Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-08-19
sAmPsoN-scHLEY CONTROVERSY.

SAMPSON sCHLEY CONTROVERSY.
Admiral Schley has written an arti
Gle for the Saturday Evening Post of
last week, telling how the Battle off
Santiago Bay was fought. and the
part he took in it.. and what orders
were given, and what obeyed, and
where Admiral Sampson was at the
time the battle was fought, when he
arrived on the scene, and what had
happened at the time of his arrival.
The mistake Admiral Schley made
was In referring his case to President
Roosevelt. The country was on his
side, the people knew he had command
in that battle, no matter what the
naval officers said. They felt Schley
had no chance before that board, that
it had decided the case before it heard
the evidence, and that Capt. Chadwick
was in command" of Sampson, If
snch term may be used-Or rather
the power behind the Sampson throne.
They knew that Sampson really had
no mind of his own on the day of that
battle, at least not enough to command.
and they further knew that he had
shown long before that battle such
symptoms of mental weakness as
should have been noticed at Washing.
ton, and the command OF the fleet
changed. But as Chadwick was
governing Sampson matters We're
allowed to drift on, and when the bat
tie was fought and report of it made
public opinion has always attributed
that report to Capt. Chadwick and
not to Admiral Sampson. The cOun.
try saw that Sampson soon thereafter
went entirely to pieces, and was never
able to utter syllable either at the
trial or for long time before, and died
shortly after, with shrOud of mystery
about his illness.
1t saw that magazine printed an
article as coming from Sampson pen,
describing the battle, but In the light
OF subsequent events, and events
which came with such hot pursuit
upon the trail of that article, that it
has never believed the article written
by Sampson, in fact the public has
fully been convinced that either the
battle was fought without a cOmman
der, or that if it had a commander in
Admiral Sampson, that commander
was practically irresponsible. Now if
Sampson was incapable of command
ing at that battle had he been present,
1t is much more certain that the battle
a0ds not attributable to aay genius
OF has, and certainly not to his indiyid-
al effort when be was in fact eleven
miles away. If, however, be had been
present at the battle It would have
been due him. We suppose, to say that
be did direct it, and possibly the
country would have accorded him such
honor, even though it afterward was
led to believe he was a mental wreck
at the time. But it is useless, it is
foolish, indeed it would be criminal
to say, and more criminal TO be fact
that our poor irresponsible Admiral
should be taken by a captain who
dominated him. and carried eleven
miles away and no one left in command
OF our fleet. This. in the presence of
an enemy who were every moment
expected to rush into the open sea to
attack, would have been such a viola.
tiOn of the laws of war as to have
subjected al officer committing such
to be condemned to death. Would
anybody except our cratic president
so condemn Sampson as to say that be
had by inference made the captains
commanders and left every ship to act
for itself? If 80, there was never need
OF a commander, 80 that he might Just
as we'll have proceeded to New York
as to where he did go.
The truth. as the public view it. is
that Chadwick who was appraised of
Admiral SIMPSONS infirmity as the
country believes, wanted no honors to
go to Schley. He, himself, wanted
perferment and prize money. He
knew, unless he were blind, that per-
ferment must soon come and that prize
money was in sight. He knew that
Sampson had been jumped over MANY
heads, and leap frog could be played
by others, himself possibly, as We'll as
Sampson. But he did not know that
the Spaniards were coming out that
day, SO he took his Charge" hoisted
his flag, as he had done before. sig
mailing to disregard the fiagship.n
and went off just as be did once before
when he left The fleet and went to cap
ture prize. Chadwick seems to have
been thrifty fellow, before Santiago
was fought he had been capturing
prizes, leaving the fleet "uncommand-
cred. frlze money entered largely into
the destruction of the Spanish fleet.
and this covers multitude of sins,
THIS accounts for the combination to
disgrace Schley, ana this accounts for
the most miraculous naval battle of
the world, "a Captains battle" The
Schley court martial will always be
regarded as farce, and the ''review''I
OF 1t by President Roosevelt will
always be regarded as travesty on
logic, on naval dicipline, on naval
warfare and OH common Justice. It
is only another of the many reasons
why MIR. Roosevelt should be hone
essly defeated
The Russia Gar has this to console
him in his trOuhas that no no. ;r.t