The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-04-25
GERMANS PROTEST
Language Used by Captain Coghlan Is
Objectionable.
HAY Is FORMALLY NOTIFIED.
lie Holds That the Navy Department
Must Take Action.
Prospects Are That the RaIeish's Captain
VIII Be Courlmarlialet.
SUBJECT NEEDS VERY DELICATE HANDLING
German. Expects Uuitcd states Cow
crpment 10 Discipline Indis-
Greet Sailor--Press Is Calm.

Washington, April 24.-The German gov
eminent has entered formal protest
against the language used by Captain
Coghlan OF the Raleigh at the Union
League club banquet in New York las.
Friday night The protest was lodged
with Secretary Hay through the German
ambassador Herr Won Hollehen
Secretary Hay replied that the language
appeared to have been used at dinner
in club and could not be regarded as an
official or public utteranoe in the sense
that 1t would warrant the state department
in acting. However. the navy department
was fully competent to take such action
as the case seemed to require. With this
statement the ambassador was content
for the time at least. and will doubtless
await reasonable length of time upon
the navy department.
There are semi official limitations that
the ambassador will not so much concern
himself with the course OF Captain Cogh-
Ian as with the course of the United States
in dealing with Coghan. The German
ambassador stated today that the psem
recited by Captain Coghlan was too nasty
to be noticed"
1t is said that Captain Coghlans case is
not similar to that OF the Spanish Captain
Conchas, whose utterance in Madrid just
before the war in severe criticism OF tho
United States caused the state department
to lodge a formal protest through United
states Minister Taylor. Captain Conchas'
utterances were embodied In a lecture de-
iivered before the Spanish Geographical!
society aud were public in the full sense
of the term.
Secretary Hay, in his reply TO the Ger
man ambassador, has undoubtedly taken
note of the difference between the cases
on this particular point, and II may be
very Important difference tor captain
Coghian The state department. position
il that club is simply the home OF the
gentleman, and so can not be consldere1
a public affair But this view does not re-
lieye Captain Coghlap from responsibility
10 his brother officers for conduct which
is alleged to be detrimental to the navy
Though relieved from accountability to the
state department directly by Secretary
Hays attitude, the navy department, az
the secretary has indicated must deal
with the case Captain Coghlan can be
called to account on several charges, pre-
sumlng that he has been correctly re-
ported and that he admits his utterances,
In Commodore Meades case, II he stands
mute and the newspaper men refuse TO
testify, the navy department can proceed
no further. The charge which would most
probably be brought against Captain
Coghlan, IN case the affair progresses to
court martial would be conduct TO the
arJo nd
conduct unbecoming an officer and gem
tleman So far no response has been re-
ceived from Captain Coghlan at the navy
department II is expected that the Of
iicer will proceed with deliberatlon IN
making any statement he may care to sub
init TO the department, Meanwhile UNI
pleasant suggestions are arising as TO the
embarrassments that may follow the e&.
ecutiun of the round of receptions already
planned for the Raleigh.
The German ambassador appeared al the
state department at neon today for the
purpose Of making further representations
10 Secretary Hay touching the conduct of
Captain Coghlan, so that the utterenees
of Captain Coghlan at the Army and Navy
club, as published In yesterday mornings
papers. were regarded as an additional
offense An effort was made 10 ascertain
whether the United States government
intended to do anything officially in view
of subsequent developments in the case,
Secretary Hay has not changed his posi-
tion in any degrer. He deprecated the
lack of tact and the bad taste shown by
Captain Coghlan and he did not hesitate
TO let that be known TO the German am
bassador; but still he held that the case
was one that required treatment by means
of naval discipline only, and one with
which the state department could not con-
Germ itself. The German ambassador viii
the departments views to
the foreign office at Berlin.
The officials on both sides realize that
this episode NAV grow into very great
source Of discord unless treated discree'ly
and coolly.
After the conference il was stated in an
authoritative quarter that there was no
reason TO view the Coghlan affair in too
serious a light or az presenting grave In
ternational complications. The meeting.
Il was stated. had been mutually agrees,
Bile, The main feature OF the state de-
partment conference was the statement
that Germany expected the United States