The San Francisco call., 1898-04-03


 focused the eyes of the world.
 When the United States battle ship Maine was destroyed In the harbor of Havana Captain Sigsbee was the hero of the hour. After him came Fitz- hugh Lee, the American Consul-Gen- eral to Cuba, who, by his firm insist ence upon protecting the nations in- terests in Cuba became the chief fig ure in the exciting panorama of pass ing events. Then President Mckinley, cool, conservative and alert, stepped into the foreground, and, by the influ- .ence of his strong personality, obtained by the unanimous vote of Congress an :. appropriation of s50,0OO,OO0 for the na- tional defense.
 : And now comes Nelson A. Miles, commander of the United States army, upon whom. in the event of war will devolve the direction of the nations fighting forces.
 Nelson A. Miles now is a major-gen- eral. He is a born fighter, an .eXper- fenced tactician. and a thorough dis eiplinarian. Few men with the same military training have risen to his rank in the armies of the world. Shall he continue as a major-general, or shall the more distinguished title of liteuten- " ant general be conferred upon him? . Shall the forces of the United States be. commanded by an officer of inferior title to that of the commander of the other armies of the world, or shall his rank, as we'll as his position, be placed on level with that of the heads of :" the armies in the other great nations? . These are questions to which Con- gress, in connection with its considera- ton of the Cuban situation, is giving a great deal of thought. Major Gen eral Miles, for thirty-f1ve years a con- :. spicuous member of the United States army, has been proposed for the ex- alted rank of lieutenant general. There Is. pending before Congress joint res- .olution to make him, in title as welt as in fact, the supreme head of the na- ,tfon's army. It is contended that he should be Lieutenant-G Miles not only because he now Is but one of three maj generals in the army, but be- ~cause of the years of distinguished ser Vice he has rendered to his country. :: Army officers are keenly interested in the joint resolution now before Con- :gress and thousands of American cit "izens share with them the feeling that this is one of the first questions that should be settled. With three major .. generals in the regular army, and with one of these majorg generals in com mand, soldiers and citizens alike feel a keen interest in knowing whether Congress will decide or refuse to make ; the present head of the army an officer of supreme rank over all other officers Why not, they ask, have one lieuten- ant general?
 :: Upon but six men since the nation was born has the title of lieutenant general been conferred. Washington. Scott, Grant, Sherman, Sheridan and :Schofield comprise the list of generals who thus have been honored. And of these six alone Grant was honored with the still higher title of general. When the United States feared a war with France in 179S, and George Wash ington was called to the command or the army, he was given the title Of . lieutenant-general.
 Another military hero, Winfield Scott, was made lieutenant general half q century later.
 During the Civil War the title was conferred upon Ulysses S. Grant, and when he was made general, in 1868, William T. Sherman became lieuten- ant-general. Upon the retirement of Lieutenant-G General Sherman that title was conferred upon "Phil' Sheridan, who succeeded to the office But when Sheridan died, in 1888, the title of lieu +tenant-general passed away with him. John M. Schofeld, head of the army after Sheridan, was made lieutenant general by special act of Congress eight months before his retirement When Major General Nelson A. Miles Succeeded to the office he did not sue eeed to. the title, and several efforts