The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-08-02

Ousy. He is so very fair he cannot
specify merit, and he does but very
imperfect justice to the dashing re-
sourceful Schley. The Baltimore
Herald says:
Nevertheless, the scant reference
to Commodore Schley may, in the
opinion of the latter's friends, lend
color to the rumors that the relations
between the two men are not as cor
dial as they might be.
It would, doubtless, have been bet
ter for SIMPSONS fame had he been
| more lavish in his praise of the splen-
did leadership of Schley in the me-
| orable battle.
AS will be noted, the reports OF the
other commanding officers contrast
rather strongly in point of generous
| ~commendation with SIMPSONS mat
] ter-Of-fact sentences"
You see II was not SIMPSONS vic
tory. " hat has he done anyway that
n other naval commander could not
have done. And that is the pity of it.
1t was swift, most gallant fighting on
the part of the slight armored Brook
Ign when Schley dashed right in
among the enemy. Cervera expected
to be able to destroy easily, as we now
know, the Brooklyn. Spanish officers
and their failure to send her speedily
to the bottom. God was in il. 1t was
not so written that she should be de-
| strOyed. She certainly destroyed two
Of the cruisers light armored as she
was. The report of the commission
show that the Brooklyn, aided by the
Texas and the Oregon did the work.
The captains of those vessels did
the work aided grandly by their men.
Cervera and the captain of his flag
ship say that but for Schley they
would have made good their escape.
We cannot doubt it reading the &C
counts of men who were there. Yet
in face of right and truth and justice
! there are northern papers, and posi-
bly, some southern, who are trying to
make Sampson the real hero. This is
| as ridiculous and unfair as it would
be to credit Lee with the victories of
the first and second days at Gettys-
burg insteal of some other soldier if
he had been ten miles away and only
heard the gun We have no patience
with unfairness and injustice in any
thing. We are for the right, for
the truth, for honor and justice
in all transactions and deeds
in military and civil life, in church
and state. Let all the heroes be hon
ored, every mothers son of them.
Let the officers and the men receive
their need of praise. If Commodore
Schley had hesitated with his fast,
thinly armored ship to have sailed
into the Spanish fleet fighting alone
at first four of their cruisers, and had
let them escape, pleading they were
too many and too strong for him,
Sampson would have denied all re-
sponsibility and said that he was not
a participant and could not prevent
the calamity and the disgrace. And
newspapers now unjustly withholding
praise and honor from Schley and be-
slowing the honors on Sampson would
have been swift in their condemnation
and abuse of the gallant Marylander.
Let justice be lone though the heav-
ems fall.
After writing the above we were
glad to find an editorial in the Norfolk
Virginian-Pilot strongly and justly
favorable to Commodore Schley- We
copy with pleasure the following |
from it:
ct is like threshing thrice-threshed |
straw again to go owe all the facts
that really exclude Sampson from the
affair, and that all unite to acclaim |
Schley the Alpha and Omega, the be- |
ginning, middle and end of the great !
engagement. But he was there when |
Cervera broke from covert with his |
fleet; he led the pursuit; he bore the
brunt of the fighting-his ship (by
Cervera's orders) being the mark of
every gun of the enemy he did the
work, in the main; and he ended the
chase by skill, speed and daring, send |
ing the last and swiftest of the Span
ish fleet to wreck and surrender before
Sampson appeared to usurp hOnOrs
won by another. That is what hurts
Sampson so irreparably. He at least
should not have trusted himself in
between Schley and the commander of
the Colon (driven to surrender by
Schley) to intercept and receive the
sword of the beaten commander"