The evening times., 1899-07-27
ANOTHER SNUB FOR NILES. {
Officers Recommended by Him Fai
tn Cot f.ou,r, sasVnws

to Get Commissions.
The Baltimore Sum- today prints the
following under Washington date line:
1T is fortunate for General Miles that
he has become accustomed to the snubs so
repeatedly given him by the Administra-
tion, or he might have been shocked at the
manner in which his recommendations for
commissions in tho volunteer army have
been treated by the War Department and
the President. In the distribution of over
five hundred commissions for the eleven
new regiments to be sent to the Philip
pines there is not one that can be credited
to General Miles. Eleven colonels were Sc
lected from the regular army, many ma
jors, captains, and other officers, and OF
the entire number 1t is said that not one
Of the new commissions was made at the
approval or suggestion of the Major Gen
eral Commanding the Army.
1.-The patronage at the Administrations
disposal was too valuable, it is said, and
the pressure from the politicians too great
to permit General Miles to have any voice
In regard to the selections. General Cor
bin was the only army officer consulted.
1t was not aisurprise TO General Miles that
he should be ignored, for there has not
been an occasion since he returned from
Porto Rico last summer that the Admins
tration had not taken every opportunity 10
show its dispieasure and disapproval of
his criticisms OF the management OF the
army. Il i.
''The fact that Miles was responsible for
the beef investigation, and the scandal
following the testimony presented at the
nn wa G cuff
of the Administration, to reduce the Gem
eral to the ranks OF those who have Of
Tended and can expect no forgiveness. Gen.
eral Breckenridge is in this class also, but
his duties are such that he is not brought
into intimate contact with the Secretary
Of War or the President.
1T would be naturally supposed, outside
Of Washington, that consideration would
be given any recommendations made by
the highest ranking officer for commissions
in the volunteer organizations. General
Miles, whose knowledge of the personnel
of the army Is superior to that of any off,
cial OF the War Department. was entitled
to submit at least the names Of those OFF,
GERS he believed best qualified to be colo
nels Of the new regiments. and possibly a
number of other officers. Realizing. posi-
bly,, that his recommendation would not
operate In favor OF any officer. he made
but few and they were not received favora-
bly, either by General Corbin or the Presi-
dent.
LAS the appointments of the colonels were
announced General Miles saw that he was
being snubbed again, and when ii came to
the lieutenant colonies and majors he re-
allied that politics was entering largely
into the methods Of selections. and in all
instances merit and former services were
having little weight. There was more
pressure exerted possibly by leading poll
ticians for the appointment of the colonels
than for any OF the other grades, although
! ii was announced by the authorities that
only regulars would be selected for these
commands. An army officer ordinarily has
little influence in politics, and ii was be-
| lieved that the rush for commissions would
come from States where men who had
served in volunteer organizations were
| anxious to secure billets in the regular
establishment. The President and General
Corbin, however, took the army register
and selected the colonels they wished and
appointments were made out for several
regiments while delegations were on their
| way to Washington with a view to urging
| the selection of others.
Probably never have so many appoint
| ments been made by the President to i'm
| portant positions in so short a time in
which Senators and Representatives have
had so little voice The policy of appoint
| ing only those who have served in the
| Spanish war relieved the President of con-
siderable trouble in disposing OF the pa
| tronage which is said TO have been most
| judiciously distributed from a political
point Of vieY. The material as whole
| is regarded by army men to be good. and it
| is conceded that all the colonels deserve the
promotions they have received. There are
two or three instances where men were Sc
lected whose services in the Spanish war
consisted in chiefly in advertising them
selves and seeking glory to which they wero
not entitled but on the whole there is no
| dissatisfaction, even by strong advocates OF
| General Miles.
Probably two-thirds of the officers are
from civil life. or are now serving in yolun-
teer regiments shortly to be mustered out
These in several instances were selected
| on account of meritorious services rendered,
and little objection is raised to any OF them
The army regards the recent increase in
| its personnel as representing careful con-
sideration OF the candidates and excellent
| judgment in making the selections, but it
| is asserted the same results could have been
obtained in allowing General Miles the
privilege of naming at least some Of them,
| instead of humiliating him before the entire
army as a Major General Commanding
without influence or authority and scarcely
| having the respect of the Administration
"The animosity toward Miles and the
means that are employed to show it are
| illustrated in a recent recommendation for
| the appointment to a clerkship of an old
| soldier whom he had known for years.
| He was refused this appointment. Then
be asked that he be given a messenger s
| position, and this was also refused
There was time. in the days of Sher-
| man and Sheridan, when the General Com
| manding the Army welded actually more
authority than the Secretary of War. 1t
| was never questioned. at least in affairs
pertaining strictly to the service and to
have disapproyed any Recommendation
would have been followed by a request for
| an explanation. General Schofeld. whom
Mr.. Cleveland made Lieutenant General,
was the actual head OF the army although
| Democrat and serving the greater part
| of his term under Republican Administra-
| tions.
General Miles has been peculiarly IN
| fortunate, however, in antagonizing both
the Cleveland and Mckinley Administra-
tons, and as a consequence his authority
has dwindled until it now amounts to less
than that of division commander Sec
retary Lamont would not approve a bill
| to create the grade of Lieutenant General
| for Miles, and this naturally caused him
| to be on unpleasant terms with the head
of the department. With the departure of
Secretary Alger, who has been his bitter
est antagonist, and the advent of Mr.
| Root there may be some chance for Gen.
eral Miles to regain his lost prestige, but
this he can never expect to fully. accom-
plish, he has said recently, as long as Mr..
Mckinley remains in the White House."
A Masterly Description.
(From the New York Tribune.)
Otto is German, who has his own trials with