Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-10-03
GENERAL NILES TOUR
RETURNING FROM HIS EUROPEAN
"TRIP OF OBSERVATION:
HE HAS STUDIED MILITARYISM.
WILL RECOMMEND IMPROVEMENTS
WILL RECOMMEND IMPROVEMENTS
IN UNCLE sAM,s ARMY.
United States Ability to Cope With
One of the Great European
Powers-Comments on Euro
peaR Armies and Their
Maneuycrs.

London, Oct 2-CCorrespondence of the
Associated PresS.) General Nelson y.
Miles. Mrs. Miles and Aide-de-Camp Cap
tain ,Maus sail for the United States on
tae American line steamer ST. Louis, on
October . The commander. of the army
has been i'll Europe since May on his tour
of military observations and. has inspected
everything of military interest from the
armies of the great powers i'll field action
down to balloons and bicycles" as he re-
marked, He has looked over fortifications,
barracks, camps, ordnance works of al
classes and in the intervals of this work
has written three reports 10 the govern
ment covering different features of Euro
pean militaryism. After his return he will,
with the assistance of Captain Maus pre-
Iarc=anei.ler=Hndz more comprehensive re-
port in which will be embodied recommen-
dations for the Improvement of the. United
States army.
Incidentally, General Miles has met most
OF the rulers Of Europe, Including Queen
Victoria. the car of Russia, the emperor
the pEesi1ent of France The president of
the French republic, however, he considers
TO be in every CHARACTERISTIC the peer of
royalties of Europe.
President Faure is one of the most
courteous. dignitied and accomplished men
have met in Europe" he said, and added
? that the French republic need have enter
laihed no mlsglNinS as to how its chief
= magistrate would romport himself during
e. MS recent Visit of state to the car, q Qucs-
- tlon which at once time deeply agitated
the press of France. General Miles talked
Interestingly TO a representative of the As
sociated Press of his tour and although he
declined TO give any opinions upon certain
questions. as the relative strength of the
French and German armies, his comments
upon the characteristics of those two or
Eanizations as they impressed him while
on exhibition in the field maneuvers at
Homburg and San Quentin were decidedly
significant. Concerning changes which
may be made in the Organization and
OF his observations. General Miles would
not speak. Certain changes might be made
by executive action, others would have 10
be authorized by congress. Those matters
were dealt with in his reports ana whether
they would be made known 10 the i,ubiic
depended upon the secretary of war 10
whom the reports were made. s7,-- ,-r-,l
when L left Washington the war he
tween Turkey and Greece had assumed
such proportions that 1t looked as if the
u, ana possibly one. or two of the grea;
no one reaiined 1t that time thai ti,af SEsac SSfSas
had assumed hostilities when She was
one anticipate that Turkey would. IN rort$.
fNc days. mobilize a great army of 600 on
ricn. When / arrived at Constantinopfe
an armistice had been declared and war
whH practically over. although the armies
have remained in hostile attitudes and II
bas taken three months to agree upon the
foEdltions OF peace for a war that haC
been fought in five weeks. But as my mis-.
flon only partially concerned that war, ant
~ The president and secretary of war hat
authorized me 10 Ytsft such countries as
nlght think advisable for the purpose OF
-TpHlfary observation, continued my Jour.
hsr, looking over all the principal armies
ei LDfe&e. many Oh the most important