The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-02-07
THE IN ERVIEWS DENIED
GEN. MILES DID NOT USE THE
WORDS PRINTED IN THENEW
YORK PAPERS.
HAS LOTS OF GOOD STUFF UP HIS SLEEVE
Or he Has Been Badly Fooled by Somebody
and if il is The Latter he viii Un-
doubleday be Made to,
cu4. G. -
Suffer for it.

Washington, Feb. 6.-(Special.) What
question which seems to be bothering
the minds of everybody connected with
the Administration, from the President
down. That something should be done
either in the way of investigating the
charges which the General of the army
is understood to have made, or of put
ting on trial the General himself almost
everybody, even the strongest support
ers of General Miles, agree. That there
should be full and complete inquiry
into this whole business is certain and
there seems to be no doubt that that
will be done in some way or other, but
lust how far this will go in the direc-
ton of trial or investigation of Cen
eral Miles himself has not yet been de-
termined.
Before the last interview published in
the New York papers steps had been
taken under the direction of the Secre-
tary of War looking to a court martial
of General Miles The matter had been
brought to the attention of the President
and he had it under consideration. Off
GERS of the Judge Advocate Generals
Department and Adjutant Generals De-
partment had, at the instance of the
Secretary got together the facts upon
which they thought a court martial
might be based.
The apparently authorized New York
interviews added, of course, great
deal of fuel to the fire and since they
appeared have made it certain that
something would be done.
The situation has been considerably
complicated by General Miles very posi-
tive denial of these interviews. AS they
appeared in the paper they appeared so
genuine that until his denial everybody
believed that he had not only uttered
the words attributed to him, but had
carefully prepared the statement and
had given it out to the press pEr-
posely.
The General is either prone to en-
tire,r too inuch talk or he is exceeding
~ unfortunate in falling into the hands
OF disrepniahle newspaper men. 1t was
an alleged interview telegraphed from
Cincinnati to the New York journal
which stirred up General Eagan and
iii reality inspired his senseless and vul-
gar attack upon his superior officer.
at the time are authority for the state
ment that there was never any such in
terview. but that upon General Miles
refusal to be interviewed the reporter
took his testimony before the war in
vestigation commission and rewrote it
in the shape of an interview. In the
face of the Generals explicit denial
of these last interviews it is possible
that they may, too, have been manu-
featured in the same way. He has been
prompt enough to acknowledge respon-
sbility for such interviews as he au-
thorized, particularly that Porto Rico
interview which started this thing go
ing.
The denial of responsibility of the ut
terances put III his mouth by the New
York reporter lends an interesting phase
to the Tsest ut disc.ss Oh and adds COM
plicatie.n +. til ef1ol, Of the Secretary
of War 10 force an investigation of some
sort which vii inn licate General Miles
directly.
The sentiment here in Washington is
that there should be a prompt and thor
ough investigation into the whole lheef
business no matter who is hurt by it.
If General Miles can make good his
charges he will get the credit for it. If
he cannot it will be demonstrated that
he has been shooting off his mouth in
a way that no man in his position should
and he will be held responsible. The
general sentiment outside of that which
is biased by friendship for the General
on one side or the Secretary ON the
other, is in favor of putting an end to
this nauseating controversy between
the Secretary and the General of the