The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-24
GENERAL MILES FRIENDS ALERT
Discovery Tint the Army Bill Men,
aces His Rank.

General Miles and his friends do not
intend to sit calmly by and allow him to
be legislated out of the lieutenant gen.
eralship of the army by the Reorganza-
tion bill now pending before the con-
ference committee OF the two Houses of
Congress. General Miles and his friends
have been very active and they declare
that the Army bill will be so amended in
conference as to ensure the retention OF
his present rank, or that If it is not. the
controversy will be put before the Presi-
dent in such light that he will not dare
to appoint anyone but General Miles to
be lieutenant general
Generals Otis and Brooke are candidates
for the lieutenant gencralship under the
new bill. They will both retire in 1902.
while General Miles will not reach the
age of retirement until 1908. II he should
be appointed lieutenant general, there
fore he will hold the rank Until after
Otis and Brook shall have been retired.
The pending army bill provides that
there shall be lieutenant general of the
army. The concluding paragraph OF the
bill says that nothing in it shall operate
! to deprive any clncer of his commission
the army. II was thought by General
it now appears that while the bill would
not deprive him of his commission as
lieutenant general he has none, it
might deprive him of the rank which he
holds.
con '5rence committee. it is said, can
not amend any part of bill which was
not a subject of dispute between the TWO
houses of Congress, and cannot add new
legislation. The impression has been gen.
eral that this would prevent any altera-
tfon of the army bill as far as 1t affected
General Miles standing, but the point has
now been raised that this would prevent
any alteration of the army>bill as far as
it affected General Miles standing, but
the point has now been raised that the
bill as it came frcm the House to the Sens
ate was not an original House bill but
| only an amendment to the Senate bill.
| which went to the House at the last ses-
| sion. AS an amendment to the Senate
| bill, it became a subject of dispute be-
| tween the two bodies. notwiths landing the
| fact that certain features were adopted
| later by the Senate. 1t is therefore ar
| gued that the conference committee can
| amend the last section of the bill by in
| sorting the word rank thereby pro-
viding that the bill shall not operate TO
| deprive General Miles either of his rank
! or his commission.
| The Secretary of War has II is said al
/
| ready determined upon three OF the Of
| ficers who are to be promoted to the rank
| CT major general under the provision Of
| the Army bill. should it pass Congress in
| its present form. These officers are Gen.
| Adna r. Chafee. now commanding the
American military expedition in China;
| Gen. Arthur Macarthur, Military Gov
ernor of the Philippines. and Gen. 5. NJ. B.
! Young, commanding the Department of
| Northern Luzon.
| Generals Young and Macarthur are now
| brigadier generals. They are junior. how
| ever to both General Wade and General
| Merriam. General Young has been in the
army since April. 1861, when he enlisted
as a private in Company X. Of the Twelfth
| Pennsylvania Infantry.
| General Macarthur entered the service
| in 1862. as first lieutenant in the Twen-
| ty-fourth Wisconsin Infantry. Both Of
| ficers were rapidly promoted for gallantry
| in the civil war