The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1901-08-02
FROM THE CAPITAL.
Our Correspondent Talks in
General About Wa sh-
ington.
Communicated


July 29th. 1871.
Secretary Longs order for a
Court of Inquiry into Rear-Ad.
miral Schley'S conduct during the
war with Spain, TO meet in W ash
ington September II next. is in
effect equivalent to grand jury
Indictment of ten counts against
Schley, the Navy Department
clique, which formulated the
counts, standing for the grand
jury. The court has no authority
TO punish, Yet the order convcn-
it directs that it shall render an
opinion and make recommended
tiouS after hearing all the evil
dence. The make up Of the court
is beyond criticism. Admiral
Dewey and Rear Admirals Kim
berly and Benham have never
been connected even in the slight
est way with the clique which has
done so many dirty underhanded
things to injure the reputation of
Admiral Schley. nor has Capt.
Lemly, Judge Advocate General
OF. the Navy. who will serve as
Judge Advocate of the court.
All this seems to point to fair
play for Schley, but he and his
friends will do well not to count
too much upon the magnanimity
of his enemies, 1t is public opin-
ion that has forced the formation
of a court beyond suspicion, but,
as General Miles could testify, if
he were disposed to reopen the
Eagan mess, evidence can he Jug
gled with and manipulated even
before the taireSt courts. 1t be.
hooyeS Admiral Schley and his
friends to see that no important
witness shall be left uncalled or
mheard. Better late than never
can be applied to Secretary
Long : order against naval Off
GERS publicly discussing this case.
An enthusiastic IriShman, Mr..
W. O. O'LcarN, of Limerick, has
been surprising not a few Wash
ingtouiauS by presenting some
not generally known facts about
the industries of the Emerald
Isle. He said: lit surely makes
me laugh every time | hear or see
in print anything about England,
the great ship building nation
Why, the SIip-builders Of Ireland
can buy and sell the ship builders
Of England and Scotland. Neither
the Tyne nor the Clyde, nor the
MerSeY show anything equal to
the ship building concern OF IIar-
and and Wolf at Belfast. Yet
there is nothing the English and
Scotch are so proud of as their
ship.building. For years this
firm has held the highest place in
the world so far as tonnage
launched iSconcerned. The yards
employ 9 600 men and support
good sized town. The works
cover eighty acres, and the leu
tonic and Majestic, two Of the
most famous ocean greyhoundS,
were built there. It's a by word
in the British navy that no break
down of machinery, a thing so
frequent, has ever occurred in any
British naval vessel built in the
Belfast yards. Ireland has the
largest brewery in the world.
Ireland supplies half the British
Empire with handkerchiefs, col
lars, table cloths and shirts, and
puts on British tables the choicest
breakfast bacon and butter. The
English usually conceal the iden-
tity of the two last named, Under
the brands of wiltshire and
Dorset but they are Irish as the
Treasury officials can testify.
Nothing Shoddy ever comes from
Ireland. That is why balbriggan
is so largely initiated by British
and German manufactures"
Even an army officer does not
dare to perform his sworn duty.
If it happens to be against the in
terests OF one OF the big trusts,
unless he is prepared to be pun
iShed therefor. This is a broad
assertion. but a case has Just
happened in Washington showing
Ii to be strictly true. The Engi
neer Commissioner of the Dis
trlct Of Columbia is always an
army officer, and, Of course, all
street improvements are under
his supervision. Capt. Lansing
II. Beach. who has been Engineer
for several wears.
has made himself a very popular
official 10y the fearless perform
auce of his duties and 10y his in
telligeut appreciation Of the needs
of his branch OF the local govern
ment, hut he would not shut his
eyes to the greed Of a big trust,
and that trust went TO the War
Department and had an order is.
sued assigning another officer to
the duties of Engineer Commits
sioner of the District of Colum bia.