Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-09-19
DEWEY and D|[D[R|CH%
American Admiral Gives the Cor.
rect Version Of His Tilt With
the German.
understanding Was Caused En-.
tirely by the Germans Ignor.
ance Of Naval Etiquette
Incident Of the Banquet Given by.
Prince Henry at Hong Kong
Related.

Related.
Nice, Aug. 10. = (stickney's Core
spondence Chicago Record. Probably
no other incident connected with Adj
miral Dewey's campaign in the Philips
pines has greater amount of interest
for Americans than has the manner in
which he dealt with Vice Admiral Won
Diederichs of the German navy. Hear
say tales have been published without
number, but they have all lacked some
of the important facts while many OF
them have been concocted with little
reference to the truth. In order that the
so-called German episode" may be
handed down correctly to the historian
of the future I present the following
sketch thereof as 1t was given to me on
the deck Of the Olympia by Admiral
Dewey himself. Speaking OF an enter
prising biographer who had written
condensed life of the admiral the lat
ter said:
I received biography Of myself
yesterday from a publisher in the
United States who wished to know
whether he had got the facts about my
life correctly. couldn't afford to let it
go in the way it was written when re-
ceived 1t. 1t misrepresented many in
cidents-particularly, for instance, my
experience with the Germans in Manila
bay. You We're there and know all
about what happened before the eyes of
I of,,to inf TIT
blockade of Manila and had to know, OF
course, the character and identity of
every vessel that entered the bay. The
fact that ship flew the German flag
was no proof that she was really a Ger
man. Consequently when any craft
came into the bay or moved about in it
1T was not only my right but my duty
ito learn beyond question whether she
really was what she appeared to be. In
carrying out my orders my command
ing officers acted discreetly and tactful-
ly. giving no offense to the naval repre-
sentatiyes of any power except Ger
many. l do not know why Vice Adj
miral Won Diederichs should have felt
aggrieved. | always attributed his pro-
test to a lack of knowledge of interna-
tional law. This view is borne out by
not only the circumstances Of the case,
but by his note to me- written after
having received the letter in which 1
defined my attitude toward the war
ships of other nations, as he Informed
me that he should lay my letter before
the commanding officers of other squad
rons in the bay. He got small comfort
| from any of them.
Capt. Chichester, the senior officer
present of the British navy, told him
that was not only acting within my
rights, but that was entitled to great
| deal more than I had required from the
foreign cruisers. AS Won Diederichs
| seemed incredulous Chichester showed
him the orders he had received from the
British government, in which he was
specifically notified that he was to as
sumo no rights of entrance to ports un-
| der our blockade unless should be will
ing to grant them. Won Diederichs
wanted to take a copy of Chichester's
but the captain told him
he had let him see them for his personal
| information only, and that he would
not allow them to be copied.
"Admiral, in the story about the Won
Diederichs affair that I wrote for Har-
pers Monthly last February ! gave a
hearsay account, told me by one who,
/ believed, was In position to know the
1 exact facts. 1 have learned since that
there were sore inaccuracies in that
story. Are you willing to let me pub
lish the correct version?'
You We're mistaken, replied the adj
tmiral, "in saying that 1 sent Brumby
to convey my message. Admiral Won
/ Dlederichs sent his flag lieutenant to ms
with a list of complaints that he wished
to make against the way ] treated the
ships under his command. They had
4 exhausted my patience. I had been for
bearing in the extreme. and this protest
or complaint was too much. The Ger
man officer who brought the message
was on the after deck, and when I ha6
read 1t | stepped to the door of my
cabin. He came part way to meet me
and stood In the doorway. AS nearly
as l can remember my exact words
were:
What Is it you want? Do you wan
war? You know what that means. /
you do. you can have it in five minutes
we are peaceable people, but we hav
1 got into fight now and we are ready t,
go on. IL necessary we are ready t
!. -
4 Won Diedrichs that am blockading thi
i bay, and that shall take such steps a
i are the right and the duty of the block
aiding officer.
There has been also" continued tn
4 admiral, "a good deal of sensationa
4 talk about the banquet given by Prime
J. Henry of Prussia in Shanghai 1t ha
been reported that left the table be
cause no toast was offered the presiden
of the United States and that Prime
Henry was obliged to send me writ
ten apology. After the toast to the EN-
peror of Germay-which. of course, too
precedence Of all other toasts-th
health of the czar of Russia was pro
posed by Prince Henry. Now. the Rus
sian navy was represented at the ban
quet by two captains only. AS was
commodore. commanding the Asiati
station, outranked these Russian Off
GERS, and the chief magistrate of m
country should have been toasted befor
their emperor. The president of tn
United States was toasted, and also tn
emperor of China, although there wer