The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-08-30
JUST LET FEVER RUN.
Substance of Ayers Orders to
Miles After Surrender
of Santiago.

Kansas City, Mo, Aug. 90.-The Star
prints the following from its cores
pOndent who interviewed General Miles
in Porto Rico, August IL:
Arriving in New York yeterday from
Porto Rico I found the press of the
United States commenting extensively
upon my interview with General Nelson
A. Miles, published in the Star August
%. In this interview the general COM
manding the American army in effect
brands as false many statements made
by the secretary of war and specifies
instances where news of actual condi-
lions and events have been manipulated
in Washington to serve a purpose.
Doubt is expressed by some as to
whether General Miles ever said these
things credit him with. Others sug-
gest he may have said them in a con-
hdence which was betrayed; others go
so far as to claim the whole thing is a
myth. These doubts can not be Won
dered at, for the matters treated of are
of supreme Importance and concern one
of the NOSE remarkable episodes in the
military and political history of this
country. The doubters are in a minor
ity, however, for every newspaper in
the United States, and even many
abroad, has contained from day to day,
during the past three months, corrobor-
ative evidence as to the truth of all
credit General Miles with saying. The
press and the people had been prepared
for the inevitable outbreak of slumber-
ing fires.
General Miles, in his interview in the
Star. makes several distinct statements,
one to the effect that he was command
ing general of all the American armies
first, last and all the time, in Washing
ton, in Tampa, in Cuba, in Porto Rico,
or anywhere else he might be.
He charges General Corbin with send
ing secret dispatch to General Shat
ter contradictory to this.
He charges the war department with
mutilating and even suppressing parts
or the whole of certain messages 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 disre-
gard leading to grave consequences He
recites the fact that General Shafter
disObeyed orders in occupying fever in
fected houses and allowing Cuban to
mix with the American troops.
Finally he claims that Washington
allowed the plans of his Porto Rico
campaign to leak out to such an extent
as to render them useless and danger
Gus.
These charges are the sum and sub
stance of his interview as printed in
the Star. 1t needs only a glance at the
official records of the war department
to show each and every one of these
charges to be truth and to throw much
additional light on the situation.
XxriTn 4Io4
the surrender was finally complete. And
General Miles replied through Adjutant
General Gilmore as follows: 1.-THE COM
handing general is very much gratified
to hear that the surrender is complete
He directs that you telegraph anything
of Importance and the condition of your
command daily General Miles then
reported the condition of affairs to the
secretary of war, with whom he had
been in conference. In one of his tele-
grams to Miles, Secretary Alger says:
LAS soon as Santiago falls the troops
must all be put in camp as comfortable
as they can be made and remain. I sup
pose, until the fever has had it's run"
Miles did not agree with Secretary AL
ger in the desire of the latter to keep
the soldiers in Cuba until they were all
dead or we'll, for July 81, in a letter al
ready published, the general command
ing urged the return of the army to the
United States as soon as possible. July
II, after the surrender was complete,
General Shafter began to realize the
possibilities of his part in the play and
backed up by the now famous telegram,
relieving him from obedience to the
commanding general, he wired as fol-
lows to General Miles:
''Siboney, July II. 1898, S:48 p. m
Received July Is, 1S9S.-General Miles,
on board Yale: Letters and orders in
reference to movement of camp receiv-
ed and will be carried out None is more
anxious to get away from here than
myself. It seems from your orders Civ
en- me that you regard my forces as
part of your command. Nothing will
give me greater pleasure than serving
under you, general, and I shall comply
with all your requests and directions
but I was told by the secretary of war
that you were not to supersede me in
command here. I will furnish the infor-
nation called for as to condition of
command to Gilmore, Adjutant General
A. H. Q.-Shafter, Major General"
General Miles very promptly replied
as follows:
playa del Este, July Is, 1898 Guam
tanamo, 11:30 a. m.-Genera1 Shafter:
Telegram received, have no desire and
Of Superseding you. Your command IS
part of the United States army which
I have the honor to command, having
been duly assigned thereto and directed
by the president to go wherever
thought my presence required and give
such general directions as thought
best concerning military matters, and
especially directed to go to Santiago for
a specific purpose. You will also notice
that the order of the secretary of war
of July 10 left the matter to my discre-
ton. I should regret that any event
should cause either yourself or any part
of your command to cease to be part
of mine.-Very truly yours, Nelson A
Miles.