The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-05-09
GIN LICK IHE EARTH
Uncle George Puts Chip on
Uncle Sans Shoulder.
is LIABLE TO CENSURE
R,If Will hn of Go IIuIass For-
Rut Will be Let Go Unless For
eign Governments Kick.

1--WE can whip any nation IN the world,
and England is our best friend. "-Ad-
miral Dewey as reported at the Uni
versity club, Chicago,
"AII persons belonging to the navy de-
partment are forbidden to publish or
cause or permit to be published, directly
or indirectly, or TO communicate by in
terviews, printed letters or otherwise,
except as required by their official du-
ties, any information in regard TO the
foreign policy Of the United States
Extract from the regulations of the
United States Navy.
Washington May s-The above remark
is attributed to Admiral Dewey in
speech at the Chicago University club
yesterday. The report came as sur
prise to the president and officials of
the navy and state departments.
The utterances of the admiral were Of
sufficient Importance on account of their
international significance, and the implied
Sights to such nations as France and
Germany, to have them referred by the
president to the navy department to
determine wherein the admiral had Of
Tended.
The office Of the judge advocate gen
eral of the navy was called upon Tor an
opinion, and it was promptly discovered
that Admiral Dewey had violated Sec
ton 2S5 Of the regulations of the navy
quoted above.
The opinion of the state department
officials was that Admiral Dewey had
been very indiscreet and injudicious, but
no report to that effect has yet been
made to the president, at least not OIL
cially
The concensus of opinion at the Navy
department as that Admiral Dewey was
at LEAST subject TO a reprimand.
After talking it all over, however, the
president and his advisers came to the
conclusion that even if the admiral had
laid himself npen to official criticism it
would be bad policy for the president to
authorize an attack on political rival.
So far as the administration is concerned,
therefore, the matter has been dropped.
Admiral Dewey will not even be asked,
in the usual course Of procedure, If he
actually said what was attributed ton mi.
The Journal correspondent showed the
aGmiraPs remarks today to Secretary
Long, Rear Admiral kenney, Rear Adnl-
raj O'Neil, Rear Admiral Bradford and
several other high officials of the Navy
department and to officers of the State
department
The administration following is secretly
delighted with the admiraPs remarks. The
general opinion can be summed up in the
remark of one of the officials, which was.
strangely enough, general, that Dewey
had killed himself by his pro-British ut
terances, certainly with the IRISH of the
country and more probably with the Ger
mans"
Dewey will now" said another very
high official, mot only have no chance to
get a presidential nomination at Kansas
City, but he has eliminated himself as
vice presidential candidate at the demo-
cratic national convention"
Dewey may be a Nelson in naval war;"
said another official, but he is certainly
not a Napoleon in politics, national or in
ternational."
One of the State department officials
said: 1.-The speech, if correctly represent
ing what Admiral Dewey said. was in
judicious from an international point of
view. We are on good terms Of course,
with Great Britain, but we are also on
good terms with Germany, France, Aus
tria, Italy and Russia It was an invidi-
~ lid h.
other nations.
THE incident will not be considered
originally by this department-that is TO
say, the initiative will not be taken here
It would be quite another matter. how
ever If the German, French, Russian and
italian ambassadors and the Austrian
ministers were to call on the State de-
partment and ask for IN explanation. In
that case it would be necessary to ask
the admiral to furnish 1t.
1.-THE case would thus become of much
more Importance than that of Captain
Coglan. who offended the kaiser, for
which action he was reprimsnded by the
Navy department after representations by
the German ambassador.
Admiral Dewey's offense touches more
than one nation-in fact, all nations
with which the United States is on friend
" terms.
Incidentally. 1t goes without saying
that the admiral has not improved any
chances he may have had with the Ger
man vote or with the Irish vote. repub-
Hcan OF democratic"
The unanimity with which the admins
tration officials and politicians regard Ad-
miral Dewey as having made q mistake
from his own politicl point Of view was
remarkable