Sunday morning globe., 1901-12-01
sUND lY. Do 3MBER l 1901.
LemIy VS., sohlcy.

In his argument on the trial Of Ad-
miral Schley before the Dewey naval
court Of inquiry, Judge-advocate Lem
ley belittles ADMIRAL Scniey reputa-
tion as a commanding ohucer in the
naval battle Of July 3, l-y8. That bat
l,e stands in the annals of naval war
fare next 10 Deweys Manila battle;
and the animus OF the prosecution
was perfectly shown when Judge.advo-
cate Lemley went out Of his way
20 belittle the services Of the command
ing officer in that battle. Lemley said
that Schley as not entitled to credit
for 10 was a battle OF the captains
This was TO build up the theory hat
Schley lid not issue orders enough to
suit the Sampson crowd. 1his was
the theory Of the whole prosecution;
and it is easily understood by those
who watched the case for ,here was an
other admiral CD who happened to
have only a paper admirai n command,
and never smelt powder IL is as
tonishing that Schley should be prose
cuted for not attacking the Colon,
when Sampson is shown to have been
present for siv hours and in com
mand and full view Of the Coon with
out firing a gun 1t was not the policy
of the government at that time to at
tack under the fire of the forts. The
Juggling Of that into the charges
against Schley was an afterthought
So with this charge against Schley
during the later battle July 3, 1S9S) q,
it was a trumped-up charge substi-
tuted for the charge of cowardice which
so miserably failed and sent the name
of Potts and Wod eChoing down the
corridors Of time as witnesses who
stood ready to blast a reputation which
Schley, by an arduous life of 40 years
service, had built up. When Lemley
was forced by the evidence to aban-
don the charge of cowardice, and ad-
NIT that there was nothing in it, then
he resorted to the fimsy and unmanly
attack or charging that it was a bat
tie of the captains, notw thstanding
Schley's personal presence in the
open and on the deck Of the hagship
every minute of the time am the
storm of shells when the flagship was
at times the only ship under the fire
of four Spanish ships witt for,y guns
belching iron at easy range. After
admitting that the charge Of cowardice
was -otally out Of the case, this charge
that it was a battle of the captains
was wholly voluntarily and outside Of
the issues, and intended to belittle a
great naval officer II did not pertain
TO any of the issues in Ine trial It
was a scandalOus remark for the gov
ernment to make after Withdrawing
the only charge relating to that battle.
The theory Of the prosecution that
Schley did not come up to a paper
admiral in the number Of orders IS
sued will not bear the light Of his
tory in coming years. There we're too
many Fallstahs among our late gen
erals and naval officers during the civil
war and the later wars, Grant ISSUED
but few orders, and so with the most
successful generals. Thomas Jefferson
held to the wise axiom that the world
is too much governed, that government
is best governed which governs least
Nowhere is this axiom truer tuan In
the navy. In a squadron at sea, every
man from the commodore on the BRUCE
to the fireman In the bowels Of of the
vessel, is an expert. The navy regula
tions are automatic Every man has
his place, knows his place, takes his
place, and acts with the regularity Of
clockwork. This was fully shown or
the Schley trial. The striking OF the
bell was sufficient notice Of the duties
Of each, and how grandly each took hii
place. Some Of the officers did no
get even a glimpse ahead, because thei
posts were at the rear. There was n,
"rubbernecking. After the first in
dication Of battle responses wen
through the ship Ike this. "All con
nected up, sir"
Had schley lost mis- head and gone t
Issuing orders he would have beei
substituting new orders for orders 5
years old fully understood by tn
crews. New orders have TO be studied
but old orders have as distinct NEAR
ing as the signs Of algebra. It vii
stand definitely to the Cit O
1,nley's judgment as a squadron con
mander that he mad the good sense {
refrain from giving unnecessary orc
ers. The signal follow the nag," wa
all the orders necessary. 1t stood 70
the presence Of the squadron con
mander. Captain Clark, tha' gallar