The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-01-03
MATTER TAKEN UP AGAIN
THE PRESIDENT CONFERS WITH
THE CAPTAINS.
THEY FAVOR LONGS METHOD Of REWARD
This is the Conferring of Medals Carrying With
it Percentage of Increase of Pay
in Lieu of Advancement
in Rank,

Washington, Jan. 2.-The President
has again taken UP the question of re-
warding the naval officers Who partici-
pated in the destruction of. Ceryera $
fleet off Santiago. and his final conclu
sions will be embodied shortly in re-
concentrations to Congress, either i'll
| the form Of a renewal Of the advance
ment of Rear Admiral Sampson and the
officers under him by numbers with per-
| haps some modfication;,-th scheme
which the Senate refused to ratify last
| Spring-or according to some other
| method.
The Secretary of the Navy i'll his re-
| port recommended as am alternative
| proposition legislation ON the line OF the
| bill introduced last spring which pro-
| vides for three classes of medalS-One
for conspicuous con1uct in war; one
! for extraordinary heroism and one for
| general meritOrtOuS servicc-the first to
| carry With it Il percentage of increase of
| pay, based upon the rank of the recipient
| and calculated to take the place of the
| increase which would be the result or
| promotion were that the form of re-
ward given.
Either method would Contemplate II
addition the thanks of Congress Ia the
| Commander-in-C Chief of the North Allan
tic Squadron and the officers and men
under his command as they were given
to the Commander-in-Chief of the
| Asiatic Squadron and the officers and
men under his command. There also
| has been Il suggestion for the creation
If ha IL Of 4 Il : i,o
| benefit of Rear Admirals Sampson ana
! Schley. As result of the Sampson
! Sthley controversy the reward of all the
subordinate officers in the North At
! lantic Squadron has been blocked UP 10
this time, and it is the urgent desire
of both the President and Secretary
Long that justice be done them. and
! that they obtain the rewards which they
| have earned.
Preliminary to decision upon his
course Of action, the President and Sec
retary Long today had a consultation
with eight of the Santiago captains at
! the White House. The naval officers
present were Chadwick, of the New
York; Cook, of the Brooklyn; Clark. of
the Oregon; Philip NOV Rear Admiral),
of the Texas: Evans, of the Iowa: Hig-
|
achusettS; Folger, of the New Orleans,
and Lieutenant Commander Vain
wright. of the Gloucester. Rear Admit
raj Sampson was not present. These
| commanding officers were especially in
vited by the President, who desired to
hear from their own lips the story of
| the battle of Santiago, the general move
ments and difficulties of the campaign.
| in Of Ia Hx-i1o Il
ron in search of Cervera's fleet and
their own ideas as to the method of
con!terring the rewards. For almost
two hours the captains talked with the
! President, who manifested keen inter-
est in their personal accounts of the
stirring events off the south coast of
Cuba Some of the controverted ques-
tons were gone into at length. The con
sensus of opinion of the naval officers,
as developed at the conference. seemed
to favor the methcd of reward recon-
mended by Secretary Long-the conferr-
ing of medals would carry with them
percentage of increase of pay in lieu
of advancement by numbers. This
would compensate for actual promotion
by giving increased pay and by giving
to the recipients distinction which would
mark them for future service. At the
same time in some cases it would work
hardship; as, for instance in the case of
! Captain Clark Despite his heroic ser
vice in bringing the Oregon around the
horn in such marvellous style and the
gallant service of the Oregon in the
Santiago fight Captain Clark today is
| two numbers below his position at the
opening of the war. This lis due to the
advancement of the Manila captains
whose promotions were confirmed by the
Senate. Captain Clark at the confer
ence today however was willing that
Secretary Longs plan should be adopt
ed in order that justice might be done
| to the others.
The President, shortly after the re-
| converting of Congress tomorrow will
/ transmit his recommendations 1t is not
| improbable that in doing 50 he will ac-
company them by a special messa &c
| calling attention to the grave injustice
that has been done to the Commander
! in-Chief, officers and men of the North
| Atlantic Squadron in so long withhold
| ing frcm them the rewards to which
! their gallant service entities them.