The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-15
THE FINDING IN THE sCHLEI
CASE.

THE FINDING IN THE SCHLEf
CASE.
It must be a source Of satisfaction to
Admiral Schley that the finding of the
court of inquiry, which investigated the
! charges against him, is not supported
/ by the American people and Admiral
| Dewey, the president of the court. The
| people know what the evidence is. be-
cause all of the main points Of it were
published while the inquiry was in
| progress. and If an opportunity were
given them to vote upon the charges
they would acquit him by an over
whelming majority.
There is no doubt Of course OF the
sincerity Of Admiral Benham and Ad-
miral Ramsay, the two admirals who
composed the majority Of the court,
and who found against Schley, but it
was impossible for them TO take the
broad view of the case that Admiral
Dewey did. They had risen to the high
positions they hold by stepping into
vacancies as they occurred, and 1t is
probable that whatever distinction they
have earned has been by strict atten-
ton to orders and routine duties.
Neither of them has ever occupied such
a position of responsibility as those &C.
cupied by Admiral Dewey and Ad-
niral Schley. Consequently, they
could not sympathize with Admiral
schIey in the difficulties with which he
had to deal in the Santiago campaign.
The only things which appealed 10
them were the orders of the Navy De-
partment. Any departure from those
orders was in their view, inexcusable.
They could not make allowances for
the Unforeseen difficulties with which
Admiral Schley had to contend-difh-
culties which made It necessary for him
to use his discretion and, It may be- TO
disregard the orders of the Navy De-
partment to some extent.
They are not to be blamed for their
inability to take a broad view Of the
case. With the training they have had
they did the best they could. They de-
cided in accordance with their lights
with the bent of their minds resulting
from long years of routine duties.
There is no doubt that they intended
to be kind to Admiral Schley, to do
him full justice from their point OF
view, because they say that his con-
duct during the battle of July 3 was
self possessed, and he encouraged, In
his own person. his subordinates, ofh-
GERS and men, to fight courageously.
- tha from
an altogether different standpoint. He
had been in position of great respon-
sibility. He had conducted a success
full campaign and won glorious VIC
tory. He knew the anxiety which Adj
miral SchIey had felt and could appre-
ciate the perplexities with which he
had been beset. He understood that
Admiral Schley, occupying the position
he did, could not follow implicitly the
orders of the Navy Department on all
occasions without doing things which,
in his Judgment, ought not to be done
II ia plain to be seen, therefore, that
Admiral Dewey, owing to his larger
! experience, was capable of seeing the
case of Admiral Schley from a stand
point altogether different from that
from which it was seen by Admirals
Benham and Ramsay. He was able
to brush aside such cobwebs OF EVIL
dence of orders disregarded as Cd
scured their vision, and to say con-
scientiously, that those who mad pre-
ferred charges against Admiral Schley
had made a mountain out of a mole
hill. and that Schley was the real hero
of the Santiago naval engagement and
was entitled to the credit for the
glorious victory which resulted in the
total destruction of the Spanish ships.
AS already stated, the people VIII
not approve the finding of the court
They will give their approval to the
opinion of Admiral Dewey ana IN lu-
ture they will couple the names Oh
Dewey and Schley as the naval heroes
of the Spanish American War.