Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1901-08-02
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(From our Regular Correspondent,

(From our Regular Correspondent
Washington, July 20, 19O1.-Secre-
tary Longs order for a Court of In.
quiry into Rear Admiral Schley's con-
duct during the war with Spain, to
meet in Washington Sept. II, next, is
in effect equivalent to Grand Jury
Indictment of 10 counts against Schley
the Navy Department Clique, which
formulated the counts standing for the
Grand Jury. The Court has no au
thority to punish, yet the order con-
vening it, directs that it shall render
an opinion and make Recommended
tions, after hearing all the evidence.
The makeup of the court is beyond
criticism. Admiral Dewey and Rear
Admlrals Benham and -- have
never been connected even in the
slightest way with the clique which
has done so many dirty undetermined
things to injure the reputation of Ad-
miral Schley, nor has Captain Lemly,
Judge Advocate General of the Navy,
who will serve as Judge Advocate of
the Court. All this seems to point to
fair play for Schley, but he and his
friends will do well not to count too
much upon the magnanimity of his
enemies. 1t is public opinion that has
forced the formation of court beyond
suspicion; but, as Gen. Miles could
testify, if he were disposed to reopen
the Eagen mess, evidence can be Jug
gled with and manipulated even be-
fore the fairest courts. 1t behooves Ad-
miral Schley and his friends to see that
no important witness shall be left I'M
called or unheared. Better late than
never can be applied to Secretary
Longs order against naval officers pub
licly discussing this case.
An enthusiastic Irishman-Mr. w.
o. O'LearY, Of Limerick-has been sur
prising not few Washingtonians by
presenting some not generally known
facts about the industries OF the Emer-
aid Isle. He said: sit surely makes
me laugh every time l hear or see In
print anything see about England :,
the great ship-building nation Why,
the shipbuilders of Ireland can buy and
sell the ship-builders of England and
Scotland. Neither the Tyne, nor the
Clyde, nor the Mersey show anything
equal to the ship-building concern of
Harland and Wolff at Belfast. Yet
there is nothing the English and Scotch
are so proud of as their ship building.
For years this firm has held the high
est place in the world so far as tonnage
launched is concerned. The yards en-
ploy 5000 men and support good siz
ed town. The works cover eighty acres,
and the Teutonic and Majestic, two of
the most famous ocean greyhounds,
were built there. It's by-word in the
British Navy that no break down of
machinery, thing so frequent, has ev-
er occurred in any British Naval ves-
sci built in the Belfast yards. Ireland
has the largest brewery in the world.
Ireland supplies half the British EN-
pire with hankerchiefs, collars, table
cloths and shirts, and puts on British
tables the choicest breakfast bacon and
butter. The English usually conceal
the identity of the two last-named, I'M
der the brands of Wiltshire and Dor
set, but they are Irish as the Treasury
officials can testify. Nothing shoddy
ever comes from ireland. That is why
balbriggan is SO largely initiated bv
British and German manufactures. -
Even an army officer does not dare
to perform bis sworn duty, if it hap
pens to be against the interests of one
of the big trusts, unless he is prepared
to be punished therefor. This is
broad assertion, but a case has Just
happened in Washington showing it to
be strictly true. The Engineer Com
missioner of the District of Columbia
is always an army officer, and of course,
all street improvements are under his
supervision. Capt. Lansing H. Beach,
who has been Engineer Commissioner
for several years, has made himself
very popular official by the fearless per-
Torrance of his duties and by the in
telligent appreciation of the needs of
his branch of the local government.
but he would not shut his eyes to the
greed of big trust and that trust
went to the War Department and had
an order issued assigning another Off.
Ger to the duties of the Engineer Com
missioner of the District of Columbia.
At the beginning of the fiscal Year,
there are always some big contract to
be given out for Asphalt paving, In
These contracts have
been monopolized for long time by /
the Asphalt trust. either in its own
name Or in the name of dummy con-
tractors, who are merely It's agents. |
This year there was an outside bid
Ter for these contracts, and the bid |
vas well below that of the trust or of
my of its agents. Capt. Beach, as it
vas his sworn duty to do, investigated,
md finding the new bidder responsible
md able to perform the contract &C.
ording to specifications, recommend
\ H.