The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-07

and so glorious that any little irregu-
larities should have been overlooked,
especially by those at the head OF the
Navy Department.
ut is very unfortunate, as / pre-
viously remarked, that this washing or
dirty linen should have originated with
naval officers. So far as l can learn,
the line of the navy from the top TO
the bottom has been, in a measure,
benefited by the outcome of the Span
ish war. Just think what a glorious re-
cord the navy made. We did not lose
single ship and our list of casualties
were comparatively small, and far ana
beyond all that we to-day occupy
place in the front rank of the navies
of the world by reason of our success
at Manila and Santiago. Naval officers
who were in the Manila campaign can
appreciate the wonderful change or
sentiment on the part of the European
Powers towards the United States
navy since the battle of Manila. Prior
to that great event the United States
navy was looked upon with scorn and
derision by European Powers, and the
officers and men of our navy were fire.
quently subjected to indignities and
discourtesies by European nations
which could not be officially resented,
but had to he silently endured. A grand
transformation scene occurred after
the destruction of the two Spanish
sQuadrons by the American ships at
Manila and Santiago, and Immediately
the foreign powers awoke to the reali-
cation of the fact that henceforward
the United States navy was able to
command the respect of all the great
powers of the world, and also that the
country was able to support with for
midable force, any reasonable demands
she might hereafter make for the pro-
lection of her citizens and their prop
erty. Immediately there was a marked
change in the treatment of American
naval officers by the foreign powers.
Courtesies and considerations which
had previously been denied them, were
extended to them in all directions, and
that in itself should have been suffi-
cient TO induce the stay-at-homes in
the Navy Department to have had
enough pride in the United States navy
to have refrained from bringing about
this disgraceful scandal. The result of
the inquiry cannot add to the glory of
it's instigators and it may darken an
otherwise brilliant page In the naval
history of the United States"
There seems no disposition on the
part of the friends of the rival naval
factions to let the matter 'slumber I'M
til after the court of inquiry is finally
determined upon and settles down to
work. The subject is the liveliest topic
of discussion on tap this summer. In
the departments. in the hotels, at the
clubs, private drawing rooms, picnic
grounds, excursion boats, street cars,
and wherever two or three are gath
cred together" there the Sampson and
Schley scandal is discussed. Men. wo-
men and children enter into the debate
with the greatest earnestness and de-
YOUR everything, good, bad or indif-
ferent, which may be printed or stated
in connection with the controversy. A
fair estimate of the strength of the ri
val factions seems to be about 8 to 1
in favor of the Schley side OF the con-
troversy.
The opponents of Schley insist that
they have got him now where they
want him." before a court of inquiry
and they declare that they have the Of
fetal records up their sleeves, which will
blacken the reputation of Schley TO
such an extent that he will be driven
out of the navy in disgrace. This is
very extreme statement. for when
these persons who profess to speak
from the Official records" are pinned
down to facts they wabble about and
endeavor to place forced constructions
upon extracts from the log books of
the Brooklyn, the Iowa, the Marble
head, and other vessels engaged in the
Santiago battle. The sum and sub
stance of their claim is that 'if''
Schley had done so and so. so and so
might have occurred. In other words,
they endeavor to Great the impression
that Schley devoted all his time to try
ing to keep away from the enemy
when 1t is a historical fact that his
ship was in the thickect of the fray
from beginning to end, whether Schley
willed 1t or not.