Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1902-02-27
THE PRESIDENT AND SCHLEY CASE.

When Admiral Schley appealed his case
to President Roosevelt, the country decid-
ed that the Presidents decision should be
all end of the dispute; and from what we
can gather from the tone of the press com.
ments that is likely to be the result.
On the 10th inst. the President gave his
findings to the public, and any one who
reads it will be satisfied that he has made
q careful and courageous study of the
case. He says: 81 have read through all
the testimony taken before the court, and
the statements of counsel for Admirals
Sampson and Schley, have examined all
the Official reports of every kind in refer
ence to the Santiago naval campaign, cop
les of the log books and signal books and
the testimony before the Court of Claims,
and have personally had before me the
four surviving captains of the five ships
aside from those CT the two admirals which
were actively engaged at Santiago" Be.
sides he has evidently read all the maya
zine articles written by the captains soon
after the battle. The President further
says:
ut appears that the Court of Inquiry
was unanimous in Its findings of fact and
unanimous in its expressions on most of its
findings of fact. No appeal is made to me
from the verdict of the Court on these
POINTS where it was unanimous. | have,
however, gone carefully over the evidence
on these points also. am satisfied that
OH the whole the Court did substantial
justice. 1t should have specifically con-
demned the failure to enforce an efficient
night blockade at Santiago while Admiral
Schley was in command On the other
hand, feel that there is reasonable doubt
whether he did not move his squadron
with sufficient expedition from port t.
port. The Court is unit in condemning
Admiral Schley's action on the point
where, it seems to me, he most gravely
erred; his 'retrograde movement when be
abandoned the blockade, and his disobe-
dience of orders and misstatement of facts
in relation thereto"
He holds that Admiral Sampson was
theoretically in command, but that when
the fight was made, neither Sampson nor
Schley was practically in. command, that
it was a captains fight. He makes Vain.
wright the hero of the battle, which we
have always claimed him to be. This is
what he says of Wainwright's part in the
battle:
"The most striking act was that of the
Gloucester, converted yacht, which her
commander, Wainwright, pushed into the
fight through hail of projectiles, any one
of which would have sunk her, in order to
do bis part in destroying the two torpedo
boats. each possessing far more than bis
own offensive power"
After giving Admiral Schley credit for
what the Brooklyn did in the fight, the
President proceeds to speak in condemna-
ton Of the famous "loop" made by that
ship, which the President says: "Serious.
ly marred the Brooklyrs otherwise excel
lent record, being in fact, the one grave
mistake made by any American ship that
day." He then proceeds to show that the
"loop" was serious and dangerous mis-
take.
The closing part of the Presidents opin.
ion endorses the recommendation of the
Court of Inquiry, Admlrals Dewey, Benham
and Ramsey, that no further action be had |
in the matter. The public will heartily
concur with the President in this recon-
mendation.
THE railroad Hobbies are gathering thick
and fast at Richmond since the Legislature