The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-07-30
BLOWING HOLES IN THE ARMOR
OF SCHLEY'S ENEMIES.

The most roasting, flaying article on
Maclay appears in the New York indie
pendent from the pen of the once prom
inent author Park Benjamin. He is a
writer for the Independent, is a gradu-
ate of the Naval Academy and it's best
historian. He is vice president of the
Naval Academy Alumni Association.
He is a specialist in naval ordnance
He reviews the attacks on Admiral
Schley. He shows that lin so far as
anything to the contrary appears on the
records of the navy, Admiral Schley
during forty-five years of honorable SER
vice has steadyily advanced to the
highest official honors open to the naval
officer in the regular course of his pro-
fession." After quoting the offensive
attack upon Schley, in Maclay's rascal
ly work, he writes:
1.-The statement in the preface is that
nearly every commanding officers con-
cerned has read and corrected proof
sheets dealing with actions in which
each fgured. These men were partlci-
pants in the several event with Schley,
and also his subordinates. 1t is incOn-
ceivable that they would be willing to
Aollllll III oPpIONS PlOO1 SllCClo
wherein were printed the terrible
charges above quoted, unless they had
fully weighed the consequences of so
doing; and certainly not unless they
had determined to present these charg-
es in official form for the action of the
navy department. Nor indeed is it i'm
aginable that the author himself would
have placed these officers in the posi-
ton he has, unless he had from them
ample assurance that they would sus-
tain him in the most effective manner.
LAS matters now stand the
ing officers who have read and APPROX
ed on proof sheets the charges made in
this book. should be called pom to pre-
sent them for action, if hey do not
speedily do so of their own motion"
Mr.. Hearst, of New York, publishes
three important newspapers-one each
in New York, Chicago and San rancis
CO. In each appeared recently the same
editorial friendly to Schley, and address,
ed to him. 1t is a tribute at once strik-
ing and glowing. 1t is too long for our
handling here. We give the opening
and closing.
You say the time has come to act.
You have acted.
You acted when you destroyed the
Spanish fleet at Santiago. You acted
when you pushed your snip. the BROOK
Ign, into the heat of the fight n were
struck oftener than all the rest of the
American fleet combined.
Let your detractors act now as cow
ardly backgrounds will be contempt
BILE and undetermined means. Who are
those detractors that you should notice
them?
lone is an envious incompetent, who
was absent from the battle that you
fought n won when he should have
been on duty, an alleged strategist
whose strategy consisted in absenting
the commander-in-chief and one of the
most powerful fighting ships of the fleet
without other reason than to carry him
in state, at a time when the Spanish
squadron was momentarily expected to
issue from Santiago harbor. His chief
fame before that was won by imposing
upon American battle ships armor hon
eycombed with blowholes. :
Your traducers are not worth your at
tention. To notice them would be to
dignity their accusations, would be to
rende the men themselves less con-
temptible in the eyes of the public.
Refer you case to the great court
that eventually decides all these ques-
tion-the people, the honest, loyal, JUS
t~ice-loving American people.
They understand the envy and petty
malice that inspire you accuSers. and
the more these accusers debase them
selves. the stronger will be the Ameri-
car peoples verdict in your favor"