The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-09-21
Washington Awaits Il Clash.


and little nervousness. His arrival
VIII be. 1t is believed the signal for Il
light that will be far more absorbing
tlan the battle of FL Cancy or San
Juan to the army officers who are rang
| ing themselves on one or the other
| side.
II seems, from what may be- gathered
~ conN"rsiliioh military men here.
that the bulk of the army is decidedly
in favor of Gen. Miles in the contro-
frrSy, aud there is Il lond and pcrsis-
| tent dcniand that ln. be accorded an
investigation through IL Court of In
| curry. The wnr department, il is said.
breads Court of Inquiry above I'LL
things. [ IL not hverSr to an invcsti-
| G;tfIpn, II an Investigation can Dc con
Quoted in the way it wishes, and for
this reason would prfrra Court-Iia:-
iial. The situation was very clearly
described to-day by an official in the
military branch OF the Government.
lie said:
81 src that Gen. Miles has, in inter
views vii new slmpcr reporters in New
York. admitted the substantial Hccu-
lacy of the report sent from Puerto
the hands of Gen. Corbin and Secrc-
tary Algcr. If this is true, if Gen.
Miles has said that he actually made
| the statements which have been at
tribntcd to him, then do not see that
there can be- any but Oh rsult-un i'm
mediate Courtmartial. The General
evidently wanted to bring to Il head
retary Alger and particularly with
Adjt. Gen. Corbin.. lie believes and a
great many army men agree with him,
that Gen. COrbin and Secretary Alger
have done everything in their power to
injurc and to cmbarrss him. The
matter has gone SO far that Miles
wants it settled, and, believe, he gave
that interview for publication for the
sole purpose of forcing an investiga-
| ton.
II am afraid, however that the Gene
raj will not get the kind of investiga-
| tiOn he wants. He would, of course,
prefer Court of Inquiry. This would
make quite Il different sort of investi-
CATION from Il Court-martial. In the
former Alger would be on trial; in the
latter Miles will be the accused. The
may be adduced, will be entirely diff
fcrcnt. u Court of Inquiry Alger
| might be found to have been very
negligent, inefficient, and guilty Of
conspiring with Corbin to ruin Miles;
or it might be that no ground for the
charge could be found. But in II Court
martial Miles will he certain to be
clusion. The Court-martial will ut
least find that he has been guilty of
conduct prejudicial to discipline. 1t
| could scarcely avoid such u finding.
Even if everything that Miles said is
true, the COurt-innrtial would still find
that he should not have said it. Such
Il finding would not injure Miles very
OF everybody and become Il popular
hero, while the war department. and
the adjutant general would be con
sidercd as having sheltered themselves
behind n technicality tOavOid Il search
ing investigation into their conduct.
In my opinion neither side can
afford to cvade an inquiry. General
until the, Secretary or the adjutant
general did something that imputed
wrong. doing. to him, whereupon he
could demand q Court of Inquiry. This
would give him just the sort of investi-
CATION that he Graves. But the adju-
tnnt general, who is the brains of the
war department., is too astute to allow
Miles such an opportunity. He. will
Gen. Miles asking if the statements he
attributed to him were made by him.
Then, if the general acknowledges that
the statements were made by himself,
the Secretary of War will order
Court-martial. This is just what |
should do if had anything to conceal.
1t is evident that the war department
does not want an investigation, and it
can avoid one by ordering Miles before
u COurt-martial, where the finding may
be written out now just as we'll MS after
weeks Of deliberatiOn The real issue
will not be touched on, and Miles will
be fou technically guilty of q breach
OF discipline. The war office will be
shielded, and Miles. failing TO score a
triumph in the trial, will become
popular idol.
"Milcs is not striking at Alger as
much as he is at Corbin. 1t is COrbin
who conducted the war. The entire
management of it was put into his
hands by the President, who wanted
at one time to send him into the field.
Alger has become q subordinate in his
own office. He sees no one, confers
scrutiny and supervision of the adju-
tant general. The door leading into
the adjutant generals Office is now
open always, and Gen. COrbin sees and
knows everything that the Secretary
does. lie wns overheard saying once,
when Secretary Alger had gone to the
tho White House, orAlger viii i,.vu
the, President agree to some of his
foOlishness.' 1t is at COrbin and not
Alger, that Miles boltis directed. We
shall have lively times before it is all
over"
The snme official said that Secretary
A!ger confessed q few days ago that
Miles was i'll command in Tampa and
in Cuba. This, said the official, di-
rectly controverts tho statement made
in Gen. Corbin's telegrams to Shafter
assuring him that he (Shafter) was in
supreme commend, despite the pres
ence of General Miles. Washington
eagerly awaits the clash.
ExSecretary of State Sherman called
to see the President this morning.
After the interview he said that his
visit was friendly md personal one
politics. He added that his call had
no Significance whatever. "I'm only
private citizen" he said. 1t is thought,
however, that the visit had something
to do with the Ex-Secretary recent
mn InSuv re- II H.