The Atlanta constitution., 1900-04-30
THE WAR AGAINST SCHlEY
Is BROUGHT TO A HALT


Philadelphia Times: The New York
World of yesterday created new sensa-
ton in navy circles by a revival of the
scandals arising from the Schley-Samp-
son dispute. and the statement that the
government had decided to end the bitter
personal naval feuds by abandoning the
effort to promote Sampson over Schley.
The final decision of the president and
the party despots of the naval bureau TO
abandon the effort to promote Sampson
IS credited by our New York contempo-
rary to a careful and elaborate reVie" OF
the history and records of the men VINO
have been assailng Schley. compiled by
General Agnus. of The Baltimore Ameri-
can. and giving notice that it would come
as a fatal broadside against Sampson ana
his special promoters if the effort were
renewed TO degrade Schley for the ad-
vancement of Sampson.
1t has been well known for some time
that General Agnus had fully fortihed
himself for this battle and while II IS
doubtless true, as he declares. that he has
never attempted to enforce justice 70
Schey by any threats against those In
authority, the officers who are Implicated
by the records he has compiled doubtless
well known that they cannot afford the
controversy. 1t Is known to those WHO
have inner knowledge of the machlha-
tions in the naval bureau since the begin
ming Of the Spanish war that rigld ana
scrupulouslv honest investigation OF ma
val affairs would greatly discredit rear
Admiral Sampson. and much more dis
credit Rear Admiral Crowninshield. who
is at the head of the bureau of naViSa-
tion and the chef con>pirator against
Schley.
None has questioned SIMPSONS ability
or his courage as a naval officer. ana the
ony cowardly thing that he ever dld
was giving the power of his high coih-
mand to organize the officers of ms own
fleet to deny Commodore Schley the nom
ors he Justly achieved at Santiago, ana
the honors which the country and the
word will ever accord to him without
question. II was unmanly, even coward
lv. for Acting Rear Admiral Sampson 10
claim the credit of battle that ne ala
not even witness. and in which the diS-
positions Of the fleet had TO oe made ac-
cording to the movements of the enemy
and not I'm obedience to any previous OF
ders. and in which he did not give an
order by signal to a single vesse! wheh
engaged with the enemy.
XX -,
Had Sampson accorded SChley the credit
that was due to him instead of imphedly
claiming 1t for himself, he would nave
been honored by the country ana MS pro-
motion even over Schley might nave Deen
tolerated: but the fact that he weakened
his fleet without reason on the eve OF
battle by taking one of the two swiftest
vessels away to enable him TO appear al
state at a conference with General ShaI-
ter, and the additional fact that ne hhu
ordered the Massachusetts. the twin Dat
tleship of the Oregon. away To coal some
hours before placed him In most uhlot
tunatc position TO claim any persohai
credit for the destruction of the spanish
fleet by the practically outciassed neet ne
had left to meet the enemy. Nith 'lo
Indiana far off at the start and unable 10
make any speed and with the Iowa start
ing four miles behind the Spanish Ieet'
then running twelve knots, never exceed
ing ten knots in the chase. and with the
Texas unable to cope with the spanish
vessels in speed Sampson had Ieft hiS
fleet distinctly outclassed. and the Nlcto-
ry was won under Schley's command. ana
chiefly by Schley and Clarke. with me
hearty cooperation of all the officers and
tbe galIantrv of "the men behind the
guns"
We had many instances of injustice 10
brave men during our civil war arising
from the fearful asperities which-grew UP
in a suddenly organized army where pro-
motion was rapid but in no instance mas
there ever been such an organized effort
to strip a naval hero of his laurels as that
organized in the navy department large
lv or wholly nv Crowninshield himself. TO
degrade Admiral Schlev for the single pur-
pose of stealing his laurels for sampson
who had no other claim to them than tnat
he happened to be the absent commander
of the fleet during the battle.
The battle of Santiago was the most
brilliant achievement in the history or
the naval warfare of the world. and it IS
n consuming shame 10 the nation tnat
SAMPSON and the naval bureau. whose IA
voritlsm gave Sampson the command over
his superiors alike in rank. ability and
manlness. have systematically. Vindlc-
lively and even fiendshly. pursued Schley
to crown a pet of the bureau with unearn-
ed honors. and no more contemptihie eX-
hibition of this hostility to Schley has
been seen than in ordering him to sea in
the most unfriendly climate of the world
to command a fleet consisting of n second
class cruiser and two gunboats. with no
important duty to perform and practically
filling the place of a captain.
1t is needless to say that any particular
person has forced the despotic naval bu-
reau and the administration to end the
Schley. That has never been possible
since the day the battle of Santiago was
fought The president has favored It; the
secretary of the navy has favored it; Ad-
miral Crowninshield has organized all the
puppets of the naval bureau to invent and
circulate every conceivable calumny
against Schley to aid il, but the senate.
after having been formally addressed by
Secretary Long and called out Schley's
pigeonholed defense of his campaign was
more than two to one against the promo
ton of Sampson over Schley.
The patriotic people of the country are
practically united in giving honors to the
man who fought the battle and not to
the man who failed to fight 1T and then |
Claimed the credit he did not merit ard |
il has never been possible in the past; IL |
is not possible now, and it never can be |
possible in the future, for the senate to |
confirm the promotion of Sampson over |
Schley in defiance to the overwhelming |
convictions of the American people. |
Whether the battle is ended or not the |
result is the same. There may be naval |