Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 67, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 April 1908 — THE VANISHING FLEETS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE VANISHING FLEETS

By ROY NORTON

_ ILLUSTRATED BY A. WEIL teiggnn

CHAPTER Itli 2 . When the Flag Came Down. The government waa compelled to take action toward pacifying its own subjects immediately after the news of the Hawaiian surrender, public Indignation having risen to the point where the people threatened to take matters into their own handjs. Without a dissenting voloe the journals of the country came forth with scathing editorials, occasionally asking the president whether It was the intention of. the administration to run up a white flag sb soon as a fast approaching enemy neared the shores, and thus surrender the whole United States. Therefore an appeal for patience was Issued tn the following terms: "The president and his cabinet, acting for and empowered by tn special session, most urgently ask the people of the United States to withhold judgment on the conduct of the war for at least a week longer; when it will be fully demonstrated that the government Is following a well-defined policy, which will not only avert bloodshed, but. will Impose no disgrace upon our country. The exigencies of the situation are such that to make public" our plans would be to defeat oar own ends. We therefore ask the earnest support and co-opera-tion of the people of the United States by such means as lie within their power, which at this time can be shown best by a cessation of massmeetings and criticisms tending only to embarrass the government in the discharge of Its duty and the bringing to a successful termination the conflict which is now on.” Contrary to the usual form of proclamation, this one was signed not only by the president, but by all members of his cabinet, who, therefore, Jointly assumed the responsibility. At first there was an Inclination to deride the message, and then when more sober thought prevailed a spirit of fairness dictated that the administration should have its chance. Foreign advices indicated that no attack might be expected against the shores of the United States proper for even a greater length of time than ten days; hence the respite of seven days seemed a reasonable limit within which the government might demonstrate Its theories. it was possible that the public temper would have remained passive for the full period, but for a somewhat unfortunate and graphic description of what had taken place in the Philippines, cabled by the correspondent of a London paper, who had been on the scene, and which "The surrender of the Philippine islands by the United States to Japan constitutes what Is probably the most remarkable chapter In the history of wart, Nat only was there no battle fought nor any attempt made at defense, but what Is worse, or would seem so to any man with red blood In hIS veins, is the humiliation imposed upon the Americans by their home government. To an impartial observer it would appear that nothing but madness could dictate such a policy. The facta of the case are as follows: "Although trouble had been expected with Japan by every reasoning inhabitant of the islands for many months, the government at Washington apparently made no attempt what' ever to strengthen Its position, and, on the contrary, seemed rather endeavoring to weaken it. As the whole world knows, there have been immense and costly fortifications under progress of construction In the Islands for the last ten years. More than 80 days ago, by official order, work on these defenses was summarily stopped, the workmen discharged and the engineers ordered home. This was the first act of treachery toward the Philippines. "Immediately following this incomprehensible action all war vessels In waters surrounding the Islands and on the Pacific station were ordered to ports In Europe, where they rendezvoused in what can never be anything but neutral territory. And there they are at this moment, thousands of miles f romthigyioene of conflict,' incapable of. flithsr offense or defense. Hod. the.' . < |omrA'tnenL deliberately choSen to js)t,sself out of touch with the 'whojffflftjßi could haye Selected no more, efraffee method. Tour correspondent Aftf had the honor of an Iqtjmate. ftfoddship not only with the dvll pfflcihle of the Islands, bqt with themefl as the army and navy as well, and JMbei'efor* In a position to give trustworthy and detailed Information of what at this time seems little leas than an Infamy. 'Tt had been known for soma days that orders of a meet remarkable natore lmd boon reoefved by the governor of the' islands and'the commanding tttenU. What these wort, however, ‘ *>< , * a—.— %

remained a secret until that memorable day of May. "At ten o’clock on the morning of May 27 a cloud of smoke became visible on the horizon, and when within range of the glasses it was discovered that in the offing floated- two cruisers of the first class and one battle ship, flying the Japanese flag and cleared for action. The officer in command of the fort at once communicated this fact to the governor, and a consultation was called,' to which all officials of both branches of government were summoned. Inasmuch as the gravity of required the absolute concurrence of all concerned, the consultation was not confined to men of high \ rank, but included every commissioned officer from the army and every official of standing In the clvH government The men, wondering at this strange call, and aware that something unexpected had happened, responded to the summons and repaired to the governor's office, where they seated themselves silently, and waited for that executive to address them. He, a man grown gray In the diplomatic service of his nation, paced up and down the room as if loath to speak. “ ‘Gentlemen,’ he began, ‘lt Is not within my province to criticise the acts of the department which I represent nor to find fault with Its desires, and yet I have before me at this moment the most humiliating Instructions

The Flag Under Which He Had Fought So Valiantly. which In m6re than forty years of life In a responsible capacity I have ever received.’ “He stood for a few. moments, as It dreading to tell his auditors of his country’s shame, and then with trembling hand openqfl a drawer of his desk and took out a file of official documents, which he held before him aa he continued: ” ’At the time when work was stopped on the fortifications of thia harbor I received additional orders to the effect that in case of any overt act or warlike demonstration upon the part ot Japan we were not to make any defense unless it involved the saving of our lives, and to surrender the islands in toto to our enemy.’

“It has been your correspondent’s privilege to witness many scenes where the tempers of men were tried as by fire; but never yet has he been compelled to view the deliberate mortification of at least two score of valiant men in such a peremptory and and unheard of manner. They sat as If stupefied by an overwhelming catastrophe, looking at one another aa If Incredulous and doubting their own hearing, and then suddenly broke Into angry exclamations of surprise and indignation. By a most remarkable display of authority they were brought into subjection again, the commanding general, a man at almost retiring age, rising before them and holding up a warning hand. ‘Gentlemen,’ be said, quietly rebuking them, 'our first duty Is that of obedience.’

“The officers, looking at one another, settled into their seats, and in almost an instant the silence In tho room had grown painful. The governor, still holding his papers before him, slowly continued: " ‘Fearing trickery on the part of a prospective enemy, I doubted the authenticity of my instructions. I used a secret code which has never gone beyond the hands of the most confidential men in my department, and to my surprise received absolute confirmation. To you of the army I will sky that before this verification was received, your general,’ and here he turned to hi* white-haired confrere, ’had been the recipient of a command from the secretary of war of the United States couched In almost the same terms.’ "At the conclusion of his speech, this fine old man sank back Into bis chair with bowed head aa If the disgrace of his country waa his own. There was a more or less dignified discussion participated in by the older officers present; but Interrupted now and then by some of the younger men, who favored totally. Ignoring the orders and defending the Islands to the death. The cooler heads among them prevailed, and at last It waa recognized that there waa no alternative save absolute and unqualified surrender. "Before the meeting could be officially dispersed the sullen boom of a gun came heavily from the sea, reverberating through the room. The men ■prang to their feet and rnzbed toward the exit, knowing that war was upon them, but that their hands were tied as hopelessly as though boutid with nuuMdes of steel. "There, within range ot, their own

neavier guns, floated a formidable fleet from Japan. Even while their conference waa In progress, cruiser after cruiser and floating forts at steel had crept up over the horizon. The Japanese gunners were testing their range; hut no damage had been done. I saw a procession of crestfallen men, going as If to a funeral, enter their fortress gates and silently gather round the great flagstaff, from which floated a hitherto unsullied banner. A grim old man grown gray In war and scarred with the marks of many battles, walked to the halyards, gave them a pull and brought fluttering to the ground the flag under which he had fought so valiantly. A colonel of his staff took from the hands of an orderly a cloth of white, the emblem the world over of defeat with or without honor, fastened It Into the Idle loops and pulled it aloft ‘‘The general, a warrior no longer, but a heart-broken old man, turned away from his colleagues, walked across the parade, and the door of his quarters closed upon him. Several other members of his staff did likewise, and still others stood silent on the ramparts, watching the outcome of this event The ships ceased firing, and, as if perplexed by this unwarranted outcome, seemed to be communicating with each other, dexter ously wigwagging signal after signal. A torpedo boat destroyer slowly sepa rated itself from the flotilla and came suspiciously nosing Its way toward the land, winding in and out as If fearing floating mines or sunken engines of destruction. “As it neared the shore, it was seen that on its black deck stood the admiral ot the fleet, together with his staff. They were met at. the landing by a deputation of officers, both civil and military, who escorted them to Che fort. No one can depict the expressions, half surprise and half Inquiry, which overspread the countenances of this Insignificant invading force. A party of less than ten men without arms was actually accomplishing the most remarkable conquest In all history. ‘‘At the entrance to this city of masonry and Bteel, equipped with silent monsters of warfare, embodying all tbe latest and most formidable instruments of offense and defense, built to withstand the onslaught of the combined navies and armies of the world, stood the sullen, shamefaced officers ot the vanquished garrison, the gilt of their full dress uniforms untarnished by powder or smoke, and shining garishly in a midday sun. There, drawn up In line, were men who would have fought to death and gone exultantly out into another world rather than face the- disgrace which had been heaped upon them by an unworthy clique of superiors In office. “The Japanese admiral advanced to the sacrificed but notj defeated general and extended hlB hand, offering the commonplace courtesies of the day. There was no need of an inter preter, the head of the victorious force speaking the English he had learned at the United States Naval academy, in which he had been educated. " ‘Am I right, sir,’ he said, Tn con. strulng that white flag you raised as a sign of truce? And if that is so, I should like to be. Informed as to why at the same time you lowered the United States flag from the peak?’ “The general, choked with mortification. hesitated for a moment, and then found himself Unable to express his relinquishment la words. He slowly «rdrew his -sword from its belt ks, and held it, hilt formost, toward the admiral, who seemed unable to realize that It was tendered in surrender. There was a moment’s silence, In which he looked down at that trusty old blade of steel, never, before dishonored by a conqueror’s hand. He glanced inquiringly at his fellow coun-

trymen, and then at ths others, as II questioning their sanity. "1 regret to say, sir,’ the general answered, ‘that the flag waa raised in surrender not only of this fortification, but of all military forces on the Islands.’ ‘The admiral gave a quick start of surprise and Jubilation a* the significance of thia unexpected action dawned upon him. “ The total surrender of the Philippine*?’ he questioned, as If It was beyond comprehension that without further effort this Island kingdom of the *ea was tranquilly to be turned over to the first enemy who battered a challenge on its, gates. “The general, beyopd Words, nodded In confirmation. Iq a few quickly spoken sentences ths admiral translated ths details of tbs conversation to his compatriots. . , “Goaded by the sneers and satirical

exclamations with which this waa greeted, the general broke into a sudden blaze of wratsL shook a clenched flat under the admiral’s very nose, and in white heat exclaimed: ‘Yes, It comes easy; but It’s no fault of mine! I'm obeying orders. If I had my way I’d have seen you In hell before thia happened. I would, so help me God!* "As a signal to the waiting fleet, they ran aloft the rising sun emblem of Japan, while the discomfited officers of the United States retired to the barracks for the Almost hopeless attempt of explaining the situation to the puzzled garrison. These were soldier like, quick moving, wiry men from the west, proud of their country and their crops, and were of the kind that could not understand dishonor through mere obedience to higher orders. They stormed and swore, and for a time It seemed that mutiny would spread throughout the fortress, man the great guns, tear down the flag of Japan and send hurtling masses of defiant steel out Into the rknks of that force which had come upon them in a night and won an unearned victory. But they, too, were creatures of discipline, and in the end reluctantly accepted fate. "The great armada slowly gathered way and crept forward almost beneath the towering walls of the silent forts. Boat after boat brought its load of marines ashore and discharged them on ground which In other wars had been stained with the blood of valorcfus men. Here oa these beaches had stepped the armies of old Spain, coming as pioneers to battle with savage foemen. In former years the waters of this bay on another day tn May ted floated the vessels of brave Dewey’s fleet, had 'rocked and quivered beneath tbe Impact of his guns, and witnessed the raising ot his victorious flag over the smoldering ramparts. And with such a history of glory behind it, the moon on this night rose/ over a land silent, conquered, and abandoned, aa If it was of no more value than a tiny pebble cast Into a tropical sea."

(To be conQnued.)

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They Ran Aloft the Rising Sun Emblem of Jaspan.