The evening times., 1898-12-22

General Miles Testimony.
The examination Of General Miles by
the Alger Relief Commission. although
conducted in way 10 exclude much that
ne could say about the causes OF the un-
paralieled and ineNcusable defects in the
transportation quartermaster' commits
sary, medical and inspection departments.
nevertheless confirmed the testimony of
General Breckenridge and others in plac-
ing the first and chief blame entirely on
The Secretary Of War and the AdJutaut
General. General Miles is. by all odds. the
most important witness possible consider
ing The methods Of the examiners. II Alger
and Corbiu could be placed ON tine stand
by somebody who had determined pur-
pose 10 reveal the truth regardless of the
consequences TO the Administration We
should have the final facts in TRACE 1y
that il without a parallel In the history
Of army administration as FAR a. incom-
potency ard culpability are rated as the
causes. The statements OF General Miles
bring the responsibility for the death Of
thousands OF men and the prolonged ~uf-
ferings ana permanent disability Of other
thousands directly home To these two
officials. Only the support OF the Offend
ers by the President and the politicians
who profted by their disregard of the in
lerests ~ the army could prevent a thor
ough inquiry by Congressional commit
ice and a verdict that would compel their
retirement from pubic office. Nothing in
the history Of American politics is 50
shameful and discoura ging as the ability
of these men not only TO escape the just
penalty for their monstrous maladminis-
tration. but 10 carry their destructive
methods into the enlarged regular army
That the power of patronage should be
successfully used in the protection OF Of
Tenders whose guilt Is 50 clearly estab-
iished and TO perpetuate The methods by
which they wrought such tragic results,
is the strongest argument that can be
urged against popular institutions and
against the proposed increase Of the
army.
General Miles. the commanding sener-
al, shows that the commander chosen for
the invading army was wholly unequal
10 the demands on his intelligence; that
being unable to obtain from an incompe-
tent War Department the things needed
to successfully transport the expedition
10 Cuba. with all its necessary provis-
ions, and to land the troops and impede
menta safely, he simply sailed without
them. and but for the energy and watch
fUlness of General Miles there would have
been a worse condition than the very bad
one that was encountered In his infor-
NAL letters Of explanation, Secretary AL
ger has repeatedly taken credit to him
self for sending the boats for landing
that were at hand explaining that il was
impracticable TO get more. Inadequate
as this excuse was seen TO be, because it
was possible al the time the expedition
was planned, TO obtain any number, il
now appears that he is not entitled even
TO this small share OF credit 1t was Gen.
eral Miles, at the last moment. when he
discovered that his instructions about
boats for landing had been neglected. who
bought the two barges without which
there would have been none IL was
shown. yesterday, that while General
Miles had been told the navy would CO.
operate heartily in the landing of the
expedition and counted on IL, Secretary
Alser had a letter from the Secretary of
the Navy warning him not to depend on
help from the navy, as all It's energies
Were reserved for Cervera. Not a word
was said to General Miles about this and
he learned the fact only from the Alger
Relief Commission
That the expedition did not have proper
transports. but that the men were crowd
ed into the holds of foul ships with the
cattle and stores; and that there were not
enough transports to carry all the troops
and equipments; and that it was in dan
ger Of destruction from storms or the
warships OF the enemy, We may charge
directly 10 the War Department on Gen
eral Miles testimony. Estimates as to
everything necessary - everything - had
been made by General Miles, but no atten.
lion had been paid TO them or to his sug-
gestions and positive instructions. That
officer did not say il, but it is known to
be a fact, that the incompetent unknown
who was selected by his friend, the Adju-
tant General, to command the army of in
vasion was made to understand that he
was not subject 20 the orders of the com.
manding general and that any contemp;
of the orders of his superior would be up.
held by the War Office. AS to "the chron,
&c scarcity of doctors, medicines and
everything relating TO the hospital service
Surgeon General Sternberg has testified
that the fault belongs entirely TO Secreta.
~ Alger; that the medical department
was eager to provide everything needed
but to all his appeals Secretary Alger re
piled. 1T is the policy to wait" Tha
continued TO be the policy until the public
raised cry after the troops reached Ions
Island. That precautions were not takeI
against the incursion of epidemic disease
in Cuba, General Miles shows was th'