The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1902-02-27
UPHOLDS M'KINLEY VIEW
PRESIDENT RoosEvELT's DEcl.
SION ON scHLEY APPEAL.


Holds That Rewards Recommended
by Mckinley Were substan-
TALLY Just.
Washington, Fep. 20.-The presi-
dent has made the following state.
ment public:
White house, Feb. 10, 1907
have received the appeal of Admiral
Schley and the answer thereto from
the navy department. l lave exam
ined both with the utmost care, as
well as the preceding appeal to the
secretary of the nevy. | have read
through all the testimony taken be-
| fore the court and the statements of
the counsel for Admirals Sampson
and Schley; have examined all the
| official reports of every kind in ref
erence to the Santiago campaign.
copies of the log books ana signal
books, and the testimony before the
court of claims, and have also person
ally had before me the four surviv-
ing captains of the five ships, aside
from those of the two admirals, which
were actively engaged at Santiago.
ut appears that the court of in
quiry was unanimous in its findings of
fact and unanimous in it's express,
sions of opinion on most of it's find
ings of fact. No appeal is made to
me from the verdict of the court on
these points where it was unanimous.
l have, however, gone carefully over
the evidence on these points also.
am satisfied that on the whole the
court did substantial justice.
1T should have specifically con-
| RI ND ho foil 10
ticient blockade at Santiago while
the other hand, feel that there is
reasonable doubt whether he did not
move his squadron with sufficient ex-
petition from port to port. The
court is a unit in condemning Ad-
miral Schley's action on the point
where it seems to me he most grave
ly erred; his 'retrograde movement
when he abandoned the blockade and
his disobedience OF orders and mis-
statements of facts in relation there
to. 1t should be rememDered how
ever that the majority of these ac-
tons which the court censures oc-
CURED five weeks or more before the
fight itself, and it certainly seems
that if Admiral Schleys actions We're
censurable he should not have been
left as second in command under Ad-
miral Sampson. His offenses were in
effect condoned when he was not
called to account for them. Admiral
Sampson, after the fight, in an official
letter to the department, alluded for
the first time to Admiral Schleys
'reprehensible conduct six weeks
previously. If Admiral Schley was
guilty of reprehensible conuuct of a
kind which called for such notice
from Admiral Sampson, then Admiral
Sampson ought not to have left him
as senior officer of the blockading
squadron on the 3rd of July when he
(Sampson) steamed away on his
proper errand of communication with
General Shafter.
I'VE can, therefore, for our present
purposes, dismiss consideration of SO
: much of the appeal as relates to any
thing except the battle. AS regards
this, the point raised in the appeal
is between Admiral Sampson and Ad.
miral Schley as to which was in com,
mand, and as to which was entitled to
the credit, if either cl them was real.
ly entitled to anv unusual and pre-.
eminent credit by any special exhi-
bltion of gent is, skill and courage
The court COLD have considered both
OF these questions, but as matter of
fact it unanimously excluded evil
dence offered upon them and through
its president announced it's refusal to
hear Admiral SIMPSONS side at all;
and in view of such exclusion the ma
jority of the court acted with entire
propriety in not expressing any opin.
ion on these points. The matter has,
however, been raised by the president
of the court. Moreover, it is the point
upon which Admiral Schley in his ap-
peal lays most stress and which he
especially asks me to consider. 1
have, therefore, carefully Investigated
this matter also and have informed
myself upon it from the best sources
OF information at my command
The president then quotes the facts
as set forth in the statements of the
captains in their official reports and
testimony He then proceeds as fol.
lows:
"The question of command is in this
case nominal and technical Admiral
SIMPSONS ship, the New York, was
seen at the outset of the fight from all
the ships except the Brooklyn. Four
OF these five ship captains have tes-
titled that they regarded him as pres
OAI anu III COAulduu. ne SlSQdlGQ
close in to the fleet as soon as the
first Spanish ship appeared, but his
signal was not seen by any American
vessel. He was actually under fire
from the forts and himself fired cou-
pie of shots at the close of action
with the torpedo boats, in addition
to signaling the Indiana just at the
close of the action. But during the
action not single order from him was
received by any of the ships that were
actively engaged.
Admiral schley at the outset of
the action hoisted the two signals of
clear ship and close in which was
simply carrying out the standing
orders of Admiral Sampson as to
what should be done If the enemy's
ships attempted to break out of the
harbor. Until after the close of the
first portion of the fight at the mouth
of the harbor and until after he had
made his loop and the Spanish ships
a. -