Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1904-04-21
CAPTAIN COWLEs' SHIP.
A Vigorous Enquiry Should Be
Made; Costly aud Fatal and
FREQUENT Casualties.

4AoA@ S1AS
tice off Pensacola, on later reports,
seems to have been much more de-
~structive than was at first given out
by the navy department.. The later
reports have increased the already
large death-roll, and given the in
formation that the Missouri will now
90 to New York to be locked and
repaired.
A court Of inquiry will be con-
vened. 1t will not be the first court
of inquiry which has had some in
vestigating IN regard to the Missouri
to do. And thereby hangs a tale.
Not long since, when the Missouri
and the Illinois ran into each other,
a similar court of inquiry was called.
Wherever the responsibility for the
collision belonged, it was not placed
upod the brother-in-laW of the pres
ident. The Army and Navy Jour
nal, in a recent issue, charges that
the presidents brother-in-laW, Com
mander CoWles Of the Missouri, was
resi- onsible for the collision, and that
he was only saved from courtmartial
by Official interference with the court
Of inquiry. The journal alleges that
the board of inquiry received a tele-
gram, evidently from some n high
in authority, and that upon the re-
ceipt of this wine the Missouri-Illi-
nOis collision case was, in 20 far as
the presidents brother-in-laW was
concerned in the matter, Whitewash-
ed; the navy department thus being
saved the embarrassment OF putting
such a courtmartial upon Captain
Cowles.
Secretary Moody, of the navy de-
partment, has demanded of the ed
ltor of the Army and Navy Journal
the name of the sender of that tele-
gram. The editor of the paper,
questioning theright of the secretary
to make such a demand has ignored
it. And the members OF the board
of inquiry have, very naturally, de-
MED receipt of such a telegram. But
the editor Of the Army and Navy
Journal, in spite of departmental
displeasure, and the denial Of the
members of the board, reiterates his
allegation that such a telegram was
sent from Washington to the sitting
of the court of inquiry, and says his
statement is based upon the highest
authority, which he ''still regards as
unexceptionabla." Moreover, the
editor repeats, celebrating it to the
extent of two columns, his charges
that it was Captain Cowles who was
responsible for the collision between
the Missouri and the Illinois.
And there the matter rests until
the editor of the Army and Navy
journal gets ready to print what he
knows, if he really knows anything.
1t is a question Of veracity, the ed
itor against the secretary. While it
seems hardly likely that the editor
of so staid and conservative a paper
as the Army and Navy Journal
would make any charges of such a
damaging nature unless he had the
facts up his sleeve to substantiate
them, yet it SCENE to US to be his
duty to reveal the facts. 1t may be
that the "high authority" from
which he got the information con
corning the alleged telegram, now
that he sees how much of a sensation
the publication of the story has kick
ed up, has left him in the lurch
which is a thing that high authori
ties sometimes do. But in any case
if the editor has Information regard
ing collision between the admins
tration and the court of Inquiry 70
the purpose of saving the president
brother-in-law from courtmartial h
should not withhold it.
There is one thing. however, whic.
the American people have a right t
be extremely indignant about. An
that is the long series of accident
which have happened to the expe1
sive battleships for which the peopl
have paid. We say nothing concer1
ing the recent accident aboard th
Missouri, nor should anything /
said until the inquiry is completed
But for this long chain of disaster
in time of peace, it is very evidel
that there has been no adequate a
counting. In the case of the pres
dents brother-in-law, it is to |
hoped that neither Of the two acc
dents. the last one SO terrible. hay