Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-07-25
HISTORY UNDER BAN
MACLAY'S OFFENSIVE BOOK
PROMPTLY CUT OUT,
BY SECRETARY OF NAVY
Volume Which Contains Scurrilous
Attack on Rear Admiral SchIey not
to be Used at Naval Academy
No Protests on Professionalism
Mckinley Appealed To.

Washington, July 20.-The secre-
tary of the navy has decided that the
third volume of Maclay's history of
the Spanlsh-American war shall not
be used as a text book at the naval
academy unless the obnoxious Ian
guage it contains in characterizing
the action of Rear Admiral Schley is
| eliminated. The secretary says
proofs of the whole volume were not
submitted to him by the historian. He
received only proofs Of the third chap
ter, that relating to the mobilization
| OF the fleets, which contained the sum-
mary of orders which he, as secretary
OF the navy, issued in making the
naval preparations for war He says
he never saw the account of the bat
tie of Santiago and the criticisms of
Rear Admiral Schley until after the
book was published.
Baltimore, July 20.-Gen. Felix An
| gus, publisher of the Baltimore Amer
| lean, has written the following letter
to President Mckinley, which was
sent by wire:
hoSldy VI Tic udNy Is luS
| standard in use at the naval academy
In the third volume, just issued, the
historian charges Rear Admiral Schley
with being coward, a liar, a caitiff,
an incompetent and insubordinate. In
an interview in the American this
morning, Maclay, the historian, whom
the navy department clerk classes as
a laborer and attached to the Brook
Ign navy yard, says the proofs of this
third volume, which should have told
the most glorious story in all our ma
val annals, were submitted to Secre-
tary Long and Admiral Sampson and
approved by them in advance of pub
LEGATION; also, that Secretary Long
put him in his present position after
he had read and approved of this sour
rilous attack upon Schley. These
proofs were also submitted to Admiral
| Dewey, who refused to read them. If
aught were needed to convince any
| fair minded man that a clique in the
navy department has conspired to
traduce the hero of Santiago and that
conspiracy was carried into execution
while that brave and gallant officer
was suffering expatriation on the fever
infested coasts of South America, this
should furnish it. Will you, Mr.. Pres
| ident, in view of all this, sit quietly
continue their diabolical work? Every
| justice-loving American appeals to
you to intervene in the name of and
for the sake of fair play. Next to
| being right all the time, which no
man ever was, the best thing is to find
out as soon as possible that you are
wrong and right yourself immedi-
ately."
MacIay Won't Yield.
New York, July 20.-Edgar S. Ma
! clay yesterday replied to the criti-
cism which has been made upon his
historical works dealing With Admiral
Schley and the navy during the Span
ish war. He said in part:
| ''I did not appreciate at the time
| wrote the book that the terms were
| immoderate and Incorporate. 1t is
my intention to revise that portion of
the work that deals with the battle of
| Santiago But I shall not alter the
facts for they are correct; I must first
| be assured they are in error. The
proofs were submitted to the officers
who took part in the battle of Santi-
ago as well as Secretary Long and re-
ceived their approval. 1 should ex-
plain only that those portions of the
book were submitted to each officer
| that related to him personally or to
| the part he took in the battle. l have
never had any animus against Schley
and wrote as 1 did because l believed
| it to be the truth"