Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-11-05
Hanna SCORES S|jRL[Y
Contends That His Retroerade
Movement Amounted to Dis.
obedience Of Orders.
Says Departments Instructions
Should Have Been REGARDED
as Mandatory.
Testimony Regarding Weather
and the Fleets Coal Sup
ply is Reviewed.

| Washington, Nov. 5.-Mr. Hanna con-
| .irued his argument when the Schley
court of inquiry convened this morning.
| He began where he had left of yester-
day After briefly referring to the re-
! trograde movement, discussion of which
up the question Of the coal supply of the
| flying squadron, and from that entered
| Upon a discussion of the blockade OF
| Santiago, and the reconnaissance Of May
| 81. when the Colon was bombarded as
| she lay in the harbor of Santiago. AS
| en- yesterday Hanna spoke in calm. dis
passionate terms and generally con-
tented himself with outlining his con-
ception of the purport of the testimony.
He briefly reverted to the cruise Of the
| flying squadron from Cienfiuegos to
Santiago for the purpose Of showing
| that neither the Vixen nor the Merrimac
had been the cause of delay on the voy-.
age. Hanna then took up specification 5,
relating toy the circumstances attending
and the reasons for disobsdience by
Schley of orders of the department, con-
| tanned in the dispatch dated May Is, and
! the propriety of his conduct in the prem
ises. In this connection attention was
directed to the fact that the letter OF
Aug. /, 1901, instructed the court that it
| is absolutely free to report if such
| shall be found to be the case, that Schley
did not wilfully disobey orders, but that
he was justified in disobeying them
| Hanna contended that while Schley was
acting under orders contained in the dis
| patch No. 8, when the retrograde move
fnent was begun on May 26, that the or
Ger was superseded by the dispatches
! delivered on the Brooklyn May q by
| Captain Cotton, in command Of the Hnr-
ward, and in one of which it was said
| that ''all the departments information.
| indicated that the Spanish division was
still at Santiago" and to which order
was added: THE department looks to
| you to ascertain the fact and that the
/ enemy, if therein, does not leave With
out decisive action Hanna took issue
with Schiey that this was suggestions
and not a mandatory order. so tar
from being suggestive, doubtful or ull-
certain are the terms of this order that
they approach a reproof," said Hannal
Their incisive distinctness is notable, so
much so that I think few subordinate
officers, having turned their backs on q
task to which they had been assigned,
would care to be arrested in such Ar
act by telegraphic order from supe-
1ior couched in such terms" Hanna
quoted Schley's dispatch of May "a, in
which he expressed regret over not be-
ing able to obey orders. saying as it was
written after the Cotton dispatch had
been received it was an explicit confess
sion that the Cotton telegram was an
order. Commenting upon this dispatch,
he declared it was one of the most re-
markable ones to be found in the annals
of the American navy. He eontended
that repairs to the Merrimac could have
been made, as they were, without going
to Key West. and the Texas was not ia
severe straits for fuel. AS for the Vixen,
she was not fighting ship and could
have been sent for coal. The Brooklyn,
he said, was abundantly supplied. He
ccntended also that on May "a the con-
dition of the seas was not such as to
prevent coaling He asserted the weatfl-
er was rough only on May rs and that
therefore Schley's assertion that the
weather had been boisterous and the sea
rough ever since leaving Key West was
unjustified by the facts
Hanna concluded his speech at 2:3o.
having spoke four and half hours. He
said he considered the inquiry serious
proceeding and the question involved
most important.
Captain Parker then began his ad-
dress in support of Schley. Ate.
speaking of the Importance OF the case
he compared it with the charges made
after the battle of Lake Erie. In the
latter case there might have been some
foundation, but in this there was no
foundation whatever