Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1902-02-20
SETTLED BY
THE PRESIDENT
Neither Sampson Nor Sch|ey Are Entitled to any
Extraordinary Credit for the Victory
at Santiago.
1T WAS A CAPTAINS FIGHT
President Roosevelt Goes Thoroughly Into the Sampson
SchIey Controversy and Settles II In His Own
Characteristic and Just Manner--No Further
Action In the Matter.

Baltimore, Md, Feb. 20.-Isidor Ra.
ner, counsel for Rear Admiral Schle
left for Washington this morning. Fl
declined to comment upon Presider
Roosevelts decision in the matter {
Admiral Schley's appeal from the fint
ings of the court of inquiry. Presider
Roosevelt this morning made publ
his decision on the appeal Of Admire
Schley, the statement making over fou
columns of newspaper matter, tn
following being the most importan
extracts:
''The court is united in condemnin
Admiral Schleys action on the poin
where it seems to me he most gravel
erred. Hs retrograde movement, whel
he abandoned the blockade and hi
disobedience of orders and misstate
ments of facts in relation thereto.
should be remembered, however tha
the majority of these actions which thu
court censures occurred five weeks OF
more before the fight itself, and it GER
tainly seems that if Admiral Schley's
actions We're censurable he should moi
be left as second in command under
Admiral Sampson. His offenses We're
in effect condoned when he was moi
called to account for them.
''In short, the question as to which of
the two men, Admiral Sampson or Ad-
miraI Schley, was at the time in COM
mand is Of merely nominal character.
Io1 "a
feet and Schley, as usual, the western
division. The actual fact, the import
ant fact, is that after the battle was
started not helm was shifted, not a
gun was fired, not a pound of steam
was put on the engines aboard any
ship actively engaged in obedience to
the orders of either Sampson or Schley,
save on their own vessels. 1t was q
captains fight.
Therefore, the credit to which each
Of the two is entitled rests on matters
apart from the claim of nominal COM
nand over the squadron; for, so far as
the actual fight was concerned, neither
r:ie .lor the other ir fact exercised any
command. Sampson was hardly more
than technically in the fight. His real
claim for credit rests upon his work as
coInmander-in-c chief, upon the excel
lence of the blockade, upon the prepar-
edness of the squadron, upon the ar
rangements of the ships head-on in
semi-circle around the harbor and the
standing orders in accordance with
which they instantly moved to the at
tack of the Spaniards when the latter
appeared. For all these things the
credit is due Admiral Sampson.
Admiral Schley is rightly entitled,
as Is Captain Cook, to the credit of
what the Brooklyn did in the ,ight.
On the whole she did well; but agree
with the unanimous finding of the
three admirals who composed the court
of inquiry as to the loop 1t seriously
marred the Brooklyn's otherwise excel
lent record, being, in fact, the one
grave mistake made by an American
ship that day. Had the Brooklyn
turned to the westward, that is, in the
same direction that the Spanish ships
were going, instead of in the contrary
direction, she would undoubtedly have
been in more dangerous proximity to
them. But 1t would have been more |
dangerous for them as well as for her |
This kind of danger must not be too |
nicely weighed by those whose trade is |
tosdare greatly for the honor of the |
flag. Moreover, the danger was GER
tainly not as great as that which, |
in the self-same moment, menaced
Wainwrfght's fragile craft as he drove
her forward against the foe. 1T was
not in my Judgment as great as the
danger to which the Texas was ex-
posed by the turn as actually made.
It certainly caused both the Brooklyn
and the Texas to materially lose in
position as compared to the fleeing
Spanish vessels. But after the loop
had been taken, Admiral Schley han
died the Brooklyn manfully and we'll.
She and the Oregon were thenceforth
the headmost of the American vessels
though the Iowa certainly, and SEEM
ingly the Texas, also did as much in
hammering to a standstill the Vizcaya,
Ouuendo and Teresa, while the Indiana
did all her eastward position and Grip
pled machinery permitted. In the
chase of the Colon the Brooklyn and
Oregon share the credit between them.
"Under the circumstances 1t seems
to me that the recommendations OF
President Mckinley were eminently
proper, and that, so far as Admirals
Sampson and Schley were concerned.
it would have been unjust for him to
have made other recommendations
Personally I feel that in view of
Captain Clarls's voyage in the Oregon
and the condition in which he brought
her to the scene Of service, as well as
the way in which he actually managed
her before and during the fight, 1t
would have been well to have given
him the same advancement that was
given Wainwright. But, waiving this,
it is evident Wainwright was entitled
to receive more than any Of the other
and that It was just to
Admiral Sampson that he should re-
ceive greater advance IN numbers
than Admiral Schley. There was
nothing done In the battle that war;
ranted an unusual reward for either.
Tn short, as regards Admirals Sampson
ana schley. find that President Nc