The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1904-08-12
ADMIRAL SCHLEY
SPEAKS AT LAST
Claims He Is Entitled 10 Credit Of
Santiago Victory and was In
Command.
SENSATION AT WASHINGTON.

Philadelphia. Pa. Aug l2.-Admiral
schley. in an exhaustive article in the
Saturday Evening Post. makes the fol.
lowing assertion ON the mooted ques.
ton as 10 whether he was In charge of
the American squadron at Santiago;
AT about si45 u. m. of July 3. 1898
the flag orderly Of the Brooklyn re-
ported that a signal had been made
from the New York 10 disregard move
nents Of the commander in chief. and
that the flagship had gone eastward at
high speed also that the Massachusetts,
had withdrawn from the blockade dur.
ing the middle watch az to a. M and
had gone eastward Where either ship
had gone. or for what purpose. had not
been youchsafed To the commander of
the second squadron. whose flag. thus
left on the blockading lines in accord
anc with the naval regulations. consti.
tuted the commander Of the second
squadron, the senior officer present in
command.
THE regulations Of the navy settle
that beyond any doubt. by fixing the
responsibility of such officer when the
service exigeneies impose such duties
upon him. The unwritten custom for
centuries for governing or for CONTROL.
ing such matters have been gathered
into a written code for the service guild
ance. The theory upon which all mill
tary organization j. based. whether a
squad or squadron, is that no ele-
ment Of such organization can ever be
left without a responsible commander,
and no military exigeney can occur In
war when such force is ever left with.
ont some one in control The dates OF
commission held by officers is for the
purpose Of fixing this very question.
The different graduations in the non.
commissioned ranks are but the con
tinuation Of the line of command. in
ease the ravages of battle remove one
after another In the commissioned
grades. There must be some one upon
whom the responsibilities of defeat can
h. imposed"
EFFECT AT WASHINGTON.
Washington. ID. C.. Aug l2-Admiral
Schley's article in the Philadelphia Post
has created a profound sensation here.
When the controversy was in the
heighth Of its torridity, and there was a
chance to then and there settle the ques
ton. Admiral Schlcy was silent. Ad
miral Sampson is now dead and unable
to defend himself against some OF the
attacks and insinuations made against
him in Admiral Schley's article just
published.
Publications Of all parties seem To re.
gard the article uncalled for. especially
at this late day, and further realize
that breach Of discipline that may
assume more gravity than now appears.
has been committed.
Some claim that is II political trick.
an effort 10 make political capital by
forcing the federal authorities 10 take
cognizance of the gross infraction rules
and proceed against the author, with a
hope that the succeeding complications
may be used TO advantage against the
Republican ticket by the Democrats, as
il is known that the Democrats would
take up Admiral Schley's cause, even as
they did in the former controversy.
The concensus of opinion is that the
article under the circumstances could
have been intended for nothing else than
a disturber, and that il is the intention
of Admiral Sehley 10 retire from the
navy to enter politics, and this is his
debut.