The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-06-30
yM JGlessengm.
a MORE EXTENDED VIEW OE THE
SCHLEY CONTROVERSY.

-
SCHLEY CONTROVERSY.
The southern people must regret the
unkindness and ~unfairness shown to
Rear Admiral Schley by some northern
newspapers and the republican admin
fstration. The attempt to ruin and
disgrace him is very u~ngenerous and
unworthy of a government rrofessedly
patriotic and warlike. Mckinley is no
doubt in full sympathy with the vicious
movement Of the wal department. We
have never read of such deliberate per-
secution of an American officer before.
We are reminded by Schley's very bad
treatment of the way the greatest OF
all sea captains was treated at one time
by the British naval department. We
or course refer to Viscount Horatio
Nelson. All who engage in such dis
graceful conspiracies against highly
meritorious officers are unworthy of
pubIic confidence and public forbear-
ance. The Richmond Dispatch says of
the unmanly fight against Schley:
NO opportunity is lost to give
Schley a stab, whenever it is possible.
And what has he done to deserve this
hostility? Was it his fault that Samp-
son was accidently absent when the
naval battle occurred off Santiago?
Did Schley deceitfully get Sampson out
of the way in order to steal the glories
of the day? Well, really, it looks as
If some of SIMPSONS partisans thought
So"
The Washington Post deserves credit
for the protracted and able battle it
has waged in defence Of Schley. 1t
has put Hodgson and the Sun in a dis
NAL hole, and H~odgson's W vascil-
-ating, false course has greatly helped
TO do it. OF him in it's last editorial
we have seen it dismisses him with
this just censure:
eff he chooses to run to Chadwick
with another story and to the Sun
with another, all that is outside of the
official record, and we dismiss it with
the remark that the more and the Of
tener he c~ontradicts himself, the great
er discredit and contempt he accumu-
lates in public opinion"
We read an excellent communica-
lion in the Richmond (Va.) Times of
23rd on "The Truth About Schley,'
that is by a seaman, and throws posi-
rive light On the matter by it's exami-
nation of the evidence. 1t is too long
20 be copied in it's most suggestive and
conc ST e part, and a short extract
will fail to convey the force of the
contention. The writer referring to
the inveterate malice of the New York
Sun says:
Its purpose in the present instance
was to utterly destroy the characte1 of
q good, brave mana skillful officer
and a gentleman. q * In pursuit Of
its purpose this paper published a true
story about the man. The popularity
Of this story is that to the experienced
and well informed in nautical matters,
it is not only plausible, but so far from
disclosing cowardice, lack Of skill, or
panic, it demonstrated clearly the OPP
,posite of these conditions"
Without reproducing a long passage
the precise conduct and reason for it
of Schley at Santiago cannot be seen
and we cannot give it. But the fol-
lowing may interest and help to make
plain tn facts:
~tttPOrt!" he said. | have no doubt
that all possible contingencies had been
canvassed ia his-mhd. He saw in ad-
vance what we are able to understand
study of charts, that If he turned
toward the shore he would find him
self so nearly astern of his chase as to
he unable to use all of his battery,
while he would, in making the turn,
hlanke the fire of his own ships then
TO the eastward and .southward of him.
So he said "Port," which menas put he
helm to port and turn the ship to star
board-in this case, away from ne
shore. . . He turned his ship away
from the enemy in making b turn,
to avoid interference with the line OF
fire from his own battleships; to short
en- his distance to the 'heading-of"
ulace in the running fight, which he
Derceived was about to occur, n TO
acquire such position in that tight as
would enable him to work all MS pat
terry effectively. These are the reasons
why his order was "Port!" To have
made it "Starboard,' would have Deen
to invite failure and calamity. every
sailor who understands the situation
knows these things to be true
1T is proper to refer to his matter
again as it is understood in Washing
ton that the prosecutors are determin-
ed to worry and outrage the gallant
hero of the great sea battle with a trial
by court martial. He is beyond all
honest doubt the real hero OF n or
The greatest battles of the sea. Inc
American people are just and apprecia-
tive if the Sampson gang are not and
they will take care Of Schley's good
name and award him all proper and
high merit. Referring to the cruel
charge that Schley, the hero. is Schley,
the coward, the Richmond Times says
editorially and pertinently:
cit is a priori incredible that an Off |
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