The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-11-24

mated cowardicc on Sampson part.
Was it Sehiry's friends who dictated
the h,mbastic dispatch of the victory
that has so disyusted the American
people?
Was it Schley's friends who COM
pel!ed Sampson to leave out OF his of1i-
cial report any mention 10y name OF the
man who, spattered with the life blood
of the killed on the Brooklyn, coolly
directed the fight and the long chase?
Is it Schley's friends who furnish
the partisan and alleged facts for the
weekly, bitter. vicious and disreputablc
attacks by a New York paper on
Schley. or is it Schley's friends who
keep Secretary Long from throttling
the controversy by preventing the
burcau-favored captains from carrying
out their vindictive fight?
Is it Schley's friends who keep in the
background the names Of the heroes
among the captains in that fight
Cook, of the Brooklyn; Clark, of the
Oregon, and Wainwright, of the Glou-
cestcr-and make prominent the only
captain whose ship was hanging ten
miles astern and the 'o.her one with Il
warlike cognomen, who was the only
captain to seek protection in his coming
tower during the fight?
Was it Schley's friends who induced
a former Lieutenant Governor of this
State in a speech laudatory Of Sampson
to mortify and embarrass that officer
who was present, 10y an elaborate de
fensc of his part in the battle of July 5?
FROM PERSONAL. KNOWLEDGE.
I have tabulated these questions,
upon my own knowledge Of affairs off
the southern coast of Cuba. For five
months | was on the Brooklyn and
taking part in five bomhardments and
the battle Of Jnly ), us traiued ob-
server, without fear of the charge Of
egotism, assert that the Secretary of
the Navy shows at the least 4 lament
able iyno:auc. in his staten mt of at
fairs. H. asserts that Admiral Schley
should have found out much sooner
than he did that the Spanish fleet was
not at Cienfuegos, and says that he
made no attempt to do SO until Com
mander McCalla arrived. The facts
are, although McCllla met Schley en-
route to Cicnfuegos, he forgot to notify
him Of signals which the insurgents
had for desiring communication, and it
was not until two days later when he
returned that we discovered that at
lempts were being made to signal US,
and then Schley sent McCalla to get
the insurgents ammunition. Schley ar
rived at Cienfuegos Oh May ., and on
May 24-two days latcr-found def
nitely that the Spanish fleet was not at
Cienfuegos. Per contra, Sampson ar
rived at Santiago Oh June !. but it
was not until June IL that Lieutenant
Blue, at the urgent request of the de-
partment, obtained definite information
that Cervera's s feet was in the harbor.
The coaling expedition is referred to.
Schley had with his tieet the broken
down and disgraceful purchase, the
collier Merrimac. Scllley notified the
department that unless the weather
abated he could not coal at sea and
would have TO return to Key West, a
squadron without coal being OF little
value in Il yht with fast vessels The
weather abatcd and he coaled at sea,
an example not followed by Sampson,
who at critical times sent his ships
forty miles away to coal. On page ia
Of the navy report Captain Sigsbee, of
the St. Paul, relating to difficulty of
coallng at sea, says: Just before leav
ing May 80 told Commodore Schley
that the weather then prevailing was
far more favorable than any | had Oh
served in eight days cruise off that
coast. * Coaling at sea off Sant-
ago will be very difficult most of the
time"
One month later, on June 2G (p. SOP,
naval reports), Admiral Sampson
cablcd the department: 'In smooth
water; ships can coal off Santiago with
some difficulty" Was Simpsons diff:
liculty any greater than Schley'>?
y POLITICAL MOVEMENT
or the battle Of July 3 it is hardly
necessary to speak, the American pub
lie having fully placed the honor where
it lclongs. Suffice to say that the
foolish argument that the battle was
fought under Sampson 5 plan is not
t'llahle. If it is, then Admiral Dewey
lad nothing whatever to do with the
fight OF Manila Bay. The order to
Dewey was: "You will find the Span
isIl fleet and destroy it," The order OF
Sampson to his squadron was: You
will close in on the entranc. and sink
them Both orders were carried out,
one by Dewey and the thcr Ivy Schley,
but If those giving the directions are
responsible for the victory, then
Crowninslield, Ma!lan and company
must take the credit from Dewey and
Sampson that from Schlcv.
The criticism Of DcrS ,na | iilirmpnt al