The Holt County sentinel. (Oregon, Mo.) 1883-1980, 1902-06-20
Miles Again Under Suspicion.

Miles Again Under Suspicion.
Lieutenant General Miles is again un
der the suspicion of having talked too
much. Somebody has betrayed the Sc
crets Of the War Department, and cir
cumstances seem to involve the senior
officer of the army.
1t seems almost incredible that Gen
eral Miles should be guilty of SO serious
a breach of discipline. And yet it must
be remembered that he conspired last
March with Mr.. Culberson and others in
the Senate 20 secure the publications of
charges under investigation by the War
Department.
In a letter of March "a. General Miles
referred to letter of Governor Taft ad-
dressed to the Secretary of War and to
other documents on file in the depart
ment, and a few days later bis friends in
the Senate called for the correspondence
between General Miles and the Secre-
tary of War.
Secretary Root, in his letter Of March
25 to the President, declared that Gen.
eral Miles, in making reference to Gov
ernor Salts letter, did so to procure the
publication of the charges. against GER
tain army officers in advance of investi-
CATION. This was serious charge, but
it was justified by what followed. Sen
ator Culberson and his associates de-
manded the publication of the letters
and reports referred to by General Miles
and they were published.
In the Senate on Wednesday this
same Senator Culberson read letter
sent to General Miles, making serious
charges against Lieutenant Arnold, and
in connection with it, read also the re-
port of Captain West. who, under in
structions of General Miles, had made
preliminary Investigation.
The letter of complaint and the re-
port of Captain West were not furnished
through the regular channels of the War
Department, but were read in the Senate
by a man who for three months has been
following the lead of General Miles in
his attempt to discredit the Secretary of
War. When asked by Senator Beverage
whether the document came directly or
indirectly from General Miles, Senator
Culberson at first declined to say. Then
under pressure of his Democratic asso
ciafes, he made an evasive denial.
This is the case as it stands. Some
one has furnished, without authority of
the War Department, secret documents
relating tc occurrences in the army. The
President has ordered an Investigation.
If this investigation shows that General
Miles had knowledge Of or connived at
the placing of official information in the
hands of Senator Culberson, he is guilty
Of most serious offense.
General Miles would not, under any
circumstances, excuse a subordinate
guilty Of such an offense. Under the
army code, II an officer or a soldier is
cognizant of an abuse or a breach of
discipline 1t is his duty to report it, with
proper charges, to his superior officer. 1t
is outside of his duty to report it to a
Senator or Senatorial committee. Hav-
ing reported it, under the safeguards of
army regulations, 1t is the duty of the
officer making the report to accept the
action of his superior.
No committee of Congress has the
power to review the decision of court |!
Not even the supreme court |
has power to review the decision of a
court martial after it is published by the
reviewing authority. No committee has
the right to intervene in the proceedings !
leading to court-martial, and if Cen |
eral Miles, cognizant of the proceedings
against Lieutenant Arnold, and well in
formed as to military law connived at
the publication of the charges he GER /
tainly should be brought to trial for his !
All friends OF the army, whether they i
are friends of General Miles or not, will
hope the commanding Gederal can prove |
himself innocent in this case. However,
if he be guilty, it is the plain demand OF
of justice that he should be punished !
promptly and adequately.