The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-08-30
THE ARMY
MUDDLE
General rliles' Charges a
Matter of Record.
SHAFTER DISOBEYED ORDERS
In Allowing His Troops to Occupy
:, Fever Infected Houses. =,
MILES ORDERS TO SHAFTER.

"Told by the Secretary of War That
You Were Not to Supersedc Me in Com
mand Here"-Miles Replies That He
Has Carefully Avoided an Appearance
of Superseding You," Though He Calls
Attention to the Fact That lie Com
mands All the Troops.
Kansas City, Mo-. Aug. 3O.-The
Star prints an exclusive dispatch
from Mr. J. D. Wheipley, It's spec
ial correspondent who has just re-
turned from Porto Rico. bearing upon
the Mles-Alger controversy. Mr..
Whelpley takes occasion to deny the
statement that his recently published
interview In Porto Rico with General
Miles, wherein the latter was quoted as
casting reflections upon the war de-
partment, was not genuine. and in sup
port Of the statement already made by
1t The Star prints interesting kilograms
that passed between the war depart
ment and Generals Miles and Shafter
On the points at issue.
doubt is expressed by some" says
Mr.. Whelpley, "as to whether General
Miles ever said these things l credit
him with. Others suggest he may have
aaid them In confidence which was be-
arayed. l feel confident General Miles
will stand by the interview referred to.
my talk with him was not conf
Genital. l went to him as newspaper
seporter. for the avowed and express
suppose Of securing an Interview There
was no reservations from publication
IN the conversation. This is proved by
his refusal to answer some questions
which he would have answered had this
been So There was no hint Of conf
dence.
"In this instance. however, no
question Of veracity need arise. Cen
eral Miles himself, even If he so de-
sired. could not conceal the proof of all
he said 1t Is written in the records of
the war department and 1t not only
needs a clearing away of inconscquen-
tial matter to tell the story clearly and
In full.
General Miles in his interview in
The Star makes several distinct state
ments. one to the effect that he was
can armies. first, last and all the time,
In Washington. In Tampa, in Cuba. in
Porto Rico. or anywhere else he might
BE-
He charges General Corbin with
sending a secret dispatch to General
Ghafter contrary to this. He charges
the war department with mutilatng
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 recommended
lions in regard to moving the troops
from Santiago was dsregarded. this
disregard leading to grave consequent
ces. He recites the fact that General
6hafter disobeyed orders in occupying
fever infected houses and allowing
Cuban refugees to mix with the Ameri-
can troops.
FINALLY he claims that Washington
allowed the plans of his Porto Rico
campaign to leak out to such an ex-
tent as to render them useless and
dangerous.
ut 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
Hight on the situation.
THAT General Miles was commander
OF the entire army when in Washing
ton Is of course evident. That he did
not resign this supreme command when
he went to Tampa, and that it was he
who was treating with the Cubans for
cooperation in Cuba. is shown by the
numerous kilograms exchanged with
General Garcia.
"When General Shafter went to Cuba
and General Miles returned to Wash
ingtOn. the latter did not resign his
control of the situation, but on the con-
trary, kept In close touch as possible by |
wire with the movements of Skaters |
command.
"On the fourth of July General |
Shafter sent dispatches to Wash |
ington showing the deplorable con-
ditiOn of affairs in and about San |
tiago. 1t was this situation which |
determined General Miles to go to |
Cuba. The day he sailed with rein
fOrcements, July I, he sent the follow-
ing dispatch from Washington to Cen
eral Shafter:
Take every precauton against sur
prise, and be on the lookout that the
enemy does not turn your right flank |
and come In on the line of your COM
munications. Reinforcements are being
sent forward as rapidly as possible but
you will have to be judge of the posi-
tion you are to hold until reinforce
ments can reach YOU
General Miles sailed for Cuba. On
July IL. at n0On he reported his safe
arrival to the war department and at
once assumed charge, reporting to the
secretary of war. All of the subse-
Quent business Of the surrender was
entirely in his hands. as shown by the
fact that the war department commun-
icated with him direct, not even men,
tioning General Skaters name in the
numerous dispatches.
I'm the face Of this situation, Secre- !
tary Alger, through General Corbin, |
sent dispatch to General Shafter as
suring him that General Miles did not
come to Cuba to supersede Shafter in
any way. This dispatch General Shaf-
ter refers to as secret for he says he
did not know it had been sent, not be.
ing notified from Washington and Cen
eral Shafter saying nothing about 1t.
After the surrender General Miles still