Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1899-10-02
HOW DEWEY TELLS OF IT.
Won Diederichs's Ignorance Of Law
Made Him the Trouble

| The Chicago Record prints this &C
count from Joseph Stickney, Dewey s
aide at the battle CT Manila, of the
friction with Ven Diederichs; it is I'M
der date of Nice France: Probably
no other incident connected with Ad-
miral Dewey's campaign in the Philip
pines has a greater amount Ef interest
for Americans than 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 besn cOncoct8d with little
reference to the truth
In order that the so-called German
episode may be handsd down correctly
tc the historian of the future. I present
the Following sketch thereof as it was
given to me on the d5ck Of the Olym-
pa by Admiral Dewey himself:
speaking of his. experience with Vice
Admlral Von Diederichs in Manila bay
shortly after the destruction of Al
mlraI M2ntojO's fleet, Admiral Dewey
sald to me in conversation:
WAS maintaining a strict blockade
OF Manila and had to know. of course
the character and identity CT every
vessel that entered the bay. The fact
that a; ship flew the German flag was
no proof that she was really German.
consequently, when any craft came in
to the bay or moved about in it it was
not only my right, but my duty. TO
learn beyond question whether she
really was what she appeared to be.
In carrying cut my orders nv
commanding officers acted discraefIy
and tactfully, giving no offense to the.
naval representatives of anv roWen-
except Germany. 1 do not know why
Vice Admiral Won Diederichs should
have fsTt aggrieved. ] always attrib-
uted his protest to a lack of KNOWLEDGE
OF international laws This view is
borne out by not only the circum
stances 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 cther nations.
as ne informed me that he should law
my letter before the commanding Off
GERS Of ether squadrons in the bay. He
got small comfort from any of them.
Captain Chichester. the senior Off
Ger present of the British navy. told
him that l was not only acting within
my rights, but that 1 was entitled to a
great deal more than l had required
from the foreign cruisers.
Admiral Won Diedsrichs sent his
flag lieutenant to me with a list Of
that he wished to make
against the way I treated the ships I'M
der his command. They had exhaust
ed my patience. I had been forbearing
IN the extreme, and this protest, or
was toe much The Ger
MAN officer who brought the message !
was on the after deck, and when had |
read it l 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 want
var? You know what that means. IL
you do, you can have it in five min
ties. We are a psaceable people. but
we have got into a fight now and we
ire ready to go on. If necessary we
ire ready to fight the world. You may
ell Admiral Won Diedericbsi that l am
this bay and that l shall
axe such steps as are the right and
uty o. the blockading officer =
Admiral Dewey, referring to the ban
Iuet given by Prince Henry Of Prussia
t Shanghai, said the first toast, nat
rally enough, WIS in honor of En-
,erou William OF Germany. Then the
eaf5h CT the czar of Russia was pro-
osed.
''Nl-w, said Admiral Dewey, the
russian navy was represented by two
aptains only. AS was a commodore,
odutranked them, and the chief mag
strate CT my country should have been
3asted before their emperor The
resident OF the United States was
pasted later"
The admiral said ne and his officers
lei eaf5er abstained from attending
Entertainments at which Prince Henry
as present, and the latter, observing
!, came aboard the Olympia and for
rally apologized.