The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-30
NILES ARRALGNS ALGER
INTERVIEW WITH THE GEN
ERAL DECLARED GENUINE

There Was No Understanding TINT
What He Said Was Not to Be Pub
Iished-Gen. Miles, and Not Shat
Ter, said to Have Been in Control
of Negotiations for Surrender of
S.ptiago-TeleSra Produced.
KANSAS CITY, Aug. 29.-The Star
prints a three column article from ].
D. WhelDley, who has just returned
from Porto Rico, bearing upon the
Mnes-Alger controversy. Mr.. Wheipley
takes occasion to deny the statement
that his recently published interview in
Porto Rico with Gen. Miles, wherein
the latter was quoted as casting re-
Elections upon the war department,
was not genuine, and in support of the
statements already made by 1t, the Star
prints interesting kilograms that pass
ed between the war department and
Gems, Miles and Shafter on the points
at issue.
doubt is expressed by some," says
MIR. Whelp,ey, las to whether Gen.
Miles ever said these things l credit
him with. Others suggest he may have
said them in confidence which was be-
trayed. 1 feel confident" continued
the correspondent Gen. Miles will
stand by the interview referred to. My
talk with him was not confidential L
went to him as a newspaper reporter,
for the avoWed and express purpose
of securing an interview. There were
no reservations from publication in the
conversation. This is proved by the
fact that 1T was nearly all questions
which he would not have answered had
not this been so. There was no ques
tion of confidence. In this instance,
however, no question of veracity will
arise. Gen. Miles himself, even If he
so desired, could not control the proof
of all he said. 1t is written in the
records of the war department, and 1t
only needs a clearing away of incon-
sequent matter to tell the story clearly
and in full 1t would not have waited
for him to tell it. He has simply pre-
cipitated the avalanche which was al
ready moving.
GEN. NILES CHARGES.
0Su. hiSS III his lIllSINISW III lIl6
Star makes several distinct statements,
one to the effect that he was command
ing general of all the American arm
les, first, last and all the time; in
Washington, in Tampa, In Cuba, in
Porto Rico, or anywhere else he might
be. He charges Gen. Corbin with send
ing a secret dispatch to Gen. Shafter
contrary to this. He charges the war
department with mutilating, and even
suppressing parts or the whole of GER
tain MESA ges in their transmission to
the public, thus putting him and his
relations to the army in false light
to the people at home. He charges
that his recommendations in regard to
moving the troops from Santiago were
disregarded this disregard leading to
grave consequences. He recites the
fact that Gen. Shafter disobeyed or
ders In occupying fever-infected
houses, and allowing Cuban refugees
to mix with q Amerio an troops. Final
ly he claims that Washington allowed
the plans of his Porto Rico campaign
to leak out to such an extent as to
render them useless ana dangerous.
These charges are the sum and sub
stance Of his interview as printed In
the Star"
The text of the Stars article is in
part as follows:
'It needs only a glance at the off,
ciaI records of the war department to
show each and every one of these
charges to be true and to throw much
&dditioral light on the situation. That
he was in command of the entire army
when in Washington is, of course, evil
dent. That he did not resign this SUI
preTae command when he went to Tam
pa, and that it was he who was treat
ing with the Cubans for cooperation In
Cuba, is shown by the numerous tele-
grams exchanged with Gen. Garcia
The war department recognized Miles
as chief when he was in Tampa, for
June u a telegram was sent to him
from Washington which begins:
'' The following extract of egram from
Admiral Sampson to the secretary of the
navy is repeated for your information.
MILES WAS SUPREME.
mo man who was at Tampa when
Gen. Miles arrived from Washington
ever will doubt his supremacy, for all
others, including Gen. Shafter became
at once mere creatures at his beck and
call. When Gen. Shafter went to
Cuba and Gen. Miles returned to Wash
ington, the latter did not resign his
control Of the situation, but on the
contrary kept in as close touch as pos
eible by wire with the movements of
Shafter's command.
After the fight Of July 1 and 2, Gen.
Shafter, on the Fourth of July, sent
the following dispatches to Washing
ton addressed to the adjutant general:
Headquarters of the Fifth Army Corps,
in Camp near Santiago de Cuba, July A.
There seems to be no reasonable doubt but
that Gen. Pando succeeded in entering Santi-
ago last night with his force said to be
about 5.C00 men.
This puts different aspect on affairs
and while we can probably maintain cur.
selves 1t would be at the cost Of very con-
siderable fighting and loss.
Gen. Lawton reports that Gen. Garcia.
who was to block the entrance of Pando. in