The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-01-08
ARTHUR ROPES, General Ed itor
HIS MERIT RECOGNIZED.

the length and breadth of this land,
give frequent and gratifying evidence
of the extent of Captain Clark's fame
aud the warmth of the recognition of
the fact that he is first in rank among
the heroes of the naval campaign in
West Indian seas in the late war with
Spain. Among many others which
are publishing editorial articles, Civ
ing the true story of the part that
Captain Clark of the Oregon played in
the grimly decisive battle of Santiago
de Cuba, and the timely arrival of the
ship on the scene of naval action
that outranks any other in history, is
the Kansas City Journal. Subjoined is
the introductory paragraph of the
Journals article:
In the testimony given at the Schley
investigation it was revealed that on
the day of battle at Santiago the
battleship Oregon was best prepared
of all the American fleet to go into &C
ton. When Cervera's fleet came out
there was fire under every boiler in
the Oregon, something that is not
thermore, the boilers were in such ex-
cellent condition that they made steam
up to their utmost capacity. The re-
suit was that in the running fight the
Oregon was able to overtake and pass
the Texas and Iowa, and to overtake
and keep up with the Brooklyn i'll the
long chase after Cervera's flagship.
The significance of this may be appre-
ciated when it is remembered that of
the four ships the Oregon is given the
lowest speed register by the navy de-
partment, the speed in knots for each,
per hour, being stated as follows:
Brooklyn, %; Iowa. II. 81; Texas, IS ;
Oregon, 1919. And the wonderful
performance of this vessel appears all
the more striking from the fact that
she forced herself inside of all the
American vessels and maintained the
closest place to the Spanish fleet
through all of the fighting, besides
overcoming the initial advantage had
y the Brooklyn, Texas, and Iowa at
the beginning of the action.
The Journal proceeds to recount
facts, circumstances and incidents of
the memorable cruise the blockade and
battle, that were first published in
the Montpelier Journal, and which
have since been given world wide
currency. Concluding, the editor says:
We confess that we have never I'M
derstood the Clark case. An explana-
ton from the navy department de-
clares that there was no intent to
withhold from him any of the honors
or promotions that his services had
earned that it simply happened UNI
der the acts of Congress in promoting
the heroes of Manila and Santiago
that discrimination against Captain
Clark crept in. If that is the case,
Congress should hasten to correct a
manifest injustice and give Captain
CLARK the advancement which his adj
mirable services have unquestionably
earned.
Enlightenment would come to the
contemporary through knowledge of
the strength and power of the navy
department clique, to which the ami
able and unheroic Long is an unresist-
ing captive. There has been "intent
to withhold from Captain Clark the
honors or promotions that his services
have earned otherwise the reward
due him could not have been with
held. 1t makes no difference whether
the intent was a set purpose, or
whether it simply happened in
this convenient way or in that, or
whether on this pretext or that justice
has not only not been done to Captain
Clark, but no movement has been
made by the secretary Of the navy
to do him adequate justice, to bestow
upon him honor or promotion COM
mensurate with his services-services
in both the successful run at forced
speed from San Francisco to Key West,
and in the battle which to his vision
was impending in the West Indies and
in which his ship was the dom
mating force, without which the
great victory in all its terrible COM
pleteness had not been won.
The Secretary found no difficulty in
hosting Dewey high over the heads
of his senior officers to make him
rear admiral for his brilliant achieve
ment i'll Manila bay; he found no diff
Guilty i'll boosting Sampson up from
the rank of captain to the grade of
rear admiral, and in placing this crea-
tion of official favor above all his
seniors, in the chief command of ma
val operations in the Gulf and Carrib-
bean.
In the other arm of military service,
the Army, the department of war
swung a volunteer officer over the
heads of host of regular army Off
GERS of long service, to make him
brigadier general i'll the regular army
for what? For trapping a Filipino
chief. This advancement corresponds
with the promotion of naval captain
TO the rank of a junior rear admiral,
III the matters of honor and emolu-
ments. Compare Funston's exploit
with Clark's services! A similar pro-
motion ,uoo trouchcofad Con Wood