The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-02-14
SANPSON-SCHLEY FIGHT.
MATTER is BEFORE THE UNITED
STATES SENATE.
Naval Heroes Who Have Not Received
Promotion-So Far the Government
Fails to Advance Hobson and Others.

WASHINGTON, February 3.-Secre-
tary Lone has addressed letter to
Senator Morgan, extracts from which
follow:
Dear SENATOR have your letter
with regard to Lieutenant Hobson,
Captain Clark and others, and to the
failure of the Government to recognize
their services. | need not say to you
that no one feels this more keenly than
myself or has done more to endeavor
to secure justice for the men who con-
Quoted and consummated the Santiago
naval campaign. VIII you let me say
that the delay is not with the exc
Cutive branch of the Government so
much as with Congress | do not say
this to in any way shift the RESPONSE
bility. but in the hope that the CO.
operation of Congress may be secured
in this respect. With the interest
which you and other members of the
! legislative branch feel in the case, /
do not despair
! 1T is more than two years now since
/ the President sent i'm nominations for
promotion and these nominations have
never been acted upon by the Senate.
At each session of Congress | have pre-
I pared and submitted bills asking for
rewards for these officers. No action
has been taken upon them. In each
/ of my annual reports | have urged the
matter with all the force possible, but
/ it attracts no attention The President
has asked for the creation of. the grade
| of Vice Admiral, which would per-
/ haps lead to a solution of the matter.
Il feel keenly the lack of any recog
milton to HObson, whose feat is famous
the world over. l have repeatedly
talked about him to the President, who,
as you know, feels the most cordial
interest in behalf of all the men. He
. cannot separate Hobson's case from
/ the rest, nor can | advise him to do SO
1t would be an unjust discrimination
against Captain Clark, to whom you
refer and who is two numbers worse
off now than if there had been no war,
1t would be an injustice to the COM
mander in chief, who planned and con-
summated the whole campaign, and
who had a greater responsibility upon
him for a longer time than any officer
on the Atlantic. 1t would discriminate
against the enlisted men, who have yet
had neither thanks nor medals, nor any
recognition and are Inundated on the
deck Of every warship on which their
shipmates who served in the Asiatics
Squadron display their medals and the
Santiago men have none. | feel almost
like invoking the help of yourself and
every other Senator and Representa-
tive as to what seems the simplest jus
tice."
WASHINGTON, February 1.-THE
Sampson Schley controversy was pre-
cipitated in the Senate by Mr.. Chand-
Ter, who read and criticised the late
letter of Secretary Long to Senator
Morgan explaining why the officers
and men of the Santiago fleet had re-
ceived no reward for their good work
Mr.. Hale explained what had been done
for the naval officers. and referred tC
the names sent in during the last Con
( gress. He said that, owing to the
? SIMPSONS chley controversy, they
l could not be acted upon before tn,
session of Congress expired, but he eX
/. pected the nominations would be sen
in again during this Congress, but NJ
action had been taken by the EXecu
tive.
Mr.. Pettigrew declared the whole
trouble arose because the President anC
, Secretary desired to promote Sampson
who. he said, was not i'm the battle
over Schley, who did the fighting. The
, Administration, he said, seemed TO pro
mote men who did not fight during the
Spanish war
Mr.. Teller criticised the publication
of the letter, and said the Secretary
knew how 10 communicate with tn,
Senate if he desired 10 do so.
Mr.. Morgan said he did not know how
the letter got into print. This CLOSED