Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-09-03
ALGER- MILES MIDDLE
The Charges Made by the General
Of the Army.
WAS PLACED IN A FALSE LIGHT.

Kansas CITY, MO, Aug SV.--l ne
Star prints an exclusive dispatch
from MIR. j. ID. whelpley. its spec
ial correspondent who has just re-
turned from Porto Rico. bearing upon
the Miles-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
it 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 / credit
him with. Others suggest he may have
said them in confidence which was be-
trayed. / feel confident General Miles
will stand by the interview referred to.
My talk with him was not conf
Dental. / went to him as newspaper
reporter, for the avowed and express
purpose 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.
I'm this instance. however. no
question of veracity need arise. GEN
eral Miles himself, even il he so de-
sired, could not conceal the proof of all
he said 1t is written in the records of
the war department and il not only
needs a clearing away of inconsequen-
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
commanding general Of all the Ameri
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
Shafter contrary to this. He charges
the war department with mutilating
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 a
false light to the people at home.
He charges that his recommends
lions in regard to moving the troops
from Santiago was disregarded, this
disregard leading TO grave consequent
ces. He recites the fact that General
! Shafter 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
! light on the situation.
ION 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 T. he sent a telegram
of instruction to General Shafter and
on July IL he arrived and assumed
charge of the forces, the dispatches
from the secretary Of war thereafter
being sent to Miles, Shafter not being
mentioned.
I'm the face of this situation, Secre-
tary Alger through General Corbin,
sent a dispatch to General Shafter as
surfing him that General Miles did not
come to Cuba to supersede Shafter in
any way. This dispatch General Miles
/ refers to as secret, for he says he
did not know il had been sent not be-
I ing notified from Washington and Cen
| eral Shafter saying nothing about 1t.
After the surrender General Miles still
retained control. He authorized SHAFT
ter to appoint peace commissioners,
and Judging from Skaters report
that all was over he instructed him az
to the disposition of the troops
ION July II. after the surrender Of
Santiago was completed General SHAFT
\ ter wired General Miles that i was
told by the secretary of war that you
were not to supersede me in command
here To this Miles responded that i
have no desire and have carefully
avoided any appearance of superseding
you. Your command is a part of the
United States army, which l have the
honor to command
Secretary Alger discussed the matter
with me yesterday. saying he did not
propose to enter into any controversy.
My cablegram to General Shafter,'
! he continued. was simply due to my
desire TO assure him that I intended to
be absolutely fair Before his departure
from Washington General Miles and /
had talked the matter over, and he
| started for Cuba knowing that he was
not in any way to interfere with the
| operations which We're under the con-
| troll Of General Shafter. That there
| could be no doubt whatever i cabled
to General Shafter informing him that
| General Miles had left for Cuba with
instructions not to in any manner sup
ersede him as commander of troops in
the field.''
The Cars Peace Proposal.
St Petersburg, Aug. 29.-By order of
Emperor Nicholas. Count Muraveff,
! the foreign minister, handed TO the
! foreign dfnlOmats at St Petersburg n