The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-02-06
.vEERING TO SCHLEY
BELIEVED THAT ROCKWELL
 WILL FAVOR HIM.
Navy Department ofiicials Are Great. ly exercised by tthe Latest Devel- opments-0f1cer in Confer
 ence With President.

New York. Feb. 5.-The Worlds Wash l ington special says:
 President Roosevelt will hold that Rear Admiral Schley was in command at the
 battle of Santiago. and will give him the | credit of the victory, at the same time | to the engagement. especially the retro gade movement and the failure to de- stroy the Colon. This is the opinion of those in post
 ton to be best informed as to the Pres;- dents views. It is said he expressed himself along these lines to some callers | today.
 MT. Roosevelt is making a thorough in- vestigation of the case, and practically has constituted himself final court of | inquiry Today he had before him four l of the fleet commanders. Rear Admirals Evans and Taylor, Cap
 tain Clarke and Commander Wainwright had conference Of several hours with | the President today on the matter of the appeal of Admiral Schley from the find ings Of the court of inquiry. It is thought
 that the Presidents answer will not be | ready for some time yet In the mean-
 time it is thought to be the Presidents s
 purpose to confer with number of the | more important officers who gave their
 testimony before the court.
 | While the officers were with the Presi-
 dent today he denied himself 10 all call
 CTS. He also invited them to luncheon. | The President inquired of each regard | ing the various points involved. notwith- | standing the versions of these officers are | on record in the shape of their sworn
 testimony before the court of inquiry.
 In his testimony Captain Clarke empha- | sized the statement that the Brooklyn
 and the Oregon bore the brunt of the
 battle and put the four Spanish cruisers | ou of action.
 l The Washington correspondent of The
 Tribune Administration paper) says:
 The President dispelled all doubts to- | a n lot pt,,af fn,, t,. | to the fullest els prerogative as Com mander-in Chief of the military and na- val forces in reviewing the Schley case.
 lie summoned the surviving captains of the Santiago fight with the exception of Captain Chadwick of the New York and Captain Cook of the Brooklyn, and took up with them the crucial question of the
 whole controversy. that of actual and technical command of the American fleet | Tn the critical period of the destruction
 of Cervera's squadron.
 when the news of the gathering at the White House reached the Navy Depart
 ment as 1t speedily did. 1t created some thing of sensation. for officers on duty at headquarters had hitherto been con ndent that the President was going to | review the case in the customary per functory way by referring the Schley ap- peal and the Judge Advocates comment | to the Department of Justice where the Attorney General would in all proba- = bility find that the Navy Department
 
 such matters, had not committed any le- | gal error in its conduct of the inquiry. | This would have been in strict accord with the time-honored service idea. that | the navy can best take carc of it's own affairs ana uphold it's own honor This view will now have to be aban- doned. and the service is already begin ming to nerve itself for q decision by the President quite as startling as. although somewhat different from, that of Admiral Dewey ne0pIP have had an opportunity of talking with the President on this subject since the court of inquiry were surprised to find from his frank expressions that he in-
 clined to the belief that Schley had been in actual command at the battle, aside from all minor questions regarding his exercise of that authority.
 Naval officers in Washington who know of this inclination have not been able to suppress more or less anxiety about | 1t, but they reasoned that the reopening | of the case would undoubtedly be avoided | by reference to the Attorney General, | relying on the great pressure of impor- | tant national matters on the President s | time.
 l There is ground. however. for saying | that the President considers nothing of | greater importance to the country than | the morale of the navy, and Is deter | mined that just solution of the affair | shall be found. regardless of mere per- soiial prejudices It Is certain that he is not insensible to the naval condemnation of Admiral Schleys discharge of his | duties before June |. while in independent
 command of the flying squadron but he | is also aware that any derefctions at l that time were condoned by the superior | authorities for the moment, and were ! only revived after the victory at Santi- | ago was won.
 | Under these circumstances. there is | every likelihood that the President will | find an answer to the primary questions | of tha entire SampsonSchley question,
 which will be final beyond appeal.