The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-09-13
The RemornI of Hnrison.


The American public did not require
time for second thought 10 be salts
fed that the action of Admiral Dewey
and Rear Admiral Renham yesterday.
in relieving Rear Admiral Howison
from further service on TIE Schlcy
Court Of Enquiry. was proper and nee
essaTy. Today when the full report Of
the proceedings is before the peopI"
and they read the testimony concern
ing Howison's bias and prejudice, to-
getheT with his evasive and surprising
comments on the same. there viii be
universal amazement that he ever for
a moment dreamed that he would or
could be allowed to sit on the case.
Rear Admiral Howisou may be an
amiable and mcritorious naval officer,
and probably has done his best to per-
form what was expected Of him. but
il does not take any painfully clear
study of the court record. published
this morning. to produce the impression
that his was a typical Hackett appoint
ment
HOwison failed to dispruve or even to
deny the repeated expressions unfavor-
able to Rear Admiral Schley. attributed
TO him by three credible witnesses His
efforts 10 circUmnaviEate their direct
allegations under oath We're admirable
neither from the viewpoint of frank
ness. nor from that Of ingenuity. and.
although the old gentIemaE's intentions
may have been excellent his attitude
and utterances could not ana did not
fail to create popular feeling that IL
appointing him as the third member Of
the court the persons in control Of the
Navy Department could not have made
a more natural. or, for the legitimate
purposes Of the enquiry, a more Uufor-
tUnate selection.
We are glad 10 believe that the re-
movaI Of Rear Admiral HowisOn viii
not seriously delay the business Of the
court Rear Admiral Miller. whom it
is intended to appoint 10 succeed him,
is understood TO be entirely satisfac-
tory to Rear Admiral Schley, and,
should he accept the assignment. 1t is
probable that the sittiugs may be re-
sumed as early as Monday. unless an
event extraneous 10 the case possibly
should happen to renjer proper d lon
ger postponement of the proceedings.
It Will be a satisfaction TO the coun-
try to learn from statements made by
counsel for Rear Admiral Schley in
court yesterday. that in defending
their client against the charge Of rep
rehensible conduct" made by Rear
Admiral Sampson, and Of 'disobe-i-
ence Of orders" made by the Navy DE-
parment in the precept Tor the in
stTuCtiJn and guidance Of the Court Of
Enquiry. II Will be appropriate and
necessary to show that Sampson. then
a captain, and acting rear admiral
under a "gunbOaU' commission, the
suficiency Of which is open 10 grave
doubt, was absent from the sea battle
off Santiago HarbOr did not command
in the action. and that Rear Admiral.
then Commodore. SchIey. did, ard won
the great victory over the Spanish
squadron.
As the American people have hoped
all along. the Sampson scandal which
has brought derision and disgrace 10
the American Navy and 10 the nation.
VIII be investigated II is expected that
all the influence and every device that
the navy ring can bring to bear viii
be useG % prevent the enquiry from
reaching out 10 the persons who are
recognized as in reality the defendants
in the premises. and Rear Admiral
Schley is not one OF them. But. under
the language OF the precept. il is high
ly improbable that such efforts viii
meet with success.