Evening journal., 1902-02-20
PRESIDENT is
AGAINST SCHLEY
Says Mckinley Settled the
Question Of Command
BROOELYNS LOOP CONDEMNED
After Battle Started Not a Gun Was
Fired by Order OF Either Samp-
son Or SChlGy

Washington, Feb 2O.-President
Roosevelts decision in Admiral
schley's appeal from the findings Of
the court Of inquiry was made public
today The president says
"Five-sixths of Admiral Schley's ap-
peal is devoted to the question of
command and credit; that is, to mat
ter which the court of inquiry did not
consider It is in effect an appeal from
the action Of President Mckinley
three years ago, when he sent in the
recommendations for promotion for the
various officers connected with the
Santiago squadron, basing these rec
concentrations upon his estimate of
the credit to which the officers were
respectively entitled. What l have to
decide. therefore, is whether or not
President Mckinley did injustice in the
matter The question of command is in
this case nominal and technical Ad-
miral Simpsons hagship,the New York,
was seen at the outset of the fight
from all the other ships except the
Brooklyn He signaled "Close in" to
the feet as soon as the first Spanish
ship appeared but his signal was not
seen by and American vessel. But
during the action not a single order
from him was received by any of the
ships that were actively engaged.
Admiral Schley at the outset of the
action hoisted two signals of Clear
ship" and "Close in" which was sim
ply carrying out the standing orders of
Admiral Sampson as to what should
be done if the enemys ships attempted
70 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 were fleeing to the
westward, not another American ship
noticed a signal from him.
"In short. the question as to which
of the two men, Admiral Sampson OF
Admiral Schley, was at the time in
command, is of merely nominal char
acter. Technically Sampson com
manded the fleet, and Schley as
usual. the western division. The
actual fact, the important fact, is that
after the battle was joined not helm
was shifted, not a gun was fired MOI
a pound of steam was put on in the
engine room aboard any ship actively
engaged in obedience to the order o
either Sampson or Schley. save OF
their own two vessels. II was a cap
tains fight.
Therefore, the credit to which eacl
of the two is entitled rests on matters
apart from the claim of nominal com
mand over the squadron for so far a
the actual fight was concerned neithe
one nor the other in fact eXercisel
any command. Sampson was hardl,
more than technically in the fight Hi
real claim for credit rests upon hi
work as commander-in-chief; upon tn
excellence of the blockade; upon tn
preparedness of the squadron; upo
the arrangement of the ships head-o
in a semi-circle around the harbor
and the standing orders in accordanc
with which they instantly moved
the attack of the Spaniards when tn
latter appeared. For all these thing
the credit is his.
Admiral Schley is rightly entitle
AS is Captain Cook-to the credit {
what the Brooklyn did in the fight. o
the whole she did we'll; but ! agre
with the unanimous finding of th
three admirals who composed th
court of inquiry as to the loop.
seriously marred the Brooklyn's OF
erwise excellent record being in fa
the one grave mistake made by an
American ship that day. Had Il
Brooklyn turned TO the westward, th
is. in the same direction that Il
Spanish ships were going instead
in the contrary direction. she wou
undoubtedly have been in more 'da
gerous proximity to them But
would have been more dangerous f
them as we'll as for her. This XIII
of danger must not he too nice
weighed by those whose trade it
TO dare greatly for the honor of q
flag. Moreover, the danger was G.
tainly not as great as that which,
the self-same moment. menaced Wa
wright's fragile craft as he drove Il
ward against the foe. 1t was not
my Judgment as great as the dane
10 which the Texas was exposed
the turn as actually made. 1t C
tainly caused both the Brooklyn a
the Texas materially to lose positi
compared to the fleeing Spanish v
sells. But after the loop had once be
taken Admiral Schley handled
Brooklyn manfully and well. She a
the Oregon were thenceforth the he
most of the American vessels-thou
the Iowa certainly. and seemingly
Texas also. did as much in hammer
TO standstill the Viscaya, Oquer
and Teresa. In the chase Of the Co