Waterbury Democrat., 1901-12-23
THE PRESIDENT ACTS
General Miles Censured by
 His Orders.
MlCLAY'S RESIGNATION DEMANDED.
Commander of Army Told He Had No Business to Express Himself on SchIey Verdfct-Secretary Long
 Approves Majority Report.

Business to Express H1nseH OH SchIey Verdict-Secretary Long Approves Majority Report. 1 WASHINGTON, Dec 23.-rhe latest sensation in the Schley case following the action of Secretary of the Navy Long in<approying the findings of the court of inquiry is the appearance of l President Roosevelt on the scene and exercising his prerogatives as com mander in chief of the army and navy, 1 in doing which he ordered the repri- mand of Lieutenant General Miles by 1 Secretary Root and q demand for the resignation of Edgar Stanton Maciay from his berth as special laborer in the 1 Brooklyn navy yard.
 1 General Miles is the general com manding the army, and the censure im- posed by the presidents direction is called forth by an interview on the l Schley court and it's findings. MT. Ma ' clay is the historian Of the navy, whose accusations of .'caitiff'' conduct against | Rear Admiral Schley caused the rum | pus which resulted i'll the court of in- quiry, and who also talked in violation | of the regulations
 General Miles was reprimanded for saying:
 1 l am willing to take the Judgment of 1 Admiral Dewey in the matter. He has 1 been q commander of a fleet and as such ! has known of the anxieties and responsi- | bil1ties which rest OH J man under those l circumstances He was Instrumental in ! the destruction of one Spanish fleet and knows and realizes the feelings that en- l compass officer under such conditions. l think Dewey has summed up the mat l ter in clear and concise manner, and 1 believe his conclusions will be indorsed by the patriotic people of the United States have sympathy with the efforts which have been made to destroy the hon. or Of an officer under such circumstances
 Mr Maclay also gave ah interview on the findings of the court, in which he declared that all the statements he had made had been substantiated by i the testimony presented to the court of inquiry.
 General Miles was reprimanded in accordance with the wishes of the pres ident in a letter sent by Secretary Root, and this was really his second reproof. President Roosevelt sent for the gen. eral and saw him in the crowded audi 1 ence room He asked about the inter view, and General Miles said he had given it and was exercising the prerog atives of an American citizen-a pri- vate citizen.
 President Roosevelt, ill voice loud enough 10 be heard all over the room, told General Miles he could not act in | the capacity Of a private citizen. since ! he was commander of the army. and that he had committed breach of mil ! itary discipline. He spoke with great l sharpness, and General Miles left the room in confusion.
 | When the interview with General Miles was published, Secretary Root, l by instruction of the president, called upon the general for an explanation which was made in writing. | The formal reprimand is contained in q letter from Secretary Root 10 General Miles. in which the secretary says:
 Your explanation of the public state 1nent made by you is not satisfactory. l You are i'll error if you suppose that you ! have the same right 4s any other citizen 1 10 express publicly an opinion regarding ! official questions pending in the course of ! military discipline. The established and 1 il1varia ble rules of official propriety neces- l sary to the effective discipline of the serv- 1 ice impose Limitations upon the public ex- 4 pressions of military officers, with which 9Oaf 1OHS C6PGilSAcC Sl1Oulu nave made ! you familiar.
 Your duty is to express your opinion on official matters when called upon by your official superiors or il the due course of your official reports and recommendations and not otherwise. The first article of the l regulations governing the army of the l United States provides:
 deliberations or discussions among mil itary men conveying praise or censure or | any mark of appreciation toward others ! in the military service ar ited.''
 This provision has been 3 part Of the ar my regulations for at least half century, and the highest obligation to observe it rests upon the officers whose high rank should make them examples to their sub ordinates. Any other rule of action in the military service would be subversive of discipline. It would not be tolerated in a any officer of Whatever rank
 | The present facts are that for several years there had been unfortunate and bitter controversy in the navy department "a controversy generally deplored even by the participants as tending to bring the service into disesteern at home and abroad and to destroy those relations of mutual influence and friendship between naval officers which the interests of effective service require.
 In this controversy the army had not been involved, and no bar had been raised to that good feeling and friendly relation
 
 all the officers of the army which is essen tIal to the successful and harmonious CO., operation Of the two services in prepara- ton and in action. A court of inquiry had been held the matters in cortroyersy and a report had been made in which one member of the court had dissented in soIne particulars from the majority. and the report was pending before the review ing authority.
 At this point you, the lieutenant general of the army, saw lit to make public ex- pression of your opinion as between the majorlty and the minority of the court accompanied by criticism of the most severe character, which could not fail to be applied by the generality of readers to the naval officers against whose view your opinion was expressed. It is of no conse- quence on whose side your opinion was or what 1t was.
 Secretary Root concluded his letter with this sharp reproof:
 You had no business in the controversy md no right, holding the office which you do to express any opinion.
 Your conduct was in violation of the regulation above cited and of the rules of ofs-iai propriety, and you are justly liable to censure, which 1 now express
 SECRETARY LONGS APPROVAL.
 So far as the Schley controversy goes,
 President Roosevelt is in favor of stop ping it at once in all branches of the