Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-12-26
.SCHEYSAMPSON FIGHT.
President Roosevelt Steps to the
Front and Center of
the Stage.
WOULD THROTTLE THE WHOLE BUSINESS
The AFFAIR Has a Dinereht
Turn From what He Had Hoped
The Miles Reprimand-The Ques-
ton Now In, In Miles GoinS
to Do About Its

rna .,lea Reprimand-The Ques-
ton Now is, what In Miles Goih@
to DO About Its
washington. Dec. 24-President
Roosevelt has suddenly become the
central figure of the Schley-Sampson
controversy. The president,
close to him say, had hoped to keep
aloof from this legacy of the Nc
Kinley administration, and
Nv expected that the verdict OF the
court of inquiry would satisfy n
public and there would be an end
of the whole matter.
Just the opposite has occurred,
and to make matters worse than they
ever we're the Miles incident m
unexpectedly. President Roosevelt
felt called upon to take decisive ac-
ton, and in his usual direct way or
doing things he took Gen. Miles In
hand much as a tutor might admin
lister a rebuke to q pupil who had
broken the rules.
The president assumed the entire
responsibility for the censure OF Gen.
Miles, and not only that, but he re-
ceived the lieutenant general COM
handing the army in one of the win
dow seats of the presidents office,
and personally rebuked him for the
interview he gave out in CINCINNATI.
The president was much in earnest.
and he told Gen. Miles, without mine
ing words, that his printed interview
commencing the course of Admiral
Dewey, and by inference denouncing
the majority of the court, was a gross
breach of military discipline, which
could not and would not be tolerated.
Gen. Miles was humiliated by hay-
ing the scathing rebuke heard by
many other people. According to
common report it was even more Sc
we're than the official letter of cen
sure signed by Secretary Root, but
which is understood tt have been
practically dictated by the president
himself.
What Will Miles DO About Ie
The question: asked to-day is,
what will Miles do about it?
The letter of Secretary Root to
Gen. Miles will not be read to the
regiments, but it becomes a part of
the civil records of the war depart
ment, and as such becomes a decid-
ed blot upon the military record of
the acknowledgement commanding
the army.
Technically speaking, Lieut.-Gen,
Miles is entitled to ask for a court
of inquiry on the ground that His
professional reputation has been at
tackled. As a matter of fact, how
ever, such a court wouH be ordered
by the president himself, and as
Roosevelt would be the reviewing of
ficer of the court, no matter what its
findings might be, the presidents per-
sonal view would have to govern in
the end, and he has already pro-
nounced Gen. Miles guilty of a gross
breach of discipline.
In fact, 1t is generally understood
the acknowledgement has been given
to understand that if he makes any
mor trouble or gives out any further
interviews he will be relieved of the
command of the army. His rank of
acknowledgement can not be taken
away from him unless he is dismissed
from the army as a result of a court
martial, but the president can desig-
nate any officer to command the
army if he sees fit.
Gen. Miles personal following Is
somewhat bitter. His friends call att
tentfon to the fact that President
Roosevelt's nam led all the rest on
the celebrated round robin which
criticised the conduct of the army
after the surrender of Santiago. They
declare that Secretary Alger de-
manded the public rebuke and even
the court-martial of Col. Roosevelt
and that President Mckinley refused
to listen to this. They take the
ground that as this act, ever in time
of war was done in good faith and
was a subordinate officer, so now
the acknowledgement of the army
had a right to put on record in the
newspapers his personal approval of
the personal opinion of the admiral
of the navy.
Miles friends say the Cincinnati in
terview was no more a breach of dis
cipline than Dewey's minority opin-
ion, and, in fact, they assert that
Secretary Long, in complaining to
the president, was merely hitting at
Dewey over Miles shoulders.
President Wants a Quiet Week.