New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-30
HOW DEWEY GOT HIS CHANCE
He Was Sent to the Asiatic Squadron by
OficiaIdom to Shelve Him
TO The Editor of The Tribune.

To the Editor OF The Tribune'
Sir: When. after n long absence IN the
consular service, I came home on WISH in
1908. the Spanish-American War was IN prog
ress Being out of touch with events was
interested in getting all the inside informa-
ton I could. So, about two months aiter
the battle of Manila Bay, where in an hour
Admiral Dewey had won position and was
acclaimed the hero of our people, IN CONVEX
sation with the late Colonel Daniel ,. La
mont he asked: "Did you ever hear why
Dewey happened to be near Manila when the
war came?p replied that | had had no
means Of knowing anything about the unuer-
currents Of affairs, so he said;
ain March, 1897, when the Mckinley Ad-
ministration came into power and 1t was
clear that a war with Spain could not De
much longer averted, George Dewey had been
for several years at the head Of one OF the
principal bureaus of the Navy Department
He was then in his sixtieth year, with two
or three years more to serve before retire.
ment
"His service had been conspicuous. He
had instructed a good many Secretaries Of
the Navy of both parties, and had saved
most Of them from serious trouble and com
plicatons. / need scarcely insist how thor
oughly he was equipped by character, educa-
ton, training and experience; but 1t soon
became evident that he was not to be in
favor with the new regime. Under all the
ordinary rules governing promotion he was
entitled TO the prize command Of the navy
the North Atlantic Squadron. But, as he
was not over amenable TO control or sugges-
ton, this was thought by the politicians as
we'll as ambitious rivals in the department
to be too near home and too prominent, so
this recognition was denied him.
at then occurred to some wiseacres that
the Asatic Squadron was available. IL was
remote and though creditable to its head 1t
was insisted that nothing ever happened
there, which made it a very good place for
shelving an officer either obnoxious or too
capable-in other words, letting him down
easy. AS a result, Dewey was assigned TO
the command of this squadron ard sent to
the Far East.
Apparently nobody thought about any
clouds forming on the horizon in the Far
East and, so far as the Philippine Islands
were concerned, even their existence was I'M
suspected or discounted. 1t was felt that il
there was to be any naval contest at all it
would be in the waters around Cuba or else
where in the Atlantic.
Dewey had scarcely reached his station
when the sinking OF the Maine precipitated
the war earlier than had been expected even
by those elements and forces that were at
tempting to push our people into the con-
test The fateful first day Of May came with
George Dewey in command of his squadron.
He was on the ground and the rest is known.
lie was ready for the job, and when it was
finished there were no more real naval honors
to be had out of the Spanish War; hence the
quarrel that followed about the little left
over things. It has seemed to me that fate
played tricks with a good many people, but
with none more than with the politicians
and the over-smart schemers OF the navy,
who gave George Dewey the chance TO be-
come a national hero in spite of himself and
his friends indeed, while denying his just
claims to recognition and promotion. 1t has
always struck me as one of the odd unfore-
seen revenges that time has way of bring
ing in"
noted these sayings at the time and, now
that the admiral has passed over, it seems to
me that the information and conclusions of
an acute and observing mind, with unsur-
passed facilities for knowing may not be
without public interest or value.
GEORGE F. PARKER.
New York Jan. q, 1917