The Washington herald., 1917-02-04
TRICK OF FATE KIND TO DEWEY
Politicians shelved Sailor, but Luck
INTERVIEWED, Says Writer.

Editor The Washington Herald: When
after long absence in the consular SER
vice, l came home on a visit in 1895 the
Spanish-American war was in progress,
Being out of touch with events, l was
interested in getting all the inside in
formation I could. So. about two months
after the battle of Manila Bay, where in
an hour Admiral Dewey had won posi-
tion and was acclaimed the hero of our
people, in conversation with the late
Col. Daniel S. Lamont, he asked Ibid
you ever hear why Dewey happened to
be near Manila when the war Gamer"
Replying that I had had no means of
knowing anything about the undercur-
rent of affairs, he said: We'll. I'll tell
you.'
I'm March. 1897, when the Mckinley adj
ministration came into power and 1t was
clear that a war with Spain could not
be 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 retirement.
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 complications. I need scarcely insist
how thoroughly he was equipped by
character. education, training and ex-
perience; 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 well as ambitious rivals in the de-
partment to be too near home and too
prominent; so this recognition was denied
him
1T then occurred to some wiseacre that
the Asiatic squadron was available. 1t
was remote and, though creditable to its
head, it was insisted that nothing ever
happened there, which made it a very
good place for shelving an off1cer either
obnoxious or too cspable-in other words
letting him down easy. AS a result, Dewey
was assigned to the command of this
squadron and 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 ex-
lstence was unsuspected or discounted.
1t was felt that If there was to be any
naval contest at all It would be in the
waters around Cuba or elsewhere in the
Atlantic
Dewey had scarcely reached his
station until the sinking of the Maine
preclpitated the war earlier than had
been expected even by those elements
and forces that were attempting to push
our people into the contest. The fateful
first day of May came with George
Dewey in command for his squadron. He
was on the ground and the rest Is known.
He was ready for the Job and when 1t
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 leftover things 1t 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 in the navy, who
gave George Dewey the chance to be
come national hero in spite of himself
and his friends, indeed while denying his
just claims to recognition and promotion.