Waterbury Democrat., 1902-02-25
ROOSEVELT ON THE HOOP. Z


 President Roosevelt would speak
 with considerable authority in regard to hunting men or beasts on land. h regard to naval warfare he has had no experience Tn his memorandum
 in regard to the Schley controversy he must therefore be taken as q lay man. like most of the rest of us, although he speaks under far heav- fer responsibility The point made
 by him, that he is really asked to de- eide whether or not President Me Kinley did injustice in the matter" is dexterous, from political point of view; but it has nothing to do with the reasons frankly advanced
 by him as the ground of his own opinion.
 This matter of being q layman in regard to seafights is important.
 What a layman says i'll regard to the
 handling of ship is not conclusive: it is only fresh matter for considera- ton. Take the point of the turn, or loop, made by the Brooklyn. 'sIt''
 this loop-so we are assured by the president. was s.in fact the one grave mistake made by an American ship that day. Even if, President Roose- Welt declares the Brooklyn, by turn ing to the westward--it must be re- membered that she was obliged to make turn either eastward or west ward, or else undertake the un-na,lti
 cal and ruinous feat of sailing across Cuba-had brought herself into ssdan- gerous proximity to the enemy
 thls Kind of danger musr not be too nlcely weighed by those whose trade IL IS 10 dare greatly for the honor of the nag The phrase is not a nice one Tor the president of the Unified
 States to use about the only ship that was spattered with the lifeblood or an American sailor on that Sunday morning. but this is a question of proper feeling
 What is important is that presi- dent Roosevelt does not know that if was ''this kind of danger,,-+bat is- danger that a man is afraid of on his own personal account-that caused the Brooklyn t0 turn with the Dort helm. The loss of the fighting effin. iency of ones own ship is also a dan. ger to be looked out for by a con- petent seaman The most effective use or the instrument of warfare placed at the disposal of a naval com mander by his country is always j proper matter of consideration and prudent judgment on his par. and no cowardice is involved in a recollec- tion of this part of his duty. This applies particularly to a fighting unit in fleet: the conditions of torpedo boat warfare are altogether different. CaDtain Cook and Rear Admiral Schley have testified that both-tried and trusted sailors that they are without consultation. agreed as to the advisable turn to be made: that Captain Cook gave the order. and that Commodore Schley, almost im- mediately, repeated it. Both saw that the fighting formation must be extended. in order to meet the exigen- cies of the battle. and neither was responsible for any attack of ssnerves' on board the Texas. or for any out- burst of manly regrets or unmanly Jealous1es in other quarters. The results, too, came out absolutely in accordance with their almost instan- taneous Judgment and expectations no American ship was injured. and not one Spanish ship escaped
 President Roosevelt is of the opin- ion that this turn was s'the one grave mistake" of the day on the American side But apart from the results. which so conclusively and brilliantly justify the handling of the Brooklyn at that important moment. what are sea training and sea experiences worth, if they are not good as against later opinion as to how it should nave been done. given by any lands man Whatsoeyer2 President Roose- Welt declares that, according to his estimate of the matter. and aside rom the loop, the Brooklyn "did well" that Admiral Schley handled the Brooklyn manfully and well'. af- ter the turn had been made: and that in the chase of the Colon the Brook lyn and Oregon share the credit be- tween them." 1t is not credible that Captain Cook and Commodore Schley lost their heads as seamen, together and absolutely, at the moment of bringing their ship into line with the neelng Spaniards, and kept their heads perfectly and admirably during all the rest of the four hours battle Other sailors might have handled the Brooklyn differently. and the Lord only knows how landsmen would have handled her; but the one thing definitely known and established is that she was handled safely and sue 
 It will be observed that upon the main question treated i'll this meinor- andum- that of the actual com mand of the four battle ships and one cruiser that made up the American fleet in the action at Santiago July 3, Roosevelt differs with so competent and experienced sailor as Admiral Dewey. The subject of difference, however, is one that every trained man is competent to handle. It is a mere matter of knowledge and reasoning power and candor. It will be instructive to examine, at more length than we can spare to-day the and course of the presidents reasoning. Some of the grounds are his own, and some are accepted by