The Weekly orb., 1899-02-19
MILES PRESIDENTIAL BOOM.

Some of the leading eastern papers are just now discussing the probability .of~tspersl ,Mtlesr~s \ possible presi. 'dentisl ckAdidsss for the sre publican 'homination sMsaapO. In this connection the Kansas City Times hasthe follow. 'ipg:l ..sss.. ..lA- -..
 "Washington is discussing General Miles as possible rival of William Mc. Kinley for the presidential Nomination next year, and j. is saia.. I ad nistrs,,on circles Are Very mach stirred up over the matter. Enc general in chief iu a repu.Gican of the strictest sect, and his ambition reaches to the uttermost of his am bition. His affection for the sd' ministration is not deep and broad enough to prevent his becoming Mir. Mo Kinlev's rival; besides. if he could cap. ture tho nomination it would bs tri-- umph over the Mckinley Alger. Hanna combine, which great many rspubli
 can leaders would rejoice to sse. ..
 "Ths operations of tho army in the field did not Yive General Miles. r4nch of an opportunity to distinguish himself, but the Porte Rico campaign was made in direct violation 0f tho war depart. men:'s orders, and the brilliant success of Miles plan not only proved that hs was right, but that Alger's plan would have made bungle of the whole busi. ness. That was most fortunate cir cumstance for Miles. The public placed him high among American generals, perhaps altogether too high, but the war closed before opportunity was offered him to measure his actual capa; bilities, and it is ( cnly generous to say that he would have been equal to any task chat events might have put upon him. !.aa
 "But if opportunity to display great knowledge of the science of war was not forthcoming, something equally as goo |, if not better, began 70 come his way before he left Porto Rico, like the roll ing snow ball, it has been growing ever since. When General Miles interviewed himself for newspaper and told how insignificant the war department was and how conspiracy against himself had bcen formed in "administration cir. cles, public sendment was quick to his defense. The publicsdid notstop to analyze the meritssof the cases It was enough that the DO wer and infuenc of the administration were being em. ployed to crush the commander of the army without any apparent cause, except that he was in the way of army contractors and the war departnent's political machine. E'
 tHrhen came the story of "embalmed'' meat. Had General Miles hunted g dozen years he could not have founu a word that would so quickly send the in disnAjon tt the. public up to white heat. The pAhlic initnsdiately associated the meat the war office was feeding the sol- diers upon. with embalmed human bodies, and it had an intensely nauseat. ing effect, which has bsen intensified by nDle otiirial proof that the story vas true. That gave Miles an additional hold upon the public, which the admin. istration is strengthening every, day bV trying to besmirch his chsracter. But the differences between -Miles and the
 administrat on will be of little political advantage to the commander in chief of the army, The president will likewise suffer in public estimation, and while he will have little to fear from the pos. sible presidential candidacy of General Miles, he wants to keep an eagle eye cn one Teddy Roosevelt, of New York"