The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-15
PRIZE MONEY AND THE NAVY.
A Division That Does Not Reward
the Deserving.

w washington Post.
We give elsewhere in this mornings edi-
ton Of the Post complete figures OF the
prize awards to the different commanding
officers in our navy on account of their
various exploits during the war with
Spain. 1t is such very interesting and
significant exhibit that take the liberty
Of urging our readers to examine 1T with
patient and peculiar care. The American
people have a right to know that under
the operation of the laws about as much
prize money goes to two officers who were
never in an engagement of any kind as TO
ALI the officers put together who won the
brilliant victories of Manila and Santiago.
Dewey was sent to destroy the Spanish
fleet in Philippine waters. He left Hong
Kong on receipt of orders, steamed with
all possible dispatch to Manila, entered
that narbor without slowing down, and
before the day ended had eliminated Spain
as a factor in the Oriental equation. He
did not halt or blockade. He never once
uttered Macedonian cry for help. He
sent no appeals for rescue and REINFORCE
ment. He simply sailed in and closed the
incident There were real forts in Manila
bay, real torpedOeS planted in unpleasant
places-torpedoes which actually exploded
and quite a number of Spanish vessels
to encounter. Dewey did not have a bat
tleship under his command. He had one
or two protected cruisers, two or three
other cruisers that were not protected
and that was ALL But he went in and he
did what he had been told to do. We
know all about it. The fact remains, how
ever, that Dewey and all his captains COM
Dlned nave not received as mucn bounty
money as Sampson and Chadwick, neither
of whom took part in any battle or under
went the smallest risk from the beginning
to the end of the war!
The figures ShOW-mOney received:
sampson OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 80, i9l "A
Chadwick 4,026.OS
Total S39 S23 50
This is very interesting, indeed, when
we consider the reward given Dewey and
his fleet.
AS for the others-those who served in
American waters-Schley has had $40 SO;
Watson has had $1S.35; Cook, Clark, Philip
(deceased), Evans, Taylor, Wainwright
have had sums awarded them, which they
have not yet realized, ranging from $4S5 to
$4,000 1T was captains battle, so they
said. Anything to take credit away from
Schley. But it does not seem that the cap
tains figured very extensively in the divi-
The most that any of them has had as
signed to him is $1,000. Wainwright is
down for S435! Sampson was not in fight
In fact, he tried to prevent fight of any
kind by sinking the Merrimac in the chan
nell Chadwick was not in fight, for he
commanded SIMPSONS flagship, the New
York, and was as safe as though he had
been spending the summer at Bar Harbor
But these two flaming warriors got $780,
S23.52 between them, and the captains
who took the chances and smashed the
Spanish fleet will get altogether, if they be
in luck, much less than half of that
amounts
we want the country 70 open It's IN M
to these figures and their odiOus signifi-
canoe. The prize-money lava relic of
piracy and barbarism-has been repealed,
as we understand the situation. But it
were well for Congress to inquire into the
circumstances under which these mon
strous inequalities were made possible
and under which Sampson and Chadwick
who were not in the fight or in signaling
distance of it, got their money, while 1.-The
captains who did the work are still wait
ing for theirs. We should, in fact, like to
see Congress rip up this whole business
and lay the foundation of a decent honest
wholesome administration before one dol
lar is appropriated for the maintenance Of
the service.