the Navy
Department. he said, was fully competent
to take such action as the case seemed 70
require. With this statement the ambas-
sador was content, for the time at least,
and will doubtless await reasonable
length of time upon the Navy Department.
The Case of Capt. Conchas.
1t is said that Captain Coghlan's case is
not similar to that of the Spanish Captain
Conchas, whose utterances in Madrid just
before the war in severe criticism of the
United States caused the State Depart
ment to lodge a formal protest through
United States Minister Hannis Taylor
Captain Conchas' utterances We're en-
bodied in a lecture delivered before the
Spanish Geographical Society, and We're
certainly pub ic in the full sense of the
term. Secretary Hay, in his reply to the
German ambassador, has undoubtedly taken
note of the difference between the cases on
this particular point, and ii may be a very
important difference for Captain Coghlan.
The State Departments position is that a
club is simply the home of a number of
gentlemen, and so cannot be considered a
public affair.
But this view does not relieve Captain
Cogh.an from responsibility to his brother
officers for conduct which is alleged to be
detrimental to the navy. Though relieved
from accountability to the State Depart
ment directly by Secretary Hays attitude
the NaNV l)eDaTt < Ea Secretary n aC
Indicated, must deal with the case Can
tam CoShlan can be called to account on
several charges, always presuming that he
mas been correctly reported and that he ad-
mlts the utterances. AS in Admiral Meade's
case II ne stands mute and the newspaper
men ana club men refuse to testify the
Navy department can proceed no further.
The Probable Charges.
The charges which would most probably
be brought against Capt. Coghlan, in case
the affair progresses to a court-rnartial
would be conduct to the prejudice of good
order and discipline, and conduct unbecom-
ing an officer ard a gentleman. These are
what are known as ''drag-net" charges
covering almost every kind of offense IL
may be noted that in case of court-martial
the difficulty in which Capt. Coghlan was
formerly involved with the department
would be taken into account by the court
in arriving al conclusion.
No Explanation.
So far no explanation has been received
at the Navy Department from the officer
but this is not matter of surprise in view
of the fact that the Secretarys letter call
ing for an explanation did not go out from
the department until Saturday evening. 1t
Is expected, in view of the interest that has
been excited, that the officer viii proceed
with dellberation in making any statement
he may care to submit to the department.
Meanwhile ali sorts of unpleasant Sugges-
tionS are arising as to the enIbarraSSments
that may follow the execution of the round
OF receptions already planned for the Ra-
leigh.
Regarded Second Offense.
The German ambassador appeared at the
State Department at today for the
purpose of making further representations
to Secretary Hay touching the conduct of
Capt Coghan. The original protest was
conveyed Saturday night and referred to
his address at the Union League Club Fri
day night, SO that the utteranceS Of Capt.
Coghlan at the Army and Navy Club Sat
urday night, published in yesterday
mornings papers, were regarded as an ad-
ditonal offense. 1t was suspected that the
German government was not satisfied with
the position taken by the State Department
in this matter and expected more drastic
measures to be taken. Really what oc-
Cured was that an effort was made to
ascertain whether the United States gov
ernment intended to do anything officially,
in view of subsequent developments in the
case.
A Matter for Naval Discipline.
Secretary Hay has not changed his posi-
ton in any degree. He deprecates the bad
taste and the lack of tact shown by Capt.
Coghlan and he did not hesitate to let that
be known to the German ambassador But
he still held that the case was one that
h,r r,ent of ma val
discipline only, and with which the State
Department could not concern itself.
The German amoa ssador VIII communi-
cate the departments view to the foreign
office at Berlin, and 1t remains to be seen
whether or not it viii be regarded as salts
factory. The officials on both sides reaIize
that this apparently triflng episode may
grow into a very great source OF dlscord'
unless treated d!screetly and cool!y-
officials Somewhat Surprised.
1t may be noted that our officials are
somewhat surprised at the Importance at
tached to this incident by the German gov
ernment 1t is said that our own government
has ignored many utterances of German
officials of sentiments far more inimcal to
the United States than the plain tale of
CAPTAIN Coghlan was to Germany. 1t is
recalled, for instance, that Baron Thie.-
man, the German minister of finance, In
addressing the rechstag last summer, de-
clared that 1t was not worth while to con-
ceal the fact that in the war between Spain
and the United States the sympathies of
Germany We're with Spain, the weaker
power. This occasion was not only public
in the fullest sense of the term, but 1t was
also official Yet the United States gov
ernment did not cable Ambassador White
to present a protest.
Assurance Given Germany.
After the conference between Secretary
Hay and the German ambassador this noon
it was stated in an authoritative quarter
that there was no reason to view the Cogh-
Ian affair in too serious light or as pre-
senting grave international complications
The meeting today, it was stated, had been
mutually agreeable. The main feature of
the State Department conference was in
establishing the fact that Germany expects
the United States government to deal with
the Coghlan affair according to the gravity
of the offense, and that the United States
In turn gives assurance that every just ex-
pectation in this respect will be performed
Capt. Coghian to he Disciplined
1t is generally accepted in naval circles
that Capt. Coghlan is to be disciplined for