The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-04-21
Local G.. A. r. Men Incensed
at Present Attitude of
Roosevelt
POPULAR IN THE WEST
Removal of Lieutenant General
Would Be Signal for Storm of
Interpretations Nothing
Will Be Done.

While there has been no public display
of it, there is a feeling among Grand
Army men of bitter resentment on
President ROsevelt'S attitude toward Gen.
Miles, and his desire to retire him from
the head of the army. One of the best
known Grand Army men in this city, who
has made no public declaration of his
feeling because he feared it would cost
him his position, which is a political one,
said yesterday:
'The Grand Army does not desire to
assume an attitude of hostility toward the
president, and perhaps would not do so
officially whatever his action, but should
he allow his hatred of Miles to go to the
extent Of forcing that officers retirement,
the Grand Army would resent. it as not
only an UndeserVed rebuke of Cen Miles,
but as reflection on the old soldiers of
the country. Without regard to politics,
the Grand Army men are on Miles side.
RoOsevelt's attitude toward Miles cannot
be justified.
1T may be that Gen. Miles has been to
blame in some things; he may have dis
pleased the president grievously But
even this cannot be justification for his
treatment Of Miles Particularly, his
treatment of the general for his Philip
pine communication is unwarranted.
However wrong Miles policy may have
been, 1T merited serious consideration and
courteous treatment, coming from a man
who is every inch a soldier whose career
has been a tribute to his country, and
whose gallant record entities him to con-
sideration, especially from the head of
the government which he has served so
well. Here in the West Miles forced re-
tirement would bring a storm upon the
presidents head. Miles is a Western man.
and he is greatly loved by the West. He
is our style of a man.
Popular in the West.
''He is no tin soldier, no dude, but he
has always been conceded to be a fighter
and good general He did not get where
he is by political pull; yet all the opposi-
tlon to him has been political, that is it
has been a clique opposition. He has
been independent; being a Western man
he could not be otherwise He has always
objected to red tape in the army and OPP
posed shams Whenever his opinion has
been in conflict with that Of another gen
eral or statesman, time has proven
that he was rignt. He. was right in regard
to Cuba. Last summer when President
Roosevelt was here and Gen. Miles also,
the bearing of Miles was certainly in
marked contrast to that of Roosevelt
While much of the applause was I'M
dOubtedly for Miles, he took none of it
to himself, while Roosevelt was tipping
his hat to right and to left in acknowI-
edgment of the praise, as if it were all
for him.
Most Of the Grand Army men are Re-
publicans, but they have before proven
that they. cannot be blindly led into con-
doning Republican mistakes. From what
have heard among my comrades I
know that they have been greatly dis
pleased with the presidents attitude
toward Miles. The papers say today that
the president has changed his mind tenn
porarily as to removing Miles, on the
suggestion of Senator Hoar, that the
Grand Army would howl over it. Senator
Hoar is right. We all love Miles, and no
action taken at the request of a lot of
academy soldiers can injure his standing
in the West"