North Carolina Newspapers

Sljr ^mitl)ftel5 Rrralb. price one dollar per tear. "TRUE TO OURSELVES, OUR COUNTRY AND OUR GOD.' single copies three cents VOL. 20. SMITHFIELD, N. C., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1901. NO. 41. DEWEY FOR SCHLEY. Benhara and Ramsay, in Ma jority Report, Condemn Him on 11 Points. WORDS OF PRAISE FROM THE ADMIRAL. Dewey Says Schley was Senior Offi cer oil Santiago and Entitled to the Credit tor the Victory No Further Action Re commended by the Court. Baltimore Sun. Washington, Doc. 13.? Blame and praise. This is the verdict of the Schley Court of Inquiry handed in to-night. It is more blame than praise, because while Admiral Dewey, president, of the couri, gives him all the credit and glory for the destruction of Cervera's tieet as senior in command at the battle, and the court finds that his con duct was that of a man of cour age in the action, the unanimous finding is made that Schley's con duct in the Santiago campaign prior to his supersession by Rear Admiral Sampson was "charac terized by vacillation, dilatori ness and lack of enterprise." The investigation, unique in naval annals and of great his toric importance, was intended to end a controversy which has not only disrupted the navy, hut which has rent theentirecouutry. Instead, further bitterness has nrnhrtltlv Pm fltu onn. troversy, for while Admiralj Dewey gives it as his personal and individual opinion that to Rear-Admiral Schley belongs the credit of the victory at Santiago, Rear-Admirals Bennamand Ram sey, the two junior members of the court, decline to append their signatures to such an expression. In his opinion Admiral Dewey agrees with that, of the majority of tiie peopleof the United Stages; in their views. Rear-Admirals Benham and Ramsay voice the belief of some officers of the navy. Furthermore, Admiral Dewey differs from his colleagues in the blockade maintained by Rear Admiral Schley atC'.enfuegosand Santiago, which he, contrary to their view, finds waseffective. He also holds in opposition to their . opinion that the FlyingSquadrou proceeded with all dispatch from Cienfuegos to Santiago, and that Commodore Schley in permitting the steamer Adula to enter the; harbor expected to get informa tion from ner when she came out. The Court unites in commend ing Schley's bravery in battle. For three months the investi-; gat ion has been 111 progress, anil for more than a month the court has been patiently rearranging ( the evidence, fiistributingitunder the specification to which it re lated. This in itself was a vast work, requiring a great deal of patient labor. Rear-Admiral scrhley believes lie has received a, vindication; offi cers of the navy, who have vio lently att acked him, say that the verdict, of the court, instead of being an acquittnl. sustains the 1 charge of Hear-Admiral Sampson that his conduct was reprehensi Die prior to the battle with Cer- ' vera's fh-et, and Secretary Long's statement to the Senate that I while Schley did his duty in the [ battle of Santiago as the com- , mander-in-chief of the Flying , Squadron, lie lacked push, judg- ( ment and steadiness of purpose. But Rear-Admiral Schley bases- ( tablished by the opinion of Ad- , miral Dewey that he was the hero , of the battle of Sant iago, and in this he has confounded Rear Admiral Sampson, who attempt ed to claim the credit for the vic tory. FINDINGS OF BKNI1AM AND RAMSAY A0AIN8T SCHLEY Commodore Schlev, in com- 1 maud of FlyingSquadron, should 1 have proceeded wi h utmost dis- ( Eatch off Cienfuegos and should 1 ave maintained a close blockade * of that port. He should have endeavored on May 23 at Cienfuegos to obtain information regarding the Span- ? ish squadron by communicating with the insurgents at the place designated in the memorandum delivered to him at 8:15 a. m. of that date. He should have proceeded from Cienfuegos to Santiago de Cuba with all dispatch and should have disposed his vessels with a view of intercepting the enemy in any attempt to pass the Flying Squadron. He should not have delayed the squadron for the Eagle. He should not have made the retrograde turn westward with his squadron. He should have promptly obeyed the Navy Department's order of May 25. He should have endeavored to capture or destroy the Spanish vessels at anchor near the en trance of Santiago harbor on May 39 and 80. He did not do his utmost with the force under his command to capture of destroy the Colon and other vessels of the enemy which he attacked on May 31. My commencing the engage ment on July 3 with the port battery and turning the Brook lyn around with port helm Com modore Schley caused her to lose distance and position with the Spanish vessels, especially with the Vizcaya and Colon. The turn of the Brooklyn to starboard was made to avoid getting her into dangerous prox imity to the Spanish vessels. The turn was made toward the Texas and caused that vessel to stop and to back her engines to atoid possible collision. Admiral Schley did injustice to Lieut.-Com. A. C. Hodgson in publishing only a portion of the correspondence which passed be tween them. Commodore Schley's conduct in connection with the events of the Santiago campaign prior to June 1, 1898, was characterized by vacillation, dilatoriness and lack of enterprise. His official reports regarding the coal supply and the coaling facilities of the Flying Squadron were inaccurate and misleading. His conduct during the battle of July 3 was self-possessed, and ! he encouraged, in his own person, his subordinate officers and men to fight courageously. George Dewey, Admiral U. S. Navy, President. Samuel C. Lemly, Judge- Idvocate-General IT. S. Navy, Judge Advocate. admiral dewey's opinion. In the opinion of the under signed the passage from Key West to Cientuegos was made by the Flying Squadron with all pos sible dispatch,Commodore Scliley having in view the importance of arriving off Cienfuegos with as much coal as possible in the ships' bunkers. Hie blockadeof Cienfuegos was fffective. Commodore Schhy in permit ting the steamer Adula to enter the port of Cienfuegos expected to obtain information concerning the Spanish squadron from her when she came out. I lit1 passage from ( lenluegosto a point about 22 miles south of Santiago was made with as much dispatch as was possible, while keeping the squadron a unit. The blockade of Santiago was ffective. Commodore Schley was the senior officer of our squadron off Santiago when the Spanish squadron attempted toescapeon the morning of July 3, 1898. He was in absolute command and is entitled to the credit due to such commanding officer for the glori :jus victory which resulted in the total destruction of the Spanish ships. George Dewey, Admiral U. S. N. Sam C. Lemly, Judge-Advocate-General 1". S. N., J udge-Advocate. the recommendation. In view of the length of time which has elapsed since theoccur renceof the events of the Santiago campaign, t.heCourt recommends to further proceedings be had in jhe premises. George Dewey, Admiral U. S. N., President. Sam C. Lemly, fudge-Advocate-General U. S. N., J udge-Advocate. WASHINGTON LETTER. DEMOCRATIC OPPOSITION TO PHILIPPINE TARIFF. Isthmian Canal Bills.?Senator Pry and Ship Subsidy.?The Schley Decision a Disappointment. lingular Correspondence. Washington, Dec. 1 <>, 1901.? The first public example of the dignified and concerted opposi tion which will be offered by the Democratic minority in Congress was afforded by the dissenting report of the Democrats of the House Committee on Ways and Means, on the Philippine tariff bill which was presented to House last Friday. Mr. Richardson presented the minority report which denounced the measure as "another step in the well mal'ked line of imperialism." The report goes on to say that. "We oppose the whole policy of the majority in dealing with the Philippine Archipelago. We believe that instead of the effort they are making to set up and hold perma nent colonies, there should long since have been inaugurated a policy assuring to the people of those islands stable government and their ultimate independence." The report goes on to demon strate how thoroughly impracti cal, even from a commercial standpoint, is the Republican policy and submits that in addi tion to the original &20,00(1,(100 paid to Spain for the islands it has cost the government the past year $85,000,000 to maintain ttie army of occupation, without taking into account the increased expense of naval service and the appalling number of lives which have been sacrificed. In return for all this the Unite I States has received from the islands trade amounting, during the past year, to $5,427,706, while foreign na tions have received Philippine trade amounting to $48,000,000 during the same period. The minority report will, of course, have no effect upon the course of the majority and the bill will be discussed during the next two days and on Wednesday afternoon will be passed by the House. Mr. Richardson's report may, however, have the effect of opening the eyes of the public to the frightful price the country is paying for the gratification of Republican imperialistic ambi tions. The Senate Committee on Isthmian Canals has reported Senator Morgan's bill, providing for the construction of the Nicaraguau Canal and carrying an appropriation of $180,000, 000. Tiie House committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce has voter to renort favorably the Hepburn full providing for the construction of the same canal. Chairman Hepburn was instructed to push the bill for im diate passage in the House and, as he will have the assistance of both parties on the floor of the House it is probable that it will come up for discussion immedi ately after the holiday recess. oHiiiiwi r i ve imo i unnj uui with a defense of his ship subsidy bill. It is more than probable that in view of his position as President, of the Senate he will be able to exert sufficient influence to carry the measure in that body, but it is doubtful if even the combined efforts of Senators Frye and Hanna can make it go down with the House. It has always been the House that has stood between the people and this sort of class legislation and as far back as 1891 that body defeated a similar attempt on the part of the Senator from Maine, to turn into the pockets of private steamship owners a generous share of the public funds. The decision rendered on Fri day by the Schley Court of In quiry has resulted in a bitter dis appointment fora largemajority of the people of the United St ates. The selection of Admiral Dewey as President of the Court lead the people to believe that Admiral Schley would receive the fairest treatment and that a verdict which would practically exhon orate him would be rendered. Some of the more conservative pointed out that on merely tech nical grounds the court might be obliged to tind that the Admiral had been negligent of certain duties and no one believed that Admiral Ilewey would flinch from criticising his brother officer if he found grounds for so doing. As it is, the people have, from the minority report submitted by Admiral Dewey, grounds for be lieving that even from a techni cal standpoint there was nothing reprehensible in the Admiral's conduct and, at the same time, they have the opinion of the ma jority of the Court that he was guilty on every count of the "precept." Needless to say the friends of the Admiral feel that Navy Department knew what it was doing when it select- d the officers who sat with Admiral Dewey and that a fair trial has not \ et been had. FLOODS IN THE NORTH. Great Damage Done in New York and Pennsylvania. Great rain-storms prevailed over parts of Maryland, Penn sylvania, New York, New Jersey and West Virginia last Saturday, doing considerable damage. In portions of New York the extrely warm weather caused the snows to thaw and swell the streams. Tlie flood at Cumberland, Md., was tbe greatest since 1881). At Frederick, Mil., the Monoc acy river was very high. Much damage was done and many bridges were swept away. In Schuylkill county, Fa., the Hood was the worst known in 25 years. Forty-eight collieries were flooded and the loss in that county alone is $1,000,000. The flood in the Lehigh Valley was the worst known since 1862. The Adelaide Silk Mills at Allen town, Fa., sustained a loss of $50,000. York Haven, Fa., recorded the highest flood since 1893. The Susquehanna completely covered the big $3,000,000electric power plant now being erected there, causing damage estimated at $25,000. At Ithaca the damage is esti mated at $200,000. The flood was the most disastrous experi enced since 1857. The nearby creeks became raging torrents. Oneida creek overflowed at Oneida and the water was from one to three feet deep on the first floor of residences. The Ontario and Western Railroad tracks were covered for nearly a mile. At Troy the damagefrom wind and rain is estimated a t $50,000, and the electric car service to Albany has been suspended Considerable damage has been done throughout Northern New York by the extremely high wind which prevailed for 24- hours, reaching the velocity of a torna do. The warm weal her Saturday sent the snow out of the Adiron dacks like magic and many houses on the lower levels are flooded. Tl... .l ..i i* aU li J iiu* utiiii;ij?t* iium i ut? 110011 111 the the valley of West Canada creek will reach $50(1,000. From 75,000 to 100,000 logs were washed away. Four ex pensive railroad bridges were de stroyed. One mill was taken down stream like a paper box and two others were badly wrecked. The overflow of < fnond ago creek did about $150,000 damage in Syracuse. In Binghamton the rainstorm sent the Chenango river over its banks and caused a flood which has not been equaled for 22 years. More than $100,000 damage was done between Scudders Falls and South Trenton in New Jer sey by the sudden rising of the Delaware river. Many business establishments and dwellings on the river banks have been badly damaged. At Belvidere, N. J., the Dela ware reached the highest point in 40 years. The Riverside Knitting Mills at Tarboro were burned Thurs day morning. The loss is esti mated at $50,000 with $33,000 insurance. i STATE NEWS. Short Items ot Interest Clipped and Culled From Our State Exchanges. There have boon established 210 rural libraries in thisState under the Rural Library Act. Fifty one counties out of the 07 have secured libraries. Four libraries are in colored schools, three in Pasquotank and one in Orange. At Asheboro last week the jury awarded #12,000damages in ttie case of the Asheboro Wood and Iron Works against the Southern Railway. This was about half the amount used for. The South ern gave notice of appeal. (Jov. Aycock respites, for the third time. Drew Vaughan. under sentencetobe hanged at Winton, Hertford county. The case is a very close one. The governor desires vet further time to con sider it. The respite is until January 8tli. The State has chartered the Elizabeth City Railway and Power company, capital $20, 000. with leave to increase to $125,000. The company is to operate an i lectric railway in Elizabeth City and in Pasquo tank, Camden and Currituc. iiovernor Aycock has made n commutation of the sentence of Alexander Cox, who, in the fall of 181)9, was sentenced in Surry county for manslaughter to a term of five years. The Gover nor commutes his sentence so that it will expire on January 1st, 1902. Wiley Hush, Solicitor of the Tenth Judicial District, died at his home in Asheboro, Sunday morning, after an illness of two days. Mr. Rush was well known in the State, having served with ability as Secretary of the State Democratic Executive Committee from 189+ to 1890. James Wilcox has issued a statement, in reply to the charge made against him by the father of Nellie Cropsey, the missing girl. Wilcox says the father is unjust, that he knows nothing of her ; disappearance. He says that the last he saw of her she was standing on the porch leaning against the post with her head on her arm. Lieutenant Bradley J. Wooten died at Havana, Cuba, Sunday morningof appendicitis. Hewas a, graduate of the A. & M. Col lege. In 1898 he volunteered in the second North Carolina Regi ment. Later he was sent to the Philippines and saw service being in charge of General Kobbe's mounted scouts. More recently lie was appointed a Lieutenant in the regular army and was assigned to the Seventh Regi ment, "Custer's own." l.nsr r riuay mgnt at Anerdpen in Moore county, J. A. Randall mistook his wife for a burglar and shot her through the stomach, mortally wounding her Mrs. Randall went to her hus band's bed and told him that a burglar was crawling in at the window. Mr. Randall we t to the closet to get his gun, telling his wife to remain at the bed. Rut she passed quietly out into the hall to listen. When her hus band had got his gun he sought the burglar, and seeing his wife's form in the hall thought it was the miscreant and fired, with above results. Tuesday Governor Aycock hon j ored a requisition from Governor Candler, of Georgia, for Dr. Joe Williams, alias Mackay Durham who is under arrest in Wilson charged with horse stealing in Georgia. He with a young wo man was held in Wilson two weeks ago, the woman being sup j posed to be the missing Nell Cropsey. When it was found that she was not Miss Cropsey they were released A telegram from Georgia asked the authorities in Wilson to hold them and as they had lpft going toward Selnia, the authorities there were notified They were arrested in Selma and | taken back to Wilson, where the woman was released as there was no charge against her. Mrs. Dillie By rum has just died at her home in Wake county at the advanced ape of 109 years. llov. Aycock is billed to speak 011 education at the annual meeting of the chamber of com merce in Charlotte on the 14th of January. The colored Methodist church at Mt. Airy was burned last week. It was of brick and the |loss is estimated at $6,000, with $2, 000 insurance. Durham is making great pub lic improvements. The bond issue of $.'$00,000 is being used for improvements on streets, sewers, school buildings and market, and the work is being pushed. Dr. Baskerville, at the State University, has received a grant of $.'$00 from the National Acad emy of Science to aid him in his researches on the new element which he thinks he has discovered in thorium. The forthcoming report of Mr. II. 1$. Yarner, Commissioner of Labor and Printing, will show that there are 315 newspapers and periodicals published in North Carolina with a total cir culation of 605,985. Un Heeember 2.r>th Mr. J. A. Crews, The Messenger traveling representative, expects to start on a tour of the West Indies, lie will go as correspondent of The Messenger, and its many readers will have the benefit of reading letters from him descript ive of those southern islands and the many things of interest he hopes to see. besides short stops at Charleston, Jackson ville, Tampa and Key West, Mr. Crews expects to visit Havana, San Juan, Nassau and many other cities before returning. GENERAL NEWS. A Partial List of the Week's Hap penings Throughout he country. The senior class at Harvard University, has chosen It. C. Bruce, a negro of Indianapolis, as class day orator. Sign or M arcon i an no u nces that he has accomplished the wonder ful feat of receiving electric sig nals without wires across the Atlantic ocean. In the disposing of the estate of Cornelius Roosevelt, an eccen tric uncle of President Roosevelt, the President will receive a for tune of $100,000. Fifty editors, representing South Carolina newspapers, visited the Charleston exposition Thursday, and were received with all t he honors. Rev. J. Sidney Peters, of J lamp ton, Va., celebrated a peculiar marriage Saturday, uniting John (lilbert Insley to his mother-in law, Mrs. Martha Newton. United States Senator Chaun cey M- Pepew, of New York, sailed for Rurope last Saturday to wed Mir?s May Palmer at Nice, France, on December 27th. Tuesday Admiral Sampson's counsel asked for permission t?? file with Secretary Long excep tions to Dewey's dissenting re port. He will receive any papers they wish to submit. Sunday was the coldest day Chicago has experienced in 30 years, the thermometer st." ? " g at 12 below zero. All through the West and Northwest the floods and the cold have dene immense damage. Admiral Schley has received a number of offers to go on the lecture platform. One pronosi tion was a fixed price of $">00 a night for lectures to last 4() nights. Admiral Shley politely declined this and all other offers. Tuesday several resolutions on the Schley case were introduced in the house of representatives? endorsing Dewey's finding, pro viding for Schley to be put back on the active list on hill pay, and raising his pay as a retired officer to the same as when on active duty; also one to investigate the navy department.