The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-10-03
GENERAL MILES ON
HIS WAY HOME
NJ mas SEEN ALL or THE GREAT ARMIES
or EUROrr
The Result Of His ObssrstiOas viii Be
Embedded iu a Report to the
rrssidsst.

London. Sept. 22.-(correspondence Of
the Associated PsessJ-CenersI Nelson A
Miles. Mrs Miles and Aide de Camp Cap
tain Aaus sail for the United States on
} the American liner St. Lous on October
e. The commander Of the army mas
been In Europe since May on his tour
Of military observation. and has Inspected
everything Of military interest from the
armies Of the great powers in aelds o.
action down to balloons and bicycles. -
as he remarked. He has looked over
fortihcations, barracks. camps, ordnance
works OF all classes. and In the Intervals
Of this work has written three reports
10 the government covering dlferen,
feature Of European militarism. Upon
his return he will. with the assistance
Of Captain Maus. prepare another and
more complicated report. in which will
De embodied recommendation for the
Improvement Of the army.
Incidentally General Miles has met
most Of the officers Of Europe, including
Queen Victoria. the car OF Russia. the
emperor OF Germany. the sultan Of Tur-
key. and the president Of France. The
president Of the French republic, how
ever. he considers to be in every char
acteristIc the peer Of the royalties OF
Europe.
President Faure is one Of the most
courtly. dIgnifed and accomplished men
have met in Europe" he said. and
added tho French republic need have
no mlsgfvings as to how its chief mag
istrate would comport himself during his
recent visit OF state to the czar. a ques-
tion which at one time deeply agitated
the press Of France. General Miles
talked interestingly to a reporter OF his
tour and although he declined to give
any opinions upon certain questions as
to the relative strength OF the French
and German armies, tis comments upon
the characteristics OF those two organl-
zations as they impressed him while on
exhibition in the field maneuvers at HON.
burg and San Quentin were decidedly
significant. Concerning changes which
may be made in the organization and es-
adjustment OF the American army as a
result Of his observations, General Miles
would not speak. Certain changes might
be mace by executive action; others
wouh have 10 be authorized by congress.
Those matters were dealt with in his
reports. and whether they would be made
public depended on the secretary Of war.
to whom the reports were made.
When l left Washington the war be-
tween Turkey and Greece had assumed
such proportions that 1t hooked as though
the neighboring provinces would be
drawn into it. especially one or two OF
the great powers of Europe No one
realized at that time that Greece had
assumed hostilites when she was wholly
unprepared for war; nor anyone antici-
pate that Turkey would, in 45 days, mob
llize great army of 10000 men. When
| arrived at Constantinople an armistice
had been declared and war was practi-
cally over. though the armies remained
in hostile attitudes and II has taken
three months to agree upon the conditions
Of peace for war that had been fought
in five weeks. But as my mission only
partly concerned that war. and as the
president had authorized me to visit such
countries as might think advisable. for
the purpose of military observation. 1
continued my journey looking over all
the principal armies of Europe. many
of the most important military estab-
lishments, the gun factories and foun-
dries where the material of war is con-
'tructed from the most minute small |
ralibre projectiles to the heaviest armor |
plate. I have seen all the great armies |
II Europe except the Spanish army, and |
I Spain should declare war against the |
United States, 1 may possibly have an
to see that
"Of something over 100000 men under
arms. have seen nearly 10000. and in
,arracks and in garrisons and IN field
maneuvers. besides nearly 100000 men
Engaged in the construction OF war ma
erlal