The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-16

: posllOn.
| The sampson Special Message.
The special message which the Presi-
! dent sent TO the Senate Thursday. accom-
| panying nominations which Included that
of Rear Admiral Sampson for promotion
! over Rear Admiral Sci;ey. is q most amaz-
/ ing document. If Mr.. Mckinley had sub
mitted the nominations without comment,
I the insult to the American people would
have been sufficiently deep. The message
makes it brutal and outrageous We must
confess 10 some surprise ourselves; not at
the matter itself, but at the manner in
| which the affront has been delivered.
| Whatever We may have thought OF the
Presidents public policy and conduct. OF
of his trustward proclivities, we have al
ways regarded him as too good a politi-
clan to needlessly defy national opinion. or
to engage in the manufacture of enemies.
In the present case his departure from the
rules of conduct by which usually he is
governed, and, as he must know. greatly
to the depreciation OF his popularity is
something for which 1t is difficult TO sac
count He may be in the control of ire
sistible industrial influences, themselves
greatly indebted to Sampson; or Sampson
may have rendered unpublished services to
the Administration which places il in his
power. Upon no ground is 1t possible to
account for the phenomenon. in any rea-
sonable manner Mr. Mckinley condemns
his own action in the message in which he
urges it be ratified by the Senate. He
says:
''Drring our recent war with Spain the United
State 3- val force the North Atlantic section
charged with varied and important duties
chief among which the maintenance Of the
blockade of Cuba aiding the army in landing
troops and in subsequent operations, and par
ticularly in the pursuit. blockade, and destruction
of the Spanish squadron under Admiral Ceryera.
This naval campaign, embracing objects Of
wide scope and grave responsibility, was con
Quoted with great ability on the part OF the
eommander-in-chef and of the officers and enlisted
men under his command 1t eliminated IN the
humiliation OF the Spanish fleet in <he battle Of
July g. 1898, one OF the most memorable naval
engagements in history.
1.-The result of the battle was the freeing OF our
Atlantic coast from the possibilities to which it
had been exposed from Admiral Cervera's fleet and
the termination Of the war upon the seas.
81 recommend that, following our national pre-
cedents especially that in the Of Admiral
Dewey and the Asatic Squadron, the thanks of
Congress be given to Rear Admiral William T.
Sampson. U. s. n, and 10 the officers and men
under his command, for highly distinguished
conduct in conflict with the enemy and in car
rying on the blockade and naval campaign on the
Cuban coast. resulting in the destruction of the
Spanish feet at Santiago de Cuba, July g. 1885
II is unnecessary to call attention to the
unpleasant fact that, on its face. thu mes
sage is carefully constructed TO evade the
truth concerning the destruction of Ger
~ snt dc
more like the composition of Mr.. Long
than that of Mr. Mckinley, painfully
works all around Robin Hoods barn to
build up a case for Rear Admiral Samp-
son, based upon his alleged antecedent
service in preparing the feet for an en-
gagement which, there is every reason to
believe, the so-called commanderin-chief.l
under an Illegal gunboat commission, new
er expected to occur.
Mr.. Mckinley knows as well as we do
that the public and professional opinion of
both America and Europe sccords the sea
honors of Santiago to Rear Admiral
Schley, who commanded the feet and won
the victory; Rear Admiral-then Captain
Sampson being absent until after the en-
gagement had closed and the Spaniards
had struck their flags. He also must re-
member the unmistakable character of
the popular reception given to Rear Ad- |
miral Schley during the Dewey celebra- |
lions in New York and Washington, and |
the indignant protests Of the audiences |
in Minnesota and elsewhere. some time |
afterward. when Secretary Long attempt |
ed to praise Sampson for the achieve
ments of Schley.
Yet with these truths fully before him,
his message contains no mention of the /
victors name, but, on the contrary, asks |
that the thanks of Congress he presented /
TO the man who. at the moment a blue
jacket standing beside Commodore Schley |
had his head taken off by a Spanish shell. |
was twenty or more miles away and. as |
the evidence showed. his flagship hull |
down behind the horizon" Sampson the |
Absentee forsooth is to have the thanks |
of Congress and all of the honor and |
benefits involved in that action, while his |
superior in every way, who did the work |
brayeIy and bore his triumph modestly, |
must not receive any thanks. but must be !
ateiy after the fight and ever since. has |
persistentIy claimed and still claims the |
laurels of an historic affair with which |
the man IN the moon had as much per-
sonal connection as he
We are glad TO observe that there is !
a strong sentiment in the Senate In favor /
of rebuking this attempt 10 make the CON
irming power particeps criminis in such
of justice. The Independent /
press of the country is already alive to |
the disgrace TO the naval service and to |
the country which is proposed by the Ad-
There should be no doubt
whatever of the rejection of Sampson's /
by the Senate.
CommerciaIism in Diplomacy.
Americans are quite familiar with the
idea OF commercialism in domestic poll l.