New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1901-09-14

STICK TO THE POINT!
THE PRESIDENT OF THE GOVERNING, COM.
MrTrEE. NAVAL ACADEMY ALUMNI Az
ISOLATION. INSISTS THAT IT IL
sCHLEY WHO IS TO BE
INVESTIGATED.

INVESTIGATED.
To the Editor OF The Tribune
Sir: Thank you for your editorial in vour To-
sue or September o. For the last .;x uaat
sensational journals and the schley press have
been deluging the country with all sor,, =, 49,.
lfcious and lying accuse tons asaips, .dr,,r,,
sampson, and many of the papers in the South
a"o west are calling for the Impeachment of
oecretary Long, IL the court of INQUIRY declares
'nat Admiral Schley was without blame In ,ba
points submitted to the court Schlev's eounsa,
nave started to make the trial an issue between
sampson and Schey. They have objected IN
'ne newspapers. and directly TO the Navy De-
rartment that Admiral Howison is DISQUALIFIED
as judge upon the ground that he has ex
pressed an opinion favorable TO Sampson OF
course the issue actually presented does not
necessarily include any discussion of the rela
tive merits of Sampson and Schley any more
IMAM the relative merits of Dewey and Schey or
Farragut and Schley: but. conscious of the
weakness of their case. the astute attorneys are
trying to stir up mud. and so disguise the
issue.
TN the other hand. in all this camor the de-
cent press, out of respect for the court. has re-
manned quiet; but it seems to me that your
editorial Is step in the right direction In
bringing the true issue to the attention of the
country. namely. Was Schley guilty of repre-
hensibie conduct in being slow. when the Navy
Department and the country demanded that he
should be energetic and quick in falling to obey
orders. which subsequent events proved he
could have obeyed; and In giving untruthful
| excuses for his failure to obey the orders?
All the clamor against Admiral Sampson has
grown up because when called upon to give
official recommendation as to what officers
! should be promoted. he asked the Secretary of
the NAVY q nm from renorrjpo Coy,
| modore Schley. giving his reason TO the Sec
rotary that strict performance of his duty
left him no discretion, and made 1t impossible
| for him to separate Schley's conduct prior to
June from his conduct subsequent to that
date. including the battle of Santiago. He
therefore requested the Secretary himself who
did have full discretion and who informed
Of all the facts. to decide the question OF
Schleys promotion and asked that the Secre-
| tary would do ample justice to the commodore
| for his conduct subsequent to June / and at
Santiago, conduct which he (Sampson) had al
ready twice commended in his reports to the
department
In other words instead OF Sampson trying to
prevent Schleys promotion ne really did all he
could TO secure 1t. and the Secretary and the
President acting upon his recommendation. did
do ample justice to Schley by recommending
him for promotion over the heads. among 9TH
ers, of Commodores Watson. Remey and Howell
who all had war service.
Indiscreet friends of Schley and small poll
tclans who hoped to gain advantage over
the administration started the fight against
similar promotion of Sampson. Schley. unfort-
unately fell into their trap, and. forgetting MS
telegram of July 10 to the Secretary of the
Navy in which he said, referring to the battle
of Santiago, 1.-THE honor belongs and should be
given to the Commander-in-Chief OF the North
Atlantic Squadron" Joined in the fight against
his old friend and commander.
Sensational journals have kept this up ever
since growing more and more virulent, so that.
If you are to believe the papers instead OF being
as his whole life shows him to be- an officer OF
the very highest type. a man of stainless honor
and integrity a true and unselfsh friend. Ad-
miral Sampson is now believed by a very large
proportion of the country to be a man without
honor a falsfer of the records. a greedy and
crashing claimant for laurels not won, and fuH
of envy jealousy and all uncharitableness.
~ there has been within decade greater.
more wicked and more causeless crime than the
murderous attack upon President Mckinney III
ia this unspeakabIy vile attack that has been
made bv sensational journals upon Admiral
SAMPSON To YOU and other decent representa-
tives of the press his friends appeal for sueh a
declaration of the facts as will present the adj
utral In his true light the country, and haste
should be made I'm this. that justice may be done
J before It is too late.
ROBERT VI. THOMPSON
New-York. Sept. 10. IDOL