The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-15
HE BEGAN TT.
Gen. Miles the First Insub-
ordinate Offender.

pied scandal in the army" the New
York Sun, formerly staunch defender
of Gen. Miles, says, editerially: ss1
THE prime cause of the scandal
which has now come upon the army
was undoubtedly the publication OF
| the grievances of Gen. Miles, as con-
flded to the reporter of a Kansas city
newspaper. This took place while he
was in command at Porto Rico; while
hostilities were still IN progress, ana
his published interview consisted sub
stantially of charges against the pres
ident, the commander-in-cnief. OF fhs
army and navy for they related TO the
management of the war by the war
department, the direct agent ardEin-
strument of the president, Moreover,
as Mr.. Mckinley has said with great
frankness, he was himself practically
the secretary of war during the con-
fiict with Spain, and responsible ac-
cordingly. -75ise.F1S
Gen. Miles, in going outside Of regular
military channels and making suchHac-
cusations publicly through newspaper.
was guilty of violation of military
propriety, of positive army regulations,
which tended to introduce into the army
- AcSii5SlOu spirit Vi
and to encourage a looseness and reck-
lessness of statement in assailing bro
Their officers and drawing injurious in
terences from their conduct. Thus the
mead OF the army himself set an exam
pie OF rebellion against the necessary
and salutary restraints of discipline,
sure to be productive decentralization.
All wars breed controversies over the
proper division of merit among officers,
ana IN our service they tend to give
greater aceIibity to long existing con-
ficts between the line and staff and the
ll-teeling against the war department,
or avs we have explained, Indirectly
against the president or commander in
chlef. Such was the Well-known expert
ence in the civil war, when the bitter
ness against the severe but efficient a6-
ministration of Secretary Stanton Yves
intense in certain military quarters,
thouSh IT'S public expression was re-
pressed by proper regard for sdtsci
pine, and the knowledge that any such
breach of it would surely have been
punished by the iron secretary to the
last extremity. Conflicts of authority
between the commanding or, ranking
general and the adjutant general of the
army have also occurred in our service
since the time of Gen Winfield Scott.
but not until the case of Gen. Miles
nave tney peen carried to the point of
scandalous breach of discipline.
Gen. Miles, in his recent testimony
before the voluntary committee invest
lgatlng the conduct of the war. was
guilty of further and astonishing mill
ltary improperly, to use the nlildest
term. IN casting reflections of substan-
Gal dishonesty, false pretence and cor
fupt1on on the general at the head of
Ine subsistence department OF the
army, and in repeating them subse
queiltly 10 reporter of a Cincinnati
newspaper. Ii he had discovered evil
oehce OF such scandalous malfeasance
on the part Of that officer the means
through which to make il ayailahle
AGAINST MIN was provided specifically
py the army regulations Nor
zen. Miles made his accusafions
AGAINST Gen. Eagan the commissarv
general, for obviously they must have
peeh directed against him as the re-
SpoIslole o1ilcer, without having con-
uut'eu any investigation into the sub
JSct according to the forms andzs' no
qulrements of military law. but n,
heafsay testimony merely or irregular
ana partial reports; and they consti
tuteq the most serious reflection which
couid pc made on the honor Of an on
81 moreover, as they Concerned tba
character of the meat supply of the
T. N'lTN Iellected not less iniurjolls-
~ ny "a d great department of American
i,,i,,s tio!i ana industry and tended to
p1lps IL INTO worldwide reproach hiah
~ damaging to American Interests r.
ever there was an instance 1yharo az
general should have a,ar-
oiaeu tue greatest prudence and re-
serve holding back his acc,,sations ~
81 ne nad positive proof with which r.
If was tbis oeIore court-martial,
a he 90 eliIs. IL was most unaccoIJnt,
aoIe proceeding on the part ~ = IL
commanding general of tbe ~, ~ the
tiieuietely after brilliantly sI1ccsss 5fi
war ana furnished an examn1e 1,shioii
G ;.,,lu not be otherwise than denoIai
iN1ns III It's effect on the service ->''
At was obvious when the accu.o+io,,.
we're MADE thus by Cen Miles that tbs
Viii pe resented by Gen. Pagan r.
~, nU,..nit 5sy general. They We're
hrofho ia i las assault on him bv
nactnS oiiieer, ana he could not be ex-
pected to remain quiet under thern 80
accept without protest the nnbBni co crru
gIctlon or his guilt. which Wonid , o9m-
Deen produced by his silebceI 80 We,
tnem. The testimony of Gen wilasi e
teNeryDooy well acquainted win 3,,;f 1e
!ary matters understood atgt ina ~
insured scandal in the army Of e-t r.ai'
known. ' 1T nag eyer
M a.t .fsa .-55kf'g
The scandal has now come . rhaa
t"'sa aggravated outrageouslv. nv rtba
ool4e anu terms of the testimony dalih
eIately written out by Gen. he son u
was utterly fneXcusable in passino ~
POUNDS of all propriety, but ma nifas tiI
ne was determined to make hie assa,,i
upon MS accuser SO flagrant as IN COW
mana the attention of the world II e
true that the president nron1isad ~ :"
muhlty from military accountahiIi+ 70
u oincefS testifying before this commits
f,n put a scandal so grave cannot
pe IeIt uneXplored If Gen. Eagan is
sulity OF the offenses charged. he onpbr
as ne says, to be drummed ont of H.
army, and all the more disgracefnIl,,
because he has added to +ba,,,
the most violent personal vit,lnar
auon of Gen. Miles. On his ef1a
100, the general commanding the rynv
must demand the opportunity .of q
court-martial to which to present, bfs
charges of malfeasance for thorouat,
and impartial investigation. and tsi,a
the consequences under the militarv
law.
1T is shameful that after -u-ar en-
glorious to American arms its fair, rao
ord should be thus befouled and gls,ii.t+
Of INSTRUMENTATION thus let loose II, ~
army" III the
IMPRESSIONS. 81
From the Philadelphia Times
The touch of hand, the glance 81 ~