The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-09-08
GEN. MILES STATEMENT.


lnE the expedition. felt the Importance
Of the enterprise so greatly that he re-
Guested permission to accompany that
expedition or to Immediately organize
another to Join It, This permission
was not granted SO far as accompany
Ing that expedition was concerned, but
authority was granted TO equip a sec
ond FOR movement and operation
against the enemy in Cuba and Porto
Rico However before this expedition
was equipped, calls were made for ad-
ditional forces to go TO Santiago, and
They We're Immediately forwarded.
"On the third day of July General
Shafter teleEraphed that his losses had
been greatly underestimated; that he
met with stronger resistance than he
had anticipated, and that he was seri-
busly considering the advisability of
falling back to a position five miles to
The rear, and that he had been unable to
be up during the heat for four days.
Under such circumstances. General
Miles telegraphed General Shafter
that he would be with him within a
week with strong reinforcements. of
course taking the troops prepared for
the second expedition, which had been
ordered by the president to operate
against the enemy i'm Cuba, as well as
In Porto Rico. These reinforcements
were pushed rapidly forward and
some of them arrived in advance of the
commanding general and were put in
position in the trenches around. San
tiago.
Under verbal instructions of the
president, General Miles was directed
to go to wherever he deemed his pres
ence was required and that he should
give such directions as in his opinion
were best for the army and for the
government. These were the circum-
stances under which General Miles left
Washington, arriving at Santiago July
IL, not as a private individual, nor as a
visitor. Any pretense that he went
there disrobed of his authority or Of
fetal capacity is too childish to be con-
sldered by sensible men. From the mo-
ment he arrived at Santiago ~ was re-
sponsihe for what might occur"
The statement then gives a report Of
the various interviews between Miles
and Toral, the Spanish commander at
Santiago, and also the telegram from
Secretary Alger authorizing him
tMiles) to accept ToraTs surrender on
the terms our commanding general
had demanded
This" the statement says, docs not
look as if General Miles was there as a
visitor. He was charged with respon-
sibility of ordering an assault upon the
lhtrenchments and fortifications of an
army, which, If successful. would have
cost at least 5000 lives. or of withhold
ing the assault, it, in his Judgment,
such assault would fail. No greater
discretion was ever given to any gen
eral commanding an army, and what IS
more, as will be observed he was au-
thorized to accept the surrender. which.
IN the interest of his subordinates, he
generously declined to do and went
away leaving all the honor to his next
In rank, General Shafter
The place of landing the Porto RIcan
expedition had been so thoroughly ad-
Vertsed in communications sent over
the French cable and in the newspa-
pers of our own country and tele-
graphed to Madrid and from there to
san Juan, that not having received
the necessary appliances in which to
disembark General Miles decided to
change his course and land on the
south side of Porto Rico, where the
Spaniards were the least prepared and
the least expecting to receive him, and
where he knew that the disembarka-
tion Of the troops and supplies could be
most easily effected From the time
of that embarkation during the fol-
lowing 10 days of the campaign he kept
the Spaniards guessing what the next
move would be.
The Island Of Porto Rico was fairly
won by the right Of conquest and has
become a part Of the United States.
The sentiment Of the people was in no
sense outraged by the invaders, but on
the contrary was successfully propi-
tated. a people who have endured the
severity Of Spanish rule for four CEN
turies hail with joy the protection of
the great republic, One of the richest
sections Of the country over which our
flag now floats has been added and will
be OF lasting value to our nation Do
litically commercially and from mill
tary or strategic point of view. Gem
eral Miles firmly believes that by fair
and just treatment the people of Cuba
can be as easily controlled either as a
friendly ally and neighbor or to be-
come part of our own country as the
people of Porto Rico.
General Miles remained in Porto
Rico as long as he deemed his presence
necessary for carrying out the wishes
of the president. He returns at once
TO Washington, where he believes he
can be most useful, as he considers the
most important need of the hour now
to be the immediate reduction of war
expenses and the return of as large a
portion of those in the military service
as possible to their former occupations,
where they are most needed"