Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-10-14
GENERAL MILES AND GERONIMO.

The press OF the country has sided in
the main with General Miles, on his con-
duct OF the campaign against the
Apaches,. and any unprejudced man will
admit, justly so too. Yet in various
leading journals, and all OF them Repub-
lican, we find slurs cast upon the General,
much as if he had committed some great
wrong. The Globe DemOcrdt of st. Louis,
is after him, and is followed by the Re-
publican, OF Omaha, both journals fling
ing sneers at the General, so palpably
spiteful, that even the most obtuse mind
can see the political animus in the
case. The DEMOCRAT, being guided
solely by the few facts telegraphed
to it, has held that General Miles did the
country q priceless service in obtaining
possession of the persons OF Geronimo and
his band, and as this journal is as fully
informed as all others who depend upon
the Associated Press for news, we cannot
see how General Miles deserves this
treatment. We have copied telegrams
stating that hostile feeling existed
against General Miles because he was
not Il West Point graduate, and argued
that ii that was true, and he was the
butt OF enmity on that account, it was u
disgrace to the army. The New York
Sun, than which there is not better
informed source OF trustworthy informa-
ton in the journalistic field, has the
following on the subject, and it is so very
like what appeared in these columns on
the same subject that we gladly publish
it in full, feeling that it does justice to
both officers, and the matter under con-
sideration
"The conjecture that the recent strict
ures upon the disposition made OF Geroni-
mo by General Miles was inspired by West
Point jealousy OF him as civilian APP
pointee is absurd. The appointees from
the Military Academy were, at the begin
ming of this year, Il minority among the
officers OF the army, in spite OF their large
ratio of gain in numbers over appointees
from civil life and from the ranks during
the last twenty years. There is probably
not more popular and more respected
officer among all the Division and De-
partment commanders than General
Terry, who was not a cadet at West
Point Besides, the Government officials
wko are reputed to disapprove most
strongly OF General Miles arrangements
for closing the Apache hostilities are not
West Point officers.
Equally preposterous is it to antago-
nize the campaign methods OF Crook and
Miles. They were strikingly analogous,
with such differences as might be ex-
pected under different commanding Off
GERS. General Crook so sharply pursued
Geronimo and his followers that they
sued for peace. lie received the uncon-
ditional surrender Of II part of the band.
Geronimo, with II greater part of the
warriors, proposed terms, which General
Crook is understood to have promptly
forwarded to Washington, But before
any reply was received the suspicious
chief, who was made anxious by the de-
lay, fled with his followers. 1t is said,
however, that the response from Wash
ington, when it arrived, authorized Gen
eral Crook to take their unconditional
surrender, with an assurance that their
lives should be spared. If this be so,
there seems to have been practically
little change in the arrangement made by
Miles, apart from the question whether
he was authorized TO make it without
specific authority.
"Last March, when Geronimo broke
away during the negotiations, it became
necessary to conduct another campaign
against him, and as General Crook had
previously requested assignment to