The San Francisco call., 1899-01-24

very cautiously entered upon, agreeing
that at any rate the Senate should have
the record, that it might decide for itself
as to the merits of the men SO signally
favored compared with those who had re-
ceived none Of the loaves and fishes.
Senator's Hale and Chandler, both mem
the action of the Navy Department in CIV
ing preference to the men who took upon
themselves the brunt of the battle in At
lantic waters and in preferring the man
who was in command of the fleet. They
deprecated the opening of the controversy
which Senator Chandler said might lead
to condition which might prove as un-
savory as that which the war investigat-
ing commission had developed in connec-
tion with the army beef contracts. Sena-
tor Lodge Joined in deploring this policy,
and, owing to the fact that he had been
recently in the interest of private
search and made an exhaustive investi-
cation, he was enabled to throw much
light upon the controversy in behalf of the
contention that the controversy should not
be stirred.
During the presentation of this side
much was said in upholding the claims of
Sampson in preference to those of Schley,
and the friends of the latter officer were
warned that if they insisted upon press
ing the investigation too closely, some
facts would be developed that would not
be agreeable to them.
The charge was made that Schley had
voluntarily left Santiago after reaching
the vicinity of that port and after Cervera
had entered the harbor, and also the
charge that when the Spanish fleet had
sailed out through the narrow mouth of
the channel Admiral (then Commodore
Schley had made a reverse movement
with the Brooklyn and gone in a direction
opposite to that taken by the Spanish
squadron instead of boldly attacking the
enemy in the beginning. 1t was asserted
that these facts were among those which
the archives would reveal.
The friends of Admiral Schley declared
they had nothing to fear from having all
the facts known. Explaining his start to
leave Santiago and his refusal to obey de-
partment orders before SIMPSONS arri-
val, they said that it was because he had
been unable to coal at sea. When they
were asked how it happened that he had
been able to coal thirty-stx hours after
ward, they replied that this was due to
the fact that a storm had given place to
calm
Senators Lindsay and Pettigrew, who
were not standing for either Sampson or
Schey, made the point that these devel-
opments had merely emphasized the rea-
sons why the Senate should be put into
possession of all the facts before voting.
II am not the champion of either of
these officers" said Mr.. Pettigrew land
if Schley ran away from the enemy or
showed a disposition to do so, l want to
After the decision to send for the rec
ords was arrived at. there was a general
understanding. that the whole matter
nit action by both houses upon the Ne
val Committees bill providing that these
promotions shall not interfere with the
promotion of officers otherwise entitled
to promotion
The subsequent effort of the Senate in
open session to pass this bill was the re-
suit of the agreement.
During the debate the fact was brought
out that Captain Higginson of the Mas
sachusetts had already been promoted to
fill Schley's place as commodore, and the
criticism was made that this action was ir-
regular, but Senator Hoar defended
the promotion. and called attention to. the
+l,o+ hod han nj q
precisely similar predicament when he
was made commodore to succeed Com
modore Quackenbush, who was dismissed
and afterward reinstated.