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 unprejudiced man will
admit, justly so too. Yet in various
leading journals, and all of them Repub-
llcan, we find slurs cast upon the General.
much as if he had committed some great
wrong. The GlObe-Democrat, of st. Louis.
Is after him, and is followed by the Re
publican, of Omaha both journals fling
ing sneers at the General, so palpablv
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 priceless service in obtaining
possession of the persons of Geronimo and
his band, and as this journal is as fully
informed rs all others who depend upon
the Associated Press for news, we cannot
see how General Miles deserves this
treatment. We have copied kilograms
stating that a hostile feeling existed
against General Miles because he was
not West Point graduate, and argued
that If that was true, and he was the
butt OF enmity on that account, it was a
disgrace to the army. The New York
Saa, 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
1t 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 a civilian an
pointee is absurd. The appointees from
the Military Academy were, at the begin
nlng OF this year, 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 c
officer among all the Division and De- '
partment commanders than General a
Terry, who was not cadet at West a
Point. Besides, the Government officials Ii
who are reputed to disapprove most Il
strongly of General Miles arrangements b
Tor closing the Apache hostilities are not Ii
West Point officers. Ii
Equally preposterous is it to antago- e
nize the campaign methods of Crook and Il
Miles. They were strikingly analoyous O
with such differences as might be ex- Is
pected under different commanding Off ri
GERS. General Crook so sharply pursued Il
Geronimo and his followers that tbev Is
sued for peace. He received the uncon- II
ditional surrender of part of the band. ri
DIeronimo, with a greater part of the Il
warriors, proposed terms, which General 81
Crook is understood to have promptly s,
orwarded to Washington. But before
any reply was received the suspicious
chief, who was made anxious by the de- ii
ay, fed with his followers. 1t is said. Ia
however, that the response from Wash G
ngton, when it arrived, authorized Gen m
raj Crook to take their unconditional m
urrender, with an assurance that their 70
ives should be spared. If this be so. IS
here seems to have been practically co
title change in the arrangement made by tb
diles, apart from the question whether on
Ie was authorized to make it without i'm
pecifc authority. pr
Last March, when Geronimo broke ad
way during the negotiations, it became DO
ecessary to conduct another campaign tn,
galnst him, and as General Crook had by
reviously requested assignment to lik