The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-10-06
RecOunts the Efforts Made to Help
Cuba without Proceeding to
the Resort to Arms.
DISCUSSES THE ROUND ROBIN
ALSO THROWS A FEW SHAFTS AT
ADMIRAL SAMPSON.
Caustic AIIusiOn to the MiIes-Egan
COntrOversy-Sbarp Attack
on General Miles.

NEW YORK, Oct. 5.-General Ayers
book ON the Spanish-American war, which
his publishers state has been delayed and
changed because of the death of President
Mckinley" will be issued next Thursday
Opening his book with survey of the Gu
ban situation in 1898 General Alger says:
The thoughtful observer of public events
during the years 1S95-97 need hardly be re-
minded that both the Cleveland and the
Mckinley administrations sought by every
honorable means TO avoid complications
with Spain through protesting against the
conditions prevalent in Cuba"
He then comments upon our unprepa red
ness for war at that time and the splendid
spectacle of the cOuntrys response to the
governments ultimatum to Spain. He
then leads the reader through the hurried
preparations for war, its embarrassments
and difficulties, the persecution of the office
seeker, the disappointment of hundreds OF
volunteers, the demands of seacoast cities
and towns for immediate and impossible
protection and the savage criticism of the
military administration plans of cam
paign and the battle with the apparently
endless list of shortcomings and griev-
ances. Then follow the plans Of campaign,
the embarkation a Tampa, which was
severely criticised at the time, but whicn
General Alger is now convinced, all things
considered, was not a mistake. The ac-
count of the march on Santiago is graphic
ally pictured and prepares one Tor the nights
at Caney and san Juan.
The round robin incident comes in for
a fair share OF space. While the nesOtia-
tons for SURRENDER were pending before
Santiago the general officers of Skaters
army met and signed a round robin which
was given out for publication. This paper
showed great alarm over the threatened
coming of yellow and enteric fevers, and
went on to say: 'This army must be
moved at once or it will perish
OF the round robin itself General Alger
says he has no criticism TO offer But he
does criticise the publication of it. saying
that il was one of the most unfortuna te
and regrettable incidents of the war.
General Alger reviews at length the diff
ficultieS between General Shafter and Ad-
miral Sampson, and quotes many official
letters. He concludes this chapter in these
words:
1T is as difficult to account for Admiral
SIMPSONS seeming attitude toward the
army before the operations before Santiag
to excuse him for his contra dictory
statements subsequently made in his Of
ficial report. After the Sd of July the ad-
miralS conduct may have been due TO his
keen disappointment resulting from his
nonpa rticipation in the engagement with
Cerveras squadron. Possibly he felt that
Skaters request for a conference on the
morning of July 3. innocent though it was.
responsible for his being deprived of
mander-in-chief in one OF the most re-
markabe victories in the annals of naval
warfare
Considerable space is devoted to what he
calls the "Miles-Egan controversy" in the
commissariat investigation, I'm the course
of which he sSys:
General Miles seemed to be pleased with
the notoriety which his startling statement
before the commission and his subsequent
newspaper interview gave him: for again
on the Slst OF March. 1899. in New York city,
he published, through representatives, of
the Associated Press and of a metropolitan
paper. additional charges This unmilitary
ana questionable method of making in pub
lie grave and Scandalous charges regarding
q brother officer and the work of his de-
partnent-charges which subsequent and
careful investigation proved both unwar-
ranted and untrue-seemed 10 appeal to GER
tain characteristics of the maj jOr genera
manding TO which reference here would
be out of place.
''If we are TO believe written evidence to
the contrary, IL does not appear that Gen.
Miles was even honest in making his dila-
tory charges that the timed beef was
issued as the "pretenSe of an experiment -
and that II was not part OF the ration.
On the 18th OF June. 1898, his most conf
Dental staff officer signed a letter by di-
the army instructing the depot COM
missary at Tampa 10 furnish to General
Nunez 1854 pounds OF canned roast beef
10 be issued from the subsistence stores
of the army" II we are to accept the
reading OF this letter as correct, IL proves
that General Miles knew that canned fresh
beef was part Of the ration: that he knew
there was a large quantity of IL at Tampa
for issue to the troops; and that he so
far approved of its use TO direct that the
ration be furnished IN large quantities 10
our allies