The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-08-21
SAMPSON and sCLEY.
What the Friends of Each in
Washington Say.

EsdSilllYtUIi Ooy'
Washington, August ia good
deal of interest has been aroused by
an interview with Senator Burton of
Kansas published here in which he
says that the work of the court OF
inquiry in the Schley case will be
wasted so far as the general public is
concerned, for the reason that the
popular verdict has already been rem
dered in favor of Admiral Schley, and
that no matter what official action
may be taken by the court and the
Navy Department it will have no par
ticular effect.
The part of his interview which
reused most discussion was his decla-
ration that if the engagement had
proved disastrous to the American
squadron Schley would have been
blamed for the outcome, and that, in
view of the fact that it proved
success, he ought to receive the credit.
This is denied positively by the
friends of Admiral Sampson, who as
sert that in that case, their chief
would have come forward with charac-
teristic magnainmity and taken the
entire blame on his own shoulders.
One of them says: If the United
States fleet had been vanquished
through lack of tact, strategy, train
ing or general incompetency of man
agement, the commanding officer
would have been held responsible.
The man who prepared the American
ships for the affray was Sampson.
He gave the immediate training to the
officers and men for the battle and 1t
was he who superintended the arrange,
ment of the ships and provided for the
maneuvers as soon as the Spanish yes
sells should appear at the mouth of the
harbor in their expected effort to es-
cape When the first Spanish vessel
showed its nose out of the harbor, fol-
| lowed by its sister ships, the COM
manding officer of each American craft
knew from his orders given by Samp-
son exactly how to meet the situation
and each man proceeded at once to
place those orders in execution. It
was all question of preparation for
the event which had previously been
outlined by Sampson. The orders of
the commanding officer stood promul-
gated and they only remained to be
obeyed.
again, if this engagement had
been lost to our forces while Admiral
Sampson was away, there can be no
doubt in the minds of people who rea
son with the facts that Sampson would
have been held bla1nable for the de-
feat. Though the Department might
not have so regarded the matter,
great many persons would no doubt
have said: "Well, Sampson was away.
He ought to have been on the spot.
If he had beer there to command, in
stead of being ten miles away. we
would have now. He is to blame. -
It is hard argument to answer.
Admiral Sampson would have been in
very embarrassing situation, all due
to fortuitous circumstance which
prevented his actual presence at the
time of the battle.
"Can it be gainsaid that Admiral
Sampson would have been generally
blamed under the circumstances. I
think not. Everything, therefore,
points to the emptiness Of the conten-
tion that had the battle been lost Ad-
miral Schley would have been held re-
sponsible. He would, in my opinion,
have emerged from the catastrophe
without the bulk of responsibility
resting upon his shoulders.
Far otherwise do the friends of
Schley look upon the matter. One of
them says: "All of this talk about
Sampson giving the orders and dispos-
ing the feet with view to the fight
that must come sooner or later is the
veriest nonsense. Of course, he
gave the orders, but what wonderful
skill was there in devising them.
The Cuban coast there is as straight
as the side of the room, and the har-
Dor resembles a mouse hole leading
out of the middle of it. What other
disposition was possible than circle
of ships around its mouth with orders
to attack if the Spanish came out? II
the Spanish ships had escaped, would
not the Sampson men have said:
Sampson planned the blockade ad-
mirably, but his necessary absence on
the New York threw the execution
of these plans on Schley, who bungled
them, as he had previously done when
in charge of the flying squadron in
front of Cienfuegos and Santiago. ,
Who can doubt for moment that
they would.