The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-07-26

Edgar Stanton Maclay is his name |
He is the latest and vilest slanderer
and enemy Of the great naval hero Of
this country-AdmiraI Schley, the
southron. What has Maclay done?
He has published a so-caIIed History
of the United States Navy" 1t is a
mean, villainous tissue Of falsehoods
and defamation OF character. In the
third edition of this Book of Slander
the dirty author charges the brave
Schley with cowardice Here is a sam
pie Of the mischievous lies old
1.-The one great lesson III Nelson
| gave in naval strategy was that a ZAP
tain is never put OF position when
alongside an enemy Farragut's great
axiom. sixty years later, was that the
nearer you get TO your enemy the hard
er you car strike Schieys great con-
contribution to naval strategy, as too
| plainly shown by his conduct through
out this campaign, was avoid your
enemy as long as possible, and il he
| makes for you, run-"
This work was regarded very favor
| ably. as really a standard history, un-
| til the lying third volume, after being
doctored by the vindictive, prosecuting,
II DTeEdIlGdllus III Va Ia SAOoI SEQ
man.. 1t is known that a vile clique OF
naval officers have conspired to make
his cowardly assault upon the great
est man of the mall. Hear these var
lets saying through the plant Maclay:
1.-The shameful spectacle of an Amer
lean warship supported by a force su-
perior to the enemy's-a warship whose
commander la expended such vast
quantities of ammunition in target
practice in the presence of a fashion,
able hotel at Hampton Roads in order
TO meet a worthy foe-deliberately
turning tail and running away was
presented
How very low, ard dastardly and in
solent, and IF lse have these creatures
fallen to conspire to have introduced
such cruel, detestable falsehoods upon
a gallant, splendid naval commander.
Schley is a great victim Of ISLANDERS
and yituperation, n it is without any
palliation or remotest semblance of
justification. The Baltimore Sun con-
siderS one aspect of the controversy
that is impressive. 1t say
eff the American fleet had been de-
feated and the responsibility for it's
II oClCo( Ioo oCCii pAoNSO oh w.
upon the man who was in actual COM
mand of it on that occasion, he could
not have been more bitterly aSsailed
and reviled han he has been since
treachcrouS fortune gave him the OPP
portunity to,glorify his country. If we
are to measure his achievement by the
estimate placed upon it by partisan
newspapers and envious professional
critics. we might also conclude that so
far as his personal reputation is con-
cerned anything else would have sue
fceeded better than success. Few men
ever paid a more severe penalty, in the
way of undeserved %reproach and vio-
lent attack, for serving their country
successfully thar he has"
1t is very doubtful if in the Whole
annals Of naval warfare there has ever
been so iespicable and devilish a o
spiracy to ruin, to destroy the good
name and splendid achievements of a
superb hero. British naval records are
filled with contemplate and r~ascally
jealousies and Sights. but nothing COM
parable to the persistent, satanic war
fare On Admiral Schley.
Secretary Long, no friend of Schley's,
has put his ban on the SANDER, and or
ders all Of the obnoxious language of
the book concerning the hero of Santi-
ago Bay to be eliminated. He states
that he did not see all of the proofs to
the condemned volume. Here is what
Maclsy says. who holds a government
appointment. as reported from Wash
ington in the Baltimore Herald, repub-
lican:
H admitted, however, that while
- IL
lighthouse board he had tried to get
a place in the service and failed. He
said he had no animus against the ad-
miral. 'Schley is a coward the his
torian is quoted as saying, and while
1 like him very much, 1 will not re-
tract any of the statements made until
they have been c~ontrOverted by a COM
petent' authority
t.. AT the navy department it is not
considered that Mr.. Maclay is anne
nable to the same sort of discipline as
a subordinate officer in the navy
would be who undertook to c~riticise
his superiors in the reckless and in
temperate manner of Maclay in his
history"
Sampson, where is he and what is he
doing about this graceless assault?
Representative Mudd is a member of
the naval committee. He is in Washing
ton and has been interviewed by the
correspondent of the Baltimore Sun.
He said that Secretary Long would do
right. He said:
Il think that a man who has shown
himself such a conspicuous villifier and
f~alsifer Of facts as Maclay has just
shown himself to be IS not a fit man
to be the official historian for the stu
dent of our Naval Academy Of one OF
the most important epochs in the his
tory of u country.
LAS a member of the naval nm:
tee and the subcommittee on Naval
Academy, in which it goes without say
ing I think l have taken some interest,
I shall very cheerfully support. or, if
need be, originate, action to prevent
the use of any such unfair and glar-
ingly false statement of historic events
as Maclay is trying to get before the
academy and the country.
II have always deprecated the at
tempt To use. Schley'S name for hum