The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-01
LONGS paddock" TOO LATE.
NAVAL OFFICERS CONTINUE TO
TALK I'm CONFIDENCE"

How One Officer Who Was at Manila
Asks Pertinent Questions of Crit
les of SchIey Who Were Not at
Santingo-Chief Clerks Running
the Government During the Hot
weather.
Washington, July 31.-Secretary
Longs effort to put a paddock on the
mouths of naval officers to prevent
them from discussing the Schley-
Sampson scandal, comes too late to
have any material effect on the contro-
versy. The general order just issued by
Secrtary Long commanding naval Off
GERS to refrain from public statements
on this interesting topic. may prevent
naval officers, from giving out author
lied interviews on the subject, but it
does not prevent them from discussing
the subject at their clubs and with
their personal friends
Naval officers like other mortals, are
not slow to recognize the drift of
public sentiment. and many of them
were inclined to take advantage of the
pending discussion to get in line with
a great majority on the Schley side
of the fence. Some of these statements
place the Navy Department in a very
embarrassing attitude before the coun-
try. Notably the statement from Capt.
Robley D. Evans explaining away
Schley's alleged disobedience of orders
at Santiago, also the letter from Ad-
miral Sampson to Admiral Schley in
which the former directed the latter to
delay his departure to Santiago. This
very important letter, IL appears, was
suppressed by the Navy Department,
and has never appeared in the public
records.
Officers who are not directly identified
with the Long Crowninshield-S Sampson
clique, exercises some independence and
fairness in discussing this great naval
problem. The day before Secretary
Long issued his paddock order" a num-
Der of naval officers of high rank met
at the Army and Navy Club. Naturally
the Sampson Schley question came
up for debate. One of the
officers who occupies a high rank
and who rendered distinguished SER
vice with Deweys feet at Manila, was
present on a short visit to Washington.
There were. perhaps, eight or ten we'll
known naval officers in the group. The
newcomer announced at the beginning
of the discussion that he was abso-
lutely bipartisan as between Samp-
son and Schley. AS he expressed it.
II am a rank outsider in this con-
troversy, for l was in another part of
the world when the battle of Santiago
was fought and so gloriously won.
Now / simply want to know for my
own personal information what has
caused this remarkable change of SEN
timent among naval officers at Wash
ington regarding Schley. Before 1 went
to Manila, / understood that Schley
was on the closest terms of intimacy
with the powers that be in the Navy
Department and during the prelimi
nary arrangements for the Spanish
war, while he was chief of the Light
house bureau. he was daily summoned
TO the Navy Department to participate
in the war conferences then being held.
That was before the strategy board
was organized. / had always under
stood that Schley was regarded as one
of the ablest and most courageous Of
ficers in the navy. and his judgment
was considered equal TO. IL not supe-
rior. to many of those who outranked
him"
These direct assertions from the WIS.,
f''G crOm out of town, are somewhat
Dr. iragsing 10 the other members OF
l.. aa ~ who were apparently In SYM