New Iberia enterprise. (New Iberia, La.) 1885-1902, 1901-09-14

attack was noted by the newspapers,
and Schley was urged to bring an
action of some kind against the
writer, who had directly charged
HIM with being a coward, and had
sad other things still worse. This,
however, was not what led TO Ad-
mlral Schley's request, on July %.
for an official inquiry, although
most people seem to suppose that it
was. The admiral would probably
have paid no attention to Mr..
Maclay himself. The incident that
led to the court of inquiry was
something as different as possible
from all this. 1t was the fact that
the proof-sheets of Maclay's chap
ters in which Schlcy was DETAINED
had been submitted in advance to
Admiral Sampson, who is under
stood virtually, if not expressly and
in set terms, to have set the seal of
his approval upon these aspersions.
Sampson thus appeared to Schley
to have put himself in the position
Of abetting an attack upon the char
acter and reputation of fellow
officer.
Admiral Schley retires from the
navy under the age limit next
month, His professional reputa-
ton is doubtless dearer to him than
his life. When Maclay, in self
justification, informed the news
paper reporters that he had been
careful to have his manuscript or
proof-sheets read in advance byI
naval officers, Admiral Sampson
found himself placed under the
painful and embarrassing necessity
of admitting that he had been fully |
consulted. This fact being unex-
pectedly brought to light, a wholly
new Importance was attached to the
Maclay book. Since no charges had
been brought officially against
Schley, and his standing in the
naval service was therefore without
flaw, it would seem as if he might
have proceeded in a different man
ner. Instead of asking for court
of inquiry to establish his reputa-
ton, which had never been Official
ly brought into question, he might
have demanded that Sampson be
tried by court-martial for, conduct
unbecoming an officer and gentle
man in helping Maclay to put on
record in what purports to be a
serious and carefully written his
tory, an attack upon Schley which
is intended to bring him into such
1ishonor and disrepute as the
earlier historians visited upon Be-
nedict Arnold. Curiously enough,
one Of the prases used by Maclay
md apparently indorsed by Ad-
niral Sampson is "caitiff flight"
Ind this is exactly the phrase that
irving uses with respect to Benedict
Arnold. "Caitiff," the adjective,
s a word which Webster's NewI I
International Dictisnary defines as Is
ollows: "Base, wicked, mean,
owardly despicable." "Caitiff,"
he noun, is defined as follows
"A mean, despicable person, one t
n whose character meanness and t
meet" b
Admiral Sampson has long en- Il
Dyed the reputation OF being anex-
eedingly intelligent, methodical, d
nd painstaking officer of high +
ractical efficiency. Schley has had n
he reputation of seafaring man v
T all-round accomplishments and u
apability, belonging especially to p
he traditional type of the fighting n
ian conspicuous for the qualities t
courage and personal leadership. p
hat Schley should have demanded
n investigation into his own con- II
uct rather than a court martial for 81
is rival seems to us rather impul- II
i've and quixotic, but mark both p
{ self-respect and of generosity. u
is probably just what onr great Ii
vt naval hero, the incompatible "
aul Jones, would himself havel Il
one.-Reviev of Reriews. T.