Sunday Washington globe., 1901-12-29


war and navy departments without first
subiecting the said officer to a court mar
tial or court of inquiry to determine if the
said officer was guilty Of any of the viola
tions of the disciplinary code governing
the respective branches.
The admiral Of the navy and the leuten-
ant-general commanding the armies of the
United States, the former indirectly and the
latter directly and specifically, have thus
been reprimanded by Secretaries Long and
Root. In the case of the Admiral Secre-
tary Long is compelled to misquote the
precept under which the Schley court of
inquiry was empowered to find on the
specifications of the said precept, for II is
expressly stated, after enumerating the
specific points to be investigated or in
quired into, that:
The foregoing specific directions are
given primarily for the information and
guidance Of the court, but do not limit or
restrict the scope of its inquiry into the
entire matter, the investigation of which
is asked by the officer concerned"
Now, IN pursuance OF this authority, Ad-
miral Dewey reported that Schley and not
Sampson commanded the naval forces Of
the United States at the battle of Santiago.
Heretofore it had been officially held that
Sampson was in command. He was even
awarded prize money as such commander.
Hence it was not only proper but vital in
responding to the instructions the Court of
Inquiry received, as quoted above, that the
court should report who was entitled to the
honor, glory and reward as commander of
the American squadron. The two members
who found so many counts against Schley
for mere tribes or errors of judgment at
best, ignored altogether this important
question of the precept Not so the victor
of Manila Bay, the gallant Dewey. He
found and officially reported that the victor
of Santiago and the commander Of our
naval forces was Schley and not, as the
Bureau of Fabrication had proclaimed,
Sampson. For this Long censures snubs
or reprimauds him, whichever term applies
to the chesty comments of the Secretary of
the Navy, when he untruthfully says, in
substance, that the question of who was in
command of our naval forces when the
battle Of Santiago was fought was not before
the Court Of Inquiry.
But it was, as a reading Of the above
quotation shows, and Admiral Dewey is the
only member of the court who fully OBJ
served his oath and truthfully reported all
Of the facts elected by the Myee members
of the Naval Court of Inquiry. Therefore,
Longs rebuke or censure is an assumption
Of authority on his part, which being pre-
dicated on an untruthful hypothesis is thus
doubly ard infamously unfair, prejudiced
and partisan.
Secretary OF War Root, also asshtties the
autocratic prestige of determining by him
self when an officer of the army is guilty of
conduct meriting censure- Courts martial
or courts of inquiry so far therefore, as
the army is concerned can be dispensed
with for the future.
The Secretary Of War is the articles of
war all TO himself His fbSe diKiI takes the
place of the code of discipline enacted by
the Congress of the United States
Following out the precedent set Lieute-
naut General Miles can now reprimand
Adiutant General Corbin for that Manila
hemp affair. General Corbin can repri-
maud Colonel Heistand for involving him
in the scheme, and Colonel Heistand can
reprimand--uo, not Major Hawkes. as he is
civilian--but the colonel can jump all
over his captain, lieutenant and clerks
The captain can reprimand the lieuten-
ant the lieutenant the first sergeant, and
the latter can damn the whole company OF
privates
If the Secretary of War can thus set aside
the precedents and military law governing
the conduct Of officers without subjecting
them to Courts of Inquiry or rather court
nartials for breaches of discipline, it fol
lows that the Lieutenant General com
nanding the army can also do the same to.
wards his interiors in rank.
And If General Miles is guilty of an inn
prudence in stating that an admiral of the
American navy was neither a coward MOI
poltroon what pray is Secretary Long guilty
of who assumes authority to punish the
Lieutenant General Of the Army without
giving that high officer the benefit of Z
trial by court martial which would and ha,
heretofore been accorded to the loves
ranking officer accused Of q reprimandable
offense? If this kind Of discipline is to b'
substituted for the written code governing
the military arm Of the service we may b,
permitted to inquire what kind of disci
pline and what kind Of an army will W.
have when Long is initiated down along
the line, until the private soldier is reached
and particularly damned'
Il is also reported that President Roose
welt has Mexicanized the high Office o
President Of the United States and degraded
il into a dietatorship--A LA Porhrio Diaz-
IN uEdLluB Lue kEuGldA VI AAG army III
consciously abrupt manner when the latte
called upon His Excellency to explain hi
remarks about Schley.
President Roosevelt knows better tina
the average American that the people O
politicians Of the United States wNl nc
stand a dictator The slight evidence on
William Jennings Bryan gave Of his inclins
tion to be such was beautifully squelched
two campaigns by the American people.
high personality is all very we'll, when tn
owner of such attributes is the leader of
political faction a Webster, Clay or
Calhoun on the hoor Of the Senate, or eve
a Blaine in the House and Cabinet, but th
plain people never have and never wi
voluntarily select such high strung state
men for the Presidential chair Of III
Nation.
The Lincoln type in war and the McKii
ley type in peace are the ideals the Amer
can people love in their Presidents. tn
less personality the President exhibi