The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-01-07
Ro0sEvFLTs ROAST OF MILES

II am the Government, is Roosevelts
declaration. The well informed wash
ington city correspondent of the Houston
(Texas) Post wires his paper as follows:
Efforts arc being made by interested
newspapers and individuals to make 1t
appear that there was nothing rough or
ungentlemanly in the reprimand given
Lieutenant General Miles by the Presi-
dent. The real facts in the case are just
now being made known, however, and it
is not likely that the public, and especial
ly the Washington public, will be misled
by the efforts just referred to.
According to a man whose source or
information is absolutely sound the Pres
ident was talking to three gentlemen
when Gen. Miles entered the room.
1.-THE President abruptly sprang away
from his other callers, advanced to meet
the general and said: 81 am glad to
see you general" Then, after the hand
shake, the President went on in an ex-
cited manner: THE interview you gave
out at Cincinnati is intolerable. You
must remember that the relations be-
tween us are now changed. l am the
government and you must look to me for
policies. Remember what l say, for l
have teeth! l have teeth! l have
teeth"
Incredible as ii may seem this was
Practically what the President of the
United States said to the lieutenant gen.
eral commanding the army The infor~
nation was given the Post correspondent
by man who is in a position to know
exactly what he is talking about, and
there is no reason to doubt that the re-
rnarkable language quoted above was re-
ally used The President, it is said, was
very much excited and on one occasion
during the delivery of the 'reprimand'
shook his finger in the face of the gem
eral'
The Army and Navy Register, in its
last issue, reviews the attack on Gen.
Miles by the President. 1t is as follows:
Gen. Miless assumed views did not
justify the severity, not to say the bru-
tally, of phraseology adopted by the
President in the letter signed by Mr..
Root, and there was no justification for
advertising the executive humiliation
to which Gen. Miles was crudely and
cruelty subjected.
HE is an officer with a splendid re-
cord, personal and military, and his
position rank and career entitled him to
some consideration at the hands OF <r.
Roosevelt, man of no military expert
ence, a much younger man than Gen.
Miles, and IS yet hardly trained in the
responsibilities and tribulations of his
high official place.
ut is a great pity that the complete
story of the visit of Gen. Miles to the
White House previous to his reprimand
by order of the President cannot be told.
The anger of the President on that oc-
casion and the language which he en-
ployed to the commanding general of the
army has never been accurately report
ed. Some of the most spirited passages
in that encounter have indeed been de-
MED and an effort has been made in some
quarters to show that Gen. Miles some
how or other offended the dignities of the
occasion by appearing at the White
House and demanding hearing.
HE had, of course, every right to call
upon the President bearing with him, as
he did, the letter of inquiry addressed
to him by Secretary Root, asking as to
zen. Mics IcSpCIlSiUlllly LII thN 'iNSA
view credited to him in Western paper.
1t is also undeniable that the President
was bound to hear an explanation IL
Gen. Miles had to offer.
1.-The latter, however, was not permit
ted to speak in his own behalf, and in
the presence of other visitors who were
within hearing and who must have Won
dered at the spectacle. Mr. Roosevelt
approached Gen. Miles in a manner
which, without exaggeration, may be de-
scrbed as savage. 1t was poor com
pensation fer the publicity of the per-
sonal reprimand that the President, be-
fore Gen. Miles left the room, assumed
q less domineering attitude"
The accounts and additional particu-
lars of the Presidents action makes it
even more savage and brutal than first
appeared The statement that the Presi-
dent "has the habit of losing his tenn
per" is one which reflects upon his ca
pacity to rule wisely and we'll. and 1T Is
an infirmity that gin other cases has LED
him into acts that call forth severe
criticism.