Evening star., 1901-12-23
MACLAY MUST GOOUT
Will Be Dismissed if He Doesn't
Resign.
NOTIFICATION BY SECRETARY LONG
Why 1t Was Made Public by
Secretary Root.
NO DISCOURTESY INTENDED

| simultaneously with the publication of
the Miles correspondence. Saturday after
/ noon. Secretary Root gave out the follow
ing letter calling for the resignation of Mr..
Maclay:
| Navy Department,
| Washington, D. c., December 20.
/ Rear Admiral A. s. Barker,
! "Commandant Navy Yard, New York.
"Sir: 1 am directed by the President to
| ask Edgar S. Maclay, special laborer, gen.
eral storekeeper's office, navy yard, New
York. to send in his resignation.
| Very respectfully
| (signedD JOHN D. LONG,
! Secretary"
| In giving out this letter Secretary Root
| remarked that the President had requested
| him to make it public in Secretary
| Long had not already done so. 1t develop
| ed, on inquiry at the Navy Department,
| that Secretary Long was not at that time
| aware that the President had acted in the
| matter. He had conferred with the Presi-
| dent about it in the morning, and it was
| agreed that Maclay should be asked to re-
| sign. but no formal action had been taken
| up to the time of Secretary Roots inter-
| view with the President in the afternoon.
| Secretary Long Surprised.
Secretary Long showed genuine surprise
|
done. and remarked that the President had
previously given him to understand that he
| did not wish the action to be made public
at that time. He said that such at least
was his understanding of their conference
in the morning.
| A curious feature of the case is that Sec
! retary Long had not actually signed the
| letter calling for Mr.. Macay's resignation
at the time Secretary Root gave out copies
| of the letter with Secretary Longs sigma
| tUre attached. An emphatic statement to
| that effect was made by an official of the
Navy Department when the reporters
showed him the typewriter copy of the
| letter given out by Secretary Root. 1t was
admitted that such a letter had been drawn
| up by direction of Secretary Long for his
! signature but that he was awaiting word
| from President Roosevelt before he signed
| it. 1t was signed later and mailed. There
| was no difference of opinion between the
President and Secretary Long with regard
| to the propriety of demanding the resigna-
| tion of Mr.. Maclay, and the only misun-
derstanding between them was with regard
| to the announcement of their action Satur-
| day afternoon.
1t is declared in most positive manner
that no discourtesy to Secretary Long was
intended, and that the President asked
Secretary Root to make public the Maclay
letter simply because that action was
finally decided upon while Secretary. Root
and the President were discussing the pro-
priety of publishing the Miles correspon-
full accord with the President in the mat
ter there was no special occasion for COM
municating with him further on the sub
ject.
Not to Resign.
1t was this incident that served to revive
the rumor that Secretary Long had ten
dered his resignation or contemplated such
action in the near future. The final dispo-
sition Of the Sampson-Schley controversy,
SO far as the Navy Department is con-
cerned, was accepted by many as giving
weight to the rumor, as 1t had been under
| stood that Secretary Long would ask to be
relieved of the naval portfolio as soon as
that troublesome case had been officially
settled.
Secretary Longs attention having been
again called to the report that he contem-
plated resigning from the cabinet, he again
authorized emphatic denial that such
was the case. He said there was not a
word Of truth in the report, and that he /
had not the slightest intention of resignfng.
MIR. Maclay's Statement.
A special dispatch from New York last
night says:
Of the Brooklyn navy yard. when seen at
his home in Brooklyn tonight said that he
had received no word from Washington in
regard to resigning his position in the gen.
eral st storekeeper's office.
'I am under the civil service and cannot
see how can be called upon to resign, he
said.
IT have done my work faithfully, and I
do not see how they can remove me. have
done nothing that could be construed into
charges and 1 certainly shall not go out
unless forced out. If 1 were removed it
would establish very bad precedent for
many others in the civil service, for such a
dismissal would be absolutely without
cause.
"You see they can't say that because 1
talked for publication is a cause for dis
Navy Department in the sense that officers
in the service are. l am not worrying about
the matter nor do I see any reason too
Dismissal VIII Follow Failure to Re-
sign.
Although Secretary Long does not care
to discuss the report that Maclay will not
resign, he made 1t perfectly plain to all who
questioned him the subject today that
the Presidents intentions in regard to Mr.
Maclay will be carried out regardless Of
Mr. Maclay's reported declaration that he
is protected by the civil service rule. In
view of the Presidents well-known views
with respec. to this particular case, it is
generally accepted at the Navy Depart
ment that If Mr. Maclay does not resign
he will be summarily removed. 1t is not
likely, however, that Mr.. Maclay's atti-
tude in the matter will be officially reported
to the Navy Department by Admiral Bar
ker, commandant Of the New York navy
yard. before tomorrow morning. 1t Is as
sumed that the formal demand for the
resignation Of Mr.. Maclay was made this
morning and that his intentions In the mat
ter will be made known at once.
Nothing has been heard as yet at the
Navy Department from Historian Maclay
in response to the departments request for
his resignation. Under the rules. an en-
ploye is allowed three days grace in which
to show cause why he should not be dis
missed, and although this rule having been
made by the executive authority, may be
disregarded at its pleasure, it is believed
that Maclay will be given reasonable time
to quit the naval service, for it is certain
that he must go.
Recent Interviews to He Ignored.
In line with the determination already
reached to stop the further discussion of
the Schley case, so far as the executive
branch of the government is concerned, the
Navy Department has decided that 1t will
ignore the reported recent utterances OF
Rear Admin ais Brown and Belknap, some
what in the lines of Gen. Miles Interview.
4