The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-12-24
Well Understood That He Will
Have No Chance to Remove
Stain From His Record.
PRESIDENT is Determined.
Intimated That If He Does Not
Meekly Submit to Censure He
May Be Retired When He
Is 81 Years of Age.

| REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
Washington, Dec. 2s-Lieutenant Genera
! y. A. Miles will have no opportunity t,
clear his record Of the stain placed upon i
| by the sharp rebuke administered to hin
| by the President and Secretary of War
No representations have been made to tn:
War Department by the commanding Gen
! eral since his explanations of the Schley in
terview. which the President and Mr.. Roo,
declared were unsatisfactory.
Rumors reached the department to-day
that General Miles had again talked foI
publication. These aroused the greatest
interest, but in the absence of the Secretary
in New York. nothing was done to establish
their correctness.
This much was stated emphatically: In
the present temper of the President and
Secretary Root. If General Miles again COM
ments indiscreetly upon the Schley case or
upon the action taken by the President and
Secretary of War. he will be subjected to
even a harsher proceeding than that he has
already suffered.
Court Of Inquiry 1mpOssible.
There is no disposition on the part of the
administration to give General Miles a
chance to keep the Schley controversy
alive. The President has stated that he
agrees that the subject should be Snuffed
out.
II General Miles should apply for Court
Of Inquiry, and it should be granted. the
investigation would keep the Schley case
in the public mind. For General Miles to
make such an application would be to ques-
tion the right and justice OF the action OF
his superior officers.
Army officials say that General Miles was
called upon for an explanation: that he ad-
mitted the authenticity OF the interview.
but the reason for its giving was not con-
sidered satisfactory: he had every oppor-
tunity to clear himself. but he was unable
to do So Then the rebuke was admins
tered.
General AIiles's friends urge that army
law prohibits the infiiction OF punishment
upon an officer without trial by court-mar-
tial, and they claim that the action taken
was a severe punishment.
The War Department evades this conten-
ton by the statement that the communca-
tion addressed to General Miles was not
reprimand. but rebuke. and the President
and the department have the right to tell
an officer when he has done wrong.
Intimated He May he Retired.
Officials of the department do not threat
en- General Miles, but they pcint to the fact
that Re is now over s. years of age. and
there is a law which gives the President
discretionary authority to retire an officer
when he reaches that age.
The President does not desire to proceed
to extreme measures in General Miles's
case. but. in his own interest. the officials
say 1t would be advisable for the command
ing General to swallow his OWE medicine.
hitter though it be.
Secretary Long has given consideration to
the interviews given by three retired Rear
Admirals-Brown. Belknao and Erben-on
the Schley controversy In the opinion of
the Secretary, the rebuke administered to
General Miles and the demand for the res
ignation of Mr.. Maclay form the climax OF
the Schley case. and to censure the retired
Rear Admirals would be to create an anti
climax.
President Roosevelt may consider the in
terviews of the retired officers as worthy
upon for official explanations: and. If those
explanations are not satisfactory, then
they will be rebuked.