The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1902-01-06
LONG MAKES
LONG REPLY
WRITES EXPLANATORY LETTER
TO SENATOR KNUTE NELSON.
SAMPSON WAS IN COMMAND
Department Having Nothing to Do
With It - Criticism Alto
gether Unjust.
lBy Associated Press.l

Washington, Jan. 6.-Secretary Long
has addressed to Senator Nelson of Min
nesota, long letter defending the navy
department against what Is declared to
be unfriendly criticism in connection with
the distribution of prize money and boun-
ty. The letter is called forth by one
from the senator asking for information
on this point for the use of O Western
newspaper.
The secretary declares that the criti-
cism that the department has discrim-
against Admiral Schley in the distribu-
mated in favor OF Admiral Sampson and
ton of prize money and bounty Is un-
just, because the department has no con-
troll over this matter, the money being
distributed from the treasury and all
questions OF law and fact relative to
prize and bounty having been deter
mined by the courts.
The secretary calls attention to the
laws touching prize and bounty as they
existed at the beginning of the Spanish
war, and says that, though advised by
the attorney general that 1t might make
distribution, the navy department pre-
ferred to place the matter I'm the court
of claims, and SO far from displaying
favoritism adopted the most effective
means In it's power to secure just deter
mination by the courts of law Of the
rights of all concerned.
Department in No Way Responsible.
Touching the claim of Admiral Samp-
son for bounty at Santiago. the secre-
tary says the distribution was made un-
der decree of the court of claims WHICH
taken.
He further points out that under the
prize laws the commander-in- chief of the
fleet Is entitled to his "one-twentieth" of
bounty by virtue of his position as COM
mander-in- chief. whether he Is personally
present during the engagement or not.
Says the secretary: "As commander
in-chief, Admiral Sampson would there
fore under the law have been entitled
to his share of the bounty for the de-
struction of the Spanish ships at Santi-
ago, II he had been on the north shore
OF Cuba at the time. This was the
law, for which the navy department is
In no way responsible"
On this point the secretary says that
the department itself was the first to
realize the inequalities of the laws, and
to make the recommendations that lead
to its repeal, so that a rather amusing
feature of the attacks made upon the de-
partment is that the administration is
blamed more than two years after it had
cured the evil"
The secretary concludes from an ex-
tract from the report of the auditor OF
the treasury for the navy department
showing the status Of the prize money
and bounty cases yet unsettled, owing
to delays in the courts. and predicting
a settlement within the year.
The oath was administered to Messrs
Smith Of Iowa and Weeks of Michigan
who had not heretofore appeared at this
session.
No business was transacted.
Mr.. Loudensslagher of New Jersey an.
nounced the death of Senator Sewell and
in SO doing he paid warm and feeling
tribute to the Citizen, soldier and states
man." whose death, he said, was the
greatest loss the state of New Jer-
sey ever suffered" He offered the Gus.
tomary resolutions, which were adopted
and as a further mark of respect the
house at 1910 .. m. adjourned.