The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-08-07
FROM THE NATIONS CAPITAL,
F:-oa=.. CIR Jun Correspondent.


E.'cas CIR Jun Correspondent.
WASHINGTON. D. c., Aug. 5, 1901.
While pretending to be faif, the
Navy Department, as represented by
Rear Admiral Crowninshield and AS
sistant Secretary Rackett in the alb
scnce of Secretary Long, is doing its
very best CO annoy aud hamper the
friends of Admiral Schley. Nothing
else. OF course, was to be expected of
Crowninshield but better things had
been hoped for from Mr.. HaahhoGGtt.
The latter, however tas refused the
request Of Schley for modification &C
the fifth precept, which assumes tho
disputed question of disobedience to
orders, and refused it in language that
is little less than insulting. In his
reply to the Admiral, Mr.. Hackett still
assumes that the disobedience was a
fact, but admits that possibly Schley
did not wilfully disobey" orders, or
thct he might have been Justified in
disobeying them" and therefore refers
his objections to the court. This, how
ever, is only the beginning Of the petty
persecution to which Captain Parker,
Schley's representative here, is being
subjected. He is at work on the log
books Of the Spanish war, occupying
for that purpose the Office Of Secretary
Long, which is otherwise entirely un-
used during the absence of the Secre-
tary. Nevertheless, Crowninshield re-
stricts him to small table in one cor
ner of the room, refuses to allow him
to receive visitore, and mas stationed
two sentries to keep close espionage
on him to see that he abstracts nothing
from the logs. Captain Parker is re-
tired officer of the Navy and such
treatment was never resorted to before
when counsel for an officer sought in
formation from the files of the Depart
ment. The valuable logs of the Civil
War period have been open to persons
without the espionage of officers acting
as private detectives, and tits contend
ed that in so important a case the
honesty of the counsel should not be
impugned by The scrutiny given his
work through officers detailed by the
Department.
Recent consular reports to the State
Department, which are being held in
the secret files of the Government un-
til the close of the South African war,
slow thatincreasing bitterness is mark.
ing the course of that struggle, the
chief causes being: The hanging Of
'Cape rebels" by the British; the
burning Of Boer houses and the gath
ering OF the Boer women and children
into concentration camps; the use of
Kaffirs by the British; the charges of
killing wounded men in cold blood.
Thus q conflict. which at it's beginning
was marked by exceptional humanity.
IS taking on some of the bitter and
cruel aspects of prolonged partisan
warfare. The use of Kaffirs as scouts
by the British, rs stated in Lord Kitch-
iners latest dispatches, is full of dire
possibilities. Heretofore both the
Beers and British have used Kaffirs as
camp servants, h0stlers and in few
other menial capacities. There was O
tacit agreement on both sides that they
should. not be employed in military
duties. If this is to be violated and
the tens of thousands Of natives are to-
be drawn into the struggle, murder is
likely to replace the less barbarous
code Of recognized. warfare. The re-
ports giving descriptions of the recon
centrado camps in South Africa are so
plain spoken that the Administration
does not dare to allow them to become
known.
1t will be interesting TO watch and
see what becomes Of the cases Of gross
extravaganza in the Army transport
service recently disclosed in reports
by the Inspector Generals office,
and referred to the Quartermaster
Department. for explanation. 1t will
be remembered that during the Span
ish war, General Breckenridge, the In
spector- General, was hampered in
every possible way by General Corbin,
and not allowed to make complaint Of
the many cases of maladministration
that were rife. Since the war, the
situation has been q little better, but
not much so, the interests of those who
fatten on Government extravaganza
being powerful enough to hamper any
close investigation. One of the allie
cations is that the transports are over
manned, one officer saying that each
transport has twice as many men as are
actually needed. Extravagancei is also