The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-07-20
THE POSITION OF GEN. MILES.

THE POSITION OF GEN. MILES. Facts About His Going to the Front
 Why Miles Goes to Porto Rico.
 Washington, July 19.-Now that San tiago has fallen, and all that remains of the campaign is the clearing up of the debris, it is fitting that some little explanation should be offered of Gen. eral Miles share in the enterprise. It will be recalled that when the general started for the front, it was positively stated in these dispatches that he would not relieve General Shafter of direct command, and that his presence would have no effect upon the situation be- yond enabling Shafter to make his re- ports to the senior major general on the spot, instead of sending them all the way to Washington. This statement was contradicted on many sides, but the sequel has proved it's essential truth.
 The facts underlying General Miles movement to the front were not wide ly known. The secretary of war, who is a natural politician, has had de- sire from the start to push every Mich igan man who had been friendly to him in the past into the best military position. It was General Shafters Michigan antecedents which gained for him the command of the expedition, in spite of the fact that General Wade was at Tampa helping to organize it, and was Shafter's senior; this is per- fectly well known fact in Washington. The president, however, has great faith in General Miles military judgment, and in spite of Secretary Alger's ob- vious disfavor for the project of send- ing Miles to the front, the president countenanced it as soon as it could be done with sufficient security against complications there and here.
 Miles showed uncommon tact in deal- ing with a disagreeable situation. Al though he knew that a large part of the public would hold him personally responsible for whatever might occur at Santiago while he was there, he also knew that if he took any outward share in the direction of the campaign or in the negotiations to follow it, this would be likely to cause trouble in the admin istration, and orders from Washington would descend upon Shafter and him. self at inopportune times.
 It will be observed that the Porto Rico campaign, which has just started, will have no Michigan element in it. Relieved of this incubus, we see Gen. eral Miles preparing to take, not mere- ly inferential charge, but actual com- mand of the expedition. Unless the president requires his presence in Washington, the general will go to Porto Rico, with General Brooke sec- ond in command, and whatever honors flow from that campaign will come to Miles first and Brooke -afterWard, re- versing the order of honors in the San tiago campaign. There are many mili- tary experts who believe also that there will be less heralding of what is going to be done, but more business-like at tainments of results.
 In case any unforeseen emergency should prevent General Miles from taking control of the Porto Rico ex- petition, General Brooke is abundantly capable of commanding it, so that the American people have double advance assurance of it's success There would be a dramatic climax to the war in reserving the actual personal command of the campaign against Havana for the head of the army, and General Miles has a proper ambition to do his share of the work of the present war. His assumption of the command of the Porto Rico expedition, therefore, will be interpreted here as indicating sus- picion on his part and that of the presi- dent that 1t may never be necessary to besiege Havana.