Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-02-12
NAYOPENO[DQUARR[[
Sampson-Schley Controversy in
a Fair Way to be Rehashed
in Next Few Months
uNsAvoRy DISH FOR PUBLIC
Sentiment Growing in Favor of Hav-
ing tho Canal Built by the Govern
ment-Less Chance for Scandal and
Crooked Work-Row on Among the
Bidders-Beveridse Indignant.

Bidders-Beveridse Indignant.
Washington, Feb. 12.-It appears
from Senator Rayner's speech last
week, and the resolution which he has
now introduced into congress calling
for a reversal of the presidents decis-
ion in the Schley court of inquiry case,
that the whole of the Improbable and
unsavory Schley- Sampson controversy
is 10 lie reopened and perhaps kept be-
fore the public for another term OF
months, il not years. 1t will be recol-
lected that the president, in passing
upon the findings of the Schley court
Of inquiry, held that Admiral Schley
had been guilty of grave technical err
r3rs during the fight against Cervera's
fleet at Santiago, and that the battle,
as matter of fact, was captains
fight and could not properly be credited
to the direction of either Schley or
Sampson as a fleet commander This
decision. while it naturally created hos
tile comment on both sides while the
controversy was still hot, was in real
ity about as fair as could be rendered
under the circumstances. The battle
OF Santiago was a captains nght IL
ever there was in naval history. Ad-
m;ral Sampson was not on the ground
during any part Of the active engage
ment, and Admiral Schley, while he
may have been nominally in COM
mani. could not be said to have had
any more part in the eventual destruc-
ton of the Spanish fleet than had any
other ship commander in the squadron.
There was undoubtedly much bitter
hostility against Admiral Schley by the
other naval officers on the south side
of Cuba. He was blamed by his enc
mics for many things that he neglected.
and given credit by his friends for
many things that he did not do Adj
mirai Sampson, while fine tactician,
was cold and distant man, who had
not the power of personal magnetism
in the same degree as his rival, and de-
spite his GOODNESS and taciturnity he
undoubtedly died of a broken heart as
the result of the controversy. The pub
liz is tired of the whole affair and it
will. be with great regret that the real
friends OF the navy will see the con-
trovcrsy reopened at all.
Nothing has been definitely decided
about the contract for the construction
of the Panama canal. Chairman
Shonts Of the isthmian canal commits
sion returned to washington this week
and expressed himself as thoroughly in
favor of digging the canal by con-
tract. He also expressed surprise that
Chief Engineer Stevens who hereto
fore has been an advocate of the con-
tract method, should have come out in
an interview announcing that he would
resign from his position unless the con-
struction was undertaken by the canal
commission itself. The whole matter
has been put off for a fortnight while
the war department and the canal
commission investigate the financial
standing of the oliver combination Of
bidders and compare their bid with
that of the Macarthur Gillespie people.
Back Of the whole matter Is a fierce
fight for the canal contract, in which
some of the biggest finacial interests of
the country are engaged. I'M
mense pressure has been brought
to bear on the war department to pre-
vent awarding the contract to oliver
and his associates. Partially, no doubt,
because Thomas Ryan OF New York is
largely back of the scheme, altho not
openly interested in it. On the other
Io 81, 70 1,,y n in
favor Of the Macarthur Gillespie Com
pany, the friends of that Organization
realizing that 1917 per cent profit on a
nearly $200,000,000 job is a government
plum we'll worth trying for. The whole
controversy may explode into a bad
scandal before a decision is reached,
and there are sure to be charges and
countercharges of favoritism and i'm
proper influence, no matter how the
contract may be awarded. 1t is pos
sible, after all, that less heart burning
and jealousy would be engendered if
the commission did the work itself and
if it can estimate the cost as closely as
it is supposed to be able to, there
seems no practical reason why it
should not do the work and save the
government whatever percentage of
government whatever percentage on
the profit would otherwise be paid to a
contractor.
Senator Beverage was bitter in his
comments this week on the house COM
mittee on judiciary which returned his
anti-child labor bill to the appropria-
ton committee Of the house with an,
adverse report saying it was a matter
in which the federal government could
not properly interfere. In speaking of
the report of the committee Senator
Beveridge said:
ut is absurd as a matter of law. 1t
deliberately ignores the decision of the
supreme court, like the famous lottery
decision; ignores the existence of
dozen similar existing laws such as
the meat law, the pure food law, or
the law prohibiting interstate COM
merce in insects, and numerous similar
laws; completely ignores the fact that
the power of congress over interstate
commerce is the same as the power
over foreign commerce, which has
been held to be fact by the supreme