The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1901-12-26
CENSURE FOR MILES.
Lieutenant General Of the Army
Receives Reproof.

Washington, Dec. 23.-Sensational
incidents stirred civil and official cir
cles of the capital Saturday.
Secretary Root sent a formal letter
to Lieut.. Gen. Nelson A. Miles censur-
ing him for publicly indorsing Admiral
Dewey's verdict in the Schley case.
President Roosevelt reprimanded
Gen. Miles when the latter visited the
white house.
Secretary Long approved the YER
dict of the majority of the court of
inquiry against Rear Admiral Schley
and dissolved the court.
Z. S. Maclay, who called Schley a
coward in his history of the navy, was
ordered to resign his position in the
governments employ.
Censure of Miles.
Gen. Miles was reprimanded because
he gave public expression in a news
paper interview of his conviction that
Admiral Dewey's verdict in the Schley
inquiry was just and accorded more
nearly with the facts disclosed at the
inquiry than the verdict of Admirals
Ramsay and Benham. The soldiers
nrsJ repmmand came from the presl-
dent during a visit which Gen. Miles
paid to the white house Saturday
morning. The second came in the form
of letter'signed by Secretary Root.
Gen. Miles appeared at the white
house to make a personal explanation
Of his Cincinnatiinterview TO the pres
ident. He had previously written two
letters to Secretary Root on the same
subject. In the first he stated that
he had casually mentioned the Schley
verdict in the lobby of Cincinnati ho-
tel and made some comments on it,
without intending that his words
should appear in a newspaper. He en-
phatically disclaimed intention to
criticse a coordinate branch Of the
government. His second letter, writ
ten after a fuller consideration of the
circumstances, contained a defense of
the language he employed in the Gin
cinnati interview. He reiterated what
he said to the interviewer and in
formed the secretary Of war that he
felt that he was justified in saying
what he did in view of the fact that
the verdict of the court would forever
silence those persons who were at
tempting to destroy the professional
reputation of gallant officer by ap-
plying to him the epithets "poltroon"
and coward"
ReprImanded by President,
The president had seen both letters
when Gen. Miles arrived at the white
house. At the moment the general
came in he was talking with several
representatives about an unimportant
political matter. Diminishing them
hastily. he commanded that the lieu.
tenant general of the army be admit
ted to the executive office. Gen. Miles
instantly appeared at the door. The
president FASTENED to meet Gen. Miles.
General" he cried, in voice that was
distinctly heard by the 20 or more
representatives and senators in the
outside lobby, 81 was panied to read in
the newspaper an interview attributed
to you in which you criticised severely
and unnecessarily a coordinate branch
of the government. You have DO bust
ness interfering in the affair, which
as you knew, was still pending before
the navy department. You did wrong
in expressing any opinion that was
likely to stir up strife between II
two branches of the military service
You know how necessary it is to pre-
serve harmony and friendship between
those services and how easy it is to
disturb that harmony"
Miles L. Silent.
Gen. Miles, having presented his two
letters and having made his oral state
ment, took his rebuke like a soldier
and said nothing. He wilted as a mat
ter of course, because the president
was terribly in earnest and spoke from
deep conviction of the proprieties Of
the case.
Gen. Miles left for New York on the
afternoon train, almost Immediately
after Secretary Root gave out the Of
fetal letter of censure. Ue has no APP
| peal, as a matter of course, because
the president of the United States is
the commander in chief of the army,
and the decision that Gen. Miles inter-
view commencing the opinion of Ad-
miral Dewey was improper is final and
| disposes of the Miles feature of the
case so far as the government is con-
| cerned.
Root Uses Strong Language.
In reply to Gen. Miles letter &C
knowIedging the published interview,
and hie explanation of his motives, Sec
rotary Root sent the following letter
to the general:
"sir: BY direction Of the president COM
| munlcate to you his conclusion upon your
course in the interview to which your at
tention was called by my letter Of the 18th
inst.
your explanation Of the public statement
made by you Is not satisfactory. You are
| In error II you suppose that you have the
| same right as any other citizen to express
publicly an opinion regarding official ques-
| lions pending in the course Of military dis
| cipIine. The established and invariable
| rules of official proprlety necessary to the
| effective discipline of the service impose
| limitations upon the public expressions Of
| military offtcers with which your long eI-
perience should have made you familiar.
your duty Is to express your opinion on
official matters when called upon by your
| official superiors or in due course OF your
| officlal reports and recommendations. and
not otherwise. The first article OF the regu'
lations governing the army OF the United
| States provides:
Deliberations and discussions among
military men conveying praise OF censure
or any mark Of appreciation toward others
In the military service are prohibited
| Severely Scores Miles.
'This provision has been part Of tn,
army regulations fog at least half a cen
fury. and the highest obligation to observt
| 10 Vnnn fha ofaearg xvhosa hfph N