Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-02-06
The SCHLEY APPEAL
"Comment" Of the Naval Depart
ment Submitted to Roosevelt.
The Chief CHARGES IN The INQUIRY
The Commentators Accuse Admiral schlsy
Of Having shifted He Ground-Ihe
Question Of Who Was In Command
at the Battle Of Santiago Boy.

Washington, Jan. 31.-The come
ment" of Judge Advocate General
Lemly and Solicitor Hanna upon the
appeal Of Admiral Schley was submit
ted to the president by Secretary
Long yesterday. The commentators
begin with the statement that Ad'
miral Schley and his counsel have
shifted their ground, They say the
chief features Of the case were THE
retrograde movement" "disobedience
Of ORDERS" inaccurate and mislead-
ing official reports" failure to de-
stroy the vessels Of the enemy lying
within sight," and "injustice to .
brother officer" These matters are all
grave. The first was that the finest
aggregation of American vessels un-
der one command was, by Schley's di-
rection, turned about and headed for
Key West, more than 700 miles dis
tant, when within % miles OF Santi-
ago, where the enemy's ships were.
The second was that Schley deliber-
ately and knowingly disobeyed the
secretary's orders overtaking him in
his retrograde movement. The third
was that Schley's reason, officially
given for the retrograde movement
and disobedience of orders, !. e., shat
the flying squadron was short OF
coal,' was not true. The fourth was
that for three days some Of the Span
ish ships lay within reach Of the fly
ing squadron and no sufficient effort
was made to destroy them. The fifth
involves the point Of honor. The COM
mentators say: upon all the above
named features, believed by us to be
the most important, If not the only
really important matters, into which
the court made inquiry, the conduct
Of Admiral Schley was condemned by
that most distinguished tribunal. Adj
miral Dewey and Rear Admirals Ben
ham and Ramsay united in their find
ings and opinion upon all these sew
eral points, and they united also in
the significant recommendation that
no further proceedings be had in
view of the length of time which has
elapsed since the occurrence of the
events of the Santiago campaign 4"
The commentators charge that Ad-
mral Schley now ignores all these
grave matters and bases his appeal
upon unimportant features of the
case as compared with the grave mat
tiers above referred to, upon which
there was not, and in the face of the
testimony could not have been, any
difference of opinion in the court"
The commentators say they recog-
nize the fact that Admiral Schley de-
voted by far the larger part of his
appeal to the question of command,
and consequently gave that question
a proportionate space in their COM
ment. They declare that the ques-
ton is between Sampson and Schley,
both alike are interested, and to in
vestigate it fairly both should be
heard.
To sustain their contention that
Sampson was in command, the COM
mentators quote passages from
Schleys report of July 6, 1898. as fol-
lows; "I-he torpedo BOAT uestr1yers
were destroyed early in the action,
but the smoke was so dense in their
direction that | cannot say to which
vessel or vessels the credit belongs.
This doubtless was better seen from
your flagship. The dense smoke of
the combat shut out from my view
the Indiana and the Gloucester, but,
as these vessels were closer to your
flagship, no doubt their part in the
conflict was under your immediate
observation"
And, as showing schley's own opin-
ion of who was in command, they
quote this passage from his dispatch
Of July 10, 1898, to the secretary OF
the navy: "Feel some modification
that the newspaper accounts of July
6 have attributed victory Of July 4
almost entirely to me. Victory was
secured by the force under the COM
mand of the commander-in-chief of
the North Atlantic station, and to
him the honor is due" Further, they
quote .Schley's letter Of December IS,
1901, to Secretary Long, justifying
the "loop" on the expressed ground
that it was made "in the execution
Of the standing order to close in" II
is asked: "But If he was then himself
in command, how happens it that he
was executing the orders of some
body else in commando"
MARTIN NORTON RESIGNS.