The Wilmington daily Republican., 1901-12-23
THE PRESIDENT ACTS
0snsral Miles Csnsured BY
His Orders.
xlCLlls RESIGNATION DEMANDED.
Csminander Of Army Teld He Had No
Business to Express Himself ON
Schley yerdict-Sscretary Long
u Approves Majority Report.

\ u Approves Majority Report.
\ WASHINGTON, Dec. 2s-The latest
rees1sation In the Schley case following
4 tho action of Secretary Of the Navy
Long In approving the findings Of the
cIuiT Of inquiry is the appearance OF
i RFssident Roosevelt on the scene and
exercising his prerogatives as COM
& mander In chief Of the army and navy,
& In doing which he ordered the repri-
K mand Of Lieutenant General Miles by
Secretary Root and a demand for the
resignation of Edgar Stanton Maclay
from bis berth as special laborer In the
Brooklyn navy yard.
General Miles Is the general COM
manding the army, and the censure I'm
posed by the presidents direction is
called forth by an interview on the
4 6chley court and its findings. Mr. Ma
clay IL the historian of the navy, whose
accusations of "eaitiff' conduct against
Rear Admiral Sshley caused the rnln-
pus which resulted In the court of in
Qniry, and who also talked in violation
pf the regulations.
+, General Miles was reprimanded for
saying:
q am willing to take the judgment Of
Admiral Dewey In the matter. He has
essn q commander Of q fleet and az such
has known OF the anxieties and RESPONSE
bilities which rest on a man under those
: circumstances. He was instrumental In
thS destruction of one Spanish fleet and
knows and realizes the feelings that en-
compass an officer under such conditions.
think Dewey has summed up the mat
ter In clear and concise manner, and
bslisve his conclusions will be indorsed by,
the patriotic people Of the United States.
I have 40 sympathy with the efforts
which have been made 10 destroy the hon
or Of an officer under such circumstances
Mr.. Maclay also gave an interview
on the findings of the court, In which
he declared that all the statements he
had made had been substantiated by
the testimony presented to the court Of
Inquiry.
General Miles was reprimanded In
accordance with the wishes Of the pres
dent In letter sent by Secretary Root,
and this was really his second reproof.
President Roosevelt sent for the gen
sral and saw him in the crowded audi
enee room. He asked about the inter-
view, and General Miles said be had
given 1t and was exercising the prerog-
ktives of an American citizen-a pri-
rate citizen.
President Roosevelt, in voice loud
enough to be heard all over the room.
told General Miles he could not act In
the capacity Of a private citizen, since
u be was commander of the army, ana
n that he had committed Il breach Of mil
/ itary discipline. He spoke with great
Ssharpness, and General Miles left the
room In confusion.
When the interview with General
Niles was published, Secretary Root,
by instruction of the president, called
upon the general for an explanation
which was made in writing.
The formal reprimand Is contained in
e'letter from Secretary Root to General
Miles, in which the secretary says
Your explanation of the public state
ment made by you Is not satisfactory
fou are In error II you suppose that you
have the same right as any other citizen
to express publicly an opinion regarding
oaicial questions pending in the course of
military discipline. The established and
invariable rules of official propriety neces-
Rary to the effective discipline of the serv-
loa impose limitations upon the public ex-
pressions of military officers with which
your long experience should have made
you familiar.
,4 Your duty Is to express your opinion on
-0o ~ ftAr xs,I, lad hy
-6fliuiaf superiors or in the due course Of
your official reports and recommendations
and not otherwise. The first article of the
regulations governing the army of the
O2a&sd States provides:
D!eberat tions or discussions among mil
men conveying praise or censure or
Say mark of approba ton toward others
In the military service = are prohib-
ltsd."
This provision has baen part Of the ar
ny regulations for at least half century,
and the highest obligation to observe 1t
rats 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 subverslve Of
discipline. It w6suld not be tolerated In q
subaltern and It will not be tolerated in
any officer of whatever rank.
The present facts are that for several
years there had been an unfortunate and
hitter controversy in the navy department
"a controversy generally deplored even by
the participants. as tending to bring the
service into disesteem 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
between all the officers of the navy and
all the officers Of the army which Is essen.
tial to the successful ard harmonious co.
operation of the two services In prepara
tion and In action. A court of inquiry had
besn held on the matters in controversy
and a report had been made in which one
q member OF the court had dlssented ir
II come particulars from the majority, and
the report was pending before the review.
Ing authority.
At this point you, the lieutenant genera
of the army, saw fit to make public ex.
preston of your opinion as between the
majority and the minority Of the court
accompanied by Il criticism of the mos
severe character. which could not fail tt
be- applied by the generality Of readers Il
the naval officers against whose view youl
opinion was expressed 1t is of no eonsa
quence on whose side your opinion was OIL
what II was.
Secretary Root concluded his lettel
with this sharp reprOof:
You had no business In the controversy
and no right holding the office which yol
do. to express any opinion.
Your conduct was in violation of thu
regulation above cited and Of the rules o
official proprlety, and you are justly liabl,
to censilre, which now express.
SECRETARY LONGS APPROVAL.
SO far as the Schley controversy goes
- President Roosevelt Is III favor of stop
ping 1t at once in all branches of tn
government.
Before he made public bis indorse
ment on the findings Of the court o
inquiry Secretary Long showed it t.
Tho Dresjlent who heartily anproyed II