The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-08-01
Still Slandering Schley.

Stlll Slanderlng SChley.
EDWARD STANTON MACLAY, IN HIS So
CALLED HISTORY OF THE NAVY,
Makes the Latest Assault Upon the
Hero of Santiago-A Mean, Souri,
ious Attack Full of prevarication
and Defamation of Character Made
for Partisan Purposes-Doln2 the
Bidding of Vile Clique of Naval OFF,
GERS Who Have Consplred Against
the Bravest Man of Them All.
Wilmington Messenger.
Edgar Stanton Maclay is his name
He is the latest and viiest slanderer
and enemy Of the great naval hero of
this country-Admiral Schley, the
southron. What has Maclay done?
He has published so-called History
OF the United States Navy 1t is a
mean, villainous tissue OF falsehoods s
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
sample of the mischievous lies told:
The one great lesson that Nelson
gave in naval strategy was that a
captain is never out of position when
alongside an enemy Farragut's
great axiom, sixty years later, was
that the nearer you get to the enemy
the harder you can strike. Schley's
great contribution to naval strategy
as too plainly shown by his conduct
throughout this campaign, was avoid
your enemy as long as possible, and
If he makes for you, run"
This work was regarded very favor
ably, as really a standard history,
until the lying third volume, after
being doctored by the vindictive, per-
scouting, prevaricating enemies of the
great seaman. 1t is known that vile
clique of naval officers have conspired
to make this cowardly assault upon
the greatest man of them all Hear
these varlets saying through the
plant Maclay:
1.-The shameful spectacle of an
American warship supported by a
force superior to the enemy's-a war
ship whose commander had expended
such vast quantities Of ammunition
in target practice in the presence of q
fashionable hotel at Hampton Roads
in order to meet worthy foe-dslib-
erately turning tail and running away
was presented"
How very low, and dastardly and
inso!ent, and false have these crea'
lures fallen to conspire to have intro
duced such cruel. detestable false.
hoods upon gallant, splendid nava
commander. Schleyis great victin
of slanders and yituperation, and il
is without any palliation or remotes'
sem blance of Justification. The Bal
timore San considers one aspect o.
the controversy that is impressive
| 1t says:
If the American fleet had been de
featsd and the responsibility for its
defeat had been placed unanswerably
upon the man who was in actual com
mand of it on that occasion, he coulC
not have been more bitterly assailed
and reviled than he has been sine.
treacherous fortune gave him the op
portunity to glorify his country. l
we are to measure his achievement
by the estimate placed upon it b,
partisan newspapers and envious pro
fessional critics, we might also con
clude that so far IS his personal repu
tation is concerned anything els
would have succeeded better tha,
success. Few men ever paid moi
severe penalty, in the way of unde
served reproach and violent attack
for serving their country successful.
than he has"
1t is very doubtful if in the Who'll
annals of naval warfare there ha
ever been SO despicable and devilisl
a conspiracy to ruin, to destroy tn
good name splendid achievements O
a superb hero. British naval record
are filled with contemplate and ras
cally jealousies and Sights, but moth
ing comparable to the persistent
satanic warfare on Admiral Schley.
Secretary Long, no friend OF Schley's
has put his ban on the slander, an
orders all Of the obnoxious languag
of the book concerning the hero G
Santiago Bay to be eliminated. H
states that he did not see all OF tn
proofs to the condemned volume
Here is what Maclay says, who hold
government position. as reporte
from Washington in the Baitimor
Herald, Republican:
"He admitted, however, that Will
Admiral Schley was chairman OF tn
Lighthouse Board he had tried to &c
a place in the service and failed. H
} said he had no animus against tn
admiral. 'Schley is \ coward th
historian is quoted as saying, AN
while like him very much, will NO
retract any of the statements mad
until they have been controverted b
competent authority
.At the Navy Department it is nc
considered that Mr.. Maclay is anne
nable to the same sort of discipline a
a subordinate officer in the nav
would be who undertook to CRITICS
his superiors in the reckless and in
temperate manner of Maclay in hi
history"
| Sampson. where is he and what
| he doing about this graceless assault
Representative Mudd is a member {
the Naval Committee. He is in Wasl
ington and has been interviewed b
the correspondent of the Baltimol
Sun. He said that Secretary Lon
would do right. He said:
81 think that . man who has show
himself such 3 conspicuous Willie
and falsifier of facts as Maclay hs
lust shown himself to be is not
man to be the official historian II
the students of our Naval Academy
one of the most important epochs
the history of our country.
.As a member of the Naval Cor
, mittee and the Subcommittee
Navel Acadamv. in which it go