The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-22
A MILES,
THE RFPRIMAND

THE REPRIMAND.
The reprimand is contained in the fol-
lowing letter of Secretary Root to General
Miles:
"Sir-By direction of the President
communicate to you his conclusions upon
your course in the interview TO which your
attention was called by my letter of the
18th inst.
Your explanation of the public state
ment made by you is not satisfactory.
You are in error if you suppose that you
have the same right as any other citizen
TO express publicly an opinion regarding
official questions pending in the course of
military discipline. The established tnvari-
able rules of official propriety necessary
TO the effective discipline of the service i'm
pose limitations upon the public express
sions of military officers, with which your
long experience should have made you
familiar. Your duty is TO express your
opinion on official matters when called on
by your official superiors or in the due
course of your official reports and recon-
mendations and not otherwise. The first
article OF the regulations governing the
army of the United States provides:
deliberations or discussions among
military men conveying praise or censure
or any mark of appreciation toward others
In the military service are prohibited.
This provision has been a part of the
army regulations for at least half CEN
tury, and the highest obligation TO observe
it rests upon the officers whose high rank
should make them examples to their subOr-
dinates. Any other rule of action in the
cipline. 1t would not be tolerated in a sub
altern, and IL will not be tolerated in any
officer of whatever rank. The present facts
are that for several years there has been
the Navy Department. controversy gen.
orally deplored even by the participants as
tending TO bring the service into disesteem
at home and abroad, and 10 destroy those
relations Of mutual confidence and friend
ship between naval officers which the inter-
ests of effective service require In this
hos f1nf hanr inv xre6
and no bar has been raised to that good
feeling and friendly relation between all
the officers of the navy and all the officers
OF the army which Is essential TO the sue
cessful and harmonious cooperation of the
two services in preparation and in action.
A court of inquiry has been held on the
matters in controversy and report has been
made in which one member of the court
has dissented in some particulars from the
majority and the report was pending before
the reviewing authority. At this point
you. the lieutenant general of the
army, saw fit to make a public expression
of your opinion as between the majority
and the minority of the court, accompanied
by a criticism of the most severe charac-
ter. which could not fail TO be applied by
the generality OF readers TO the naval Of
ficers against whose view your opinion was
expressed. 1t Is of no consequence on
whose side your opinion was or what il
was. You had no business in the contro-
versy. and nc. right. holding the office
which you did, TO express any opinion
Your conduct was in violation of the regu-
lations above cited and the rules of Of
fetal propriety, and you are justly liable
to censure, which l now express.
''ELIHU ROOT. Secretary of War
Lieutenant General Nelson A. Miles,
Headquarters of the Army.
'P. S.-Your second letter of explanation
dated to-day and received since the above
written, does not change the case. The
necessity for repeated explanations but IL
lustrstes the Importance OF the rule which
you have violated.
'ELIHU ROOT. Secretary Of War"
General Miles left late to-day for New
York