The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-15
A Great and Disgraccful Wrong.

Santiago. so brilliantly complete and
rapid was the victory and SO far-reach-
ing In It's effects, for it fastened greatly
Santiago Clty's surrender to the army
that the Administration, putting aside
all cause for fault-tlnding, determined to
make the occasion one purely Of praise and
reward. 1t selected the members OF tho
navy whose good parts and good fortune
had made them specially deserving OF con-
gideration, and commended them to the
Senate for promotion.
Strange and repulsive as II was, political
craftsmanship regularly opposed to the Re
publican party, aided by the anti-Adminis-
tration faction Of Republicanism, In its
search for opportunities to obstruct or
confound the Administration thought it
cav In this promotion list the opportunity
desired. A Populist Senator began the ef-
fort to exalt SCHLEY over SAMPSON, and then
there began an attack upon the Administra-
ton and upon Admiral SAMPSON which, for
recklessness and meanness OF denuncia-
ton and for perversion and even suppress
sion OF the controlling facts, both on the
part OF the newspapers engaged and on the
part Of Admiral SCHLEY himself has not
been equalled In any public controversy
within our memory.
The battle in the Senate brought out
from the Secretary of the Navy a clear
and conclusive statement OF the reasons
why the highest honors OF the naval cam
, paign had been awarded to SAMPSON and
. why they had not been awarded to SCHLEY.
In this Secretary LONG laid bare for SCHLEY
areoord OF egregious incompetence, as fleet
commander, adopting and putting oppo-
Ii, a
"reprehensible conduct" by his superior
ScHLEY's reply to the Senate instead of
being a demand for a Court OF Inquiry,
tribunal that any officer capable of feel
Ing the smart OF censure and sure OF it's
being unmerited would have called for, was
fimsy, sentimental, and evasive, but cum
ming apology, which Secretary Long in
his second communication to the Senate
proved by the official records to be marked
with pivotal misstatements. Capt. SIGS-
BEE was compelled to add testimony to the
came effect. Then the Schley press grew
venomous.
Recital Of the facts left them with mis-
representation as tho sole wea pom for carry
Ing on their campaign, and they welded it
with fury. They denounced the President
and Secretary Of the Navy for systematic
persecution" OF their adopted favorite.
They accused SAMPSON OF "trumping up
the complaint OF reprehensible conduct made
against ScHLEY, and, inspired by SCHLEY's
own misleading use OF letter to himself
from SAMPSON. they charged SAMPSON with
actually "suppressng" from his official
report this letter, alleged to be vital. but alb
eolutely without pertinence. And neither
record nor reason, nor tho authoritative
protest of Capt. MAHAN, could stay the mad
rush Of Islander on the one hand and of false
glorifcation on the other
Finally proof came to The SuN that in
telling the Senate that the need to avoid
blanketing the American fire had caused
the Brooklyn's peculiar loop at Santiago,
ScHLEY said the thing that was not so.
This loop, purely negative in result a
mere avoidance of an alleged danger that
there could have been no possible excuse for
mourning at all, SCHLEY coolly described as
the "crucial and deciding feature of that
combat" He might as well have claimed
the victory as his because he hadn't turned
his guns on our feet point blank. The Sun
reported the incident through this form Of
colloquy between SCHLEY and HODGsON:
"scHLEr-Put your helm hard a port
"HoDosoS-You mean starboard?
"scHLEr-So don't. We are ncaR enough to them
uhe spapiards) already.
"HoDosoS-But we'll cut down the Texas.
"ooHIr-Let the TeIas look out Tor herself"
II true, this stamped as a falsehood
EcLHEY's blankcting story, through which
no rdlculously sought glory for simple
non-interference with our fire. 1t showed
that SCHLEY had turned to avoid getting
nearer the Spaniards and that he had SO
turned in direct conflict with the navigat-
ing officers Judgment and against the
warning that collision with another
American ship, tho Texas, was likely.
ScHLEY knew that the exposure of HIM
self as person ready to prevaricate would
open the eyes OF the public to the propricty
Of the Navy Departments criticisms and
to the hollowness OF his own defence. SO
at last, after some months of deIiberaton,
not venturng himself to deny THE suns
statement, he wrote to HoDGsoN and asked
for denial. not denying the thing himself,
but merely saying that he did not recol-
lect the circumstance. HoDGsoN, having
no bubble in his mind. replied that the
thing, being substantially true could not
well DO denied. or to that effect. as shown
by his onhcial report to Capt. CHADWICK.
Again ScHLEY started worming along the
same path. Having before him HoDGsoNs
assertion that it had occurred, he saw that
his only chance Of getting what he wanted
lay in raising in HoDGsoNs mind fear lest
he had exceeded the limits Of discipline.
6oHLEY undertook to persuade HoDGsoN
that the conversation as it appeared put
him at fault as subordinate. On its face,
OF course, 1t did nothing Of the kind, but in
making him think that it possibly might 80
do 6oHLRY saw his only chance
There is much in your letter." wrote
BCHLEY to HoDGsoS-we quote again from
HoDasoN's report to CHADWICK which l
would not like to use, as it would provoke
assault upon You, which | would not ike to
happen" For HoDGsoS's sake, not for
HCHbEY-s. the Admiral advised his friend
to write him another letter. or course,
the latter desred waa To ba shorter and