The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-10-02

u years have been eulogizing Rear
Admiral Schley as the hero OF
Santiago and hurling all kinds of ms
| representation and inneundo at the
navy department because of it's al
legged partiality for Rear Admiral
Sampson, are now trying to relieve the
court of inquiry at Washington of the
| necessity OF returning a verdict upon
the evidence produced before it,
In their minds. there was a whoe-
sale conspiracy to "do'' Schley and IL
included not only the naval officers in
the department at Washington but
likewise majority of the naval ofll-
GERS in command of the warships en-
gagged in the Santiago sea campaign.
McCalla. Wise, Jewell. "Fighting Bob
Evans, Miller, Schroeder and a dozen
more gallant commanders of different
ships must all be besmirched by the
partisans of Schley. in order to save
their hcro's face. Already the Schley
press is preparing to discredit the find
ings of the court of inquiry, although
the rulings OF that court have uniform
ly been favorable to the applicant and
in number of instances manifestly
unfavorable to the side which has
charged Schley with reprehensible con-
duct. Almost certainly the return by
the court of an opinion sustaining the
department in its official censure of
Schley will be the signal for a demand
by Schley's partisans for an investiga-
tion by congress.
We confess that we cannot UNDER
stand all this. Why should there be
so determined an attempt to load upon
Schley honors beyond those already
accorded to him by the department.;
and why so widespread a wish to take
from Admiral Sampson credit justly
his due? 1t will be remembered that
the navy department named Schley for
promotion in spite of the unsatisfac-
tory nature of much of his work prior
to the destruction of Cerveras fleet.
| generously overlooked what it might
have made the basis of court mar
tial 1t could not falsify the records,
which showed wherein Schley had dis
appointed it's expectations, but it ac-
y s,
Schley, along with many hundred
others. contributed, as constituting not
only an atonement for his earlier
shortcomings, but also as warranting
his nomination for an advanced grade.
1t agreed with Captain McCalla that
there was glory enough to go round.
But because it did not name Schley,
/ tion and conspicuous indecision, over
Sampson, the commander-in-ch chief,
upon whose shoulders had rested the
long and heavy responsibility of the
most important naval command ever
entrusted to a naval officer, a COM
mand which he had fulfilled with pa
tient. firm and steady ability, planning
every detail so carefully that from the
moment Cervera was located the
Spanards never had a chance to es-
cape; because the navy department
would not subordinate and humiliate
it's tested success to please the vanity
of a man whose lucky participation in
the battle of July alone saved him
from court martial for gross dereic-
ton, mountains of mud have been
hurled at it and at Sampson, and the
whole bunch of Santiago nominations
was defeated for confirmation, leaving
every participant, from Sampson
down, without reward.
We trust the public is reading the
testimony in this case. We are print
ing it in full and it should be read as
matter Of justice.