Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-03-21
THREATENS TO RESIGN lF PRO.
POSED ARMY: sREoRGANlzA-
TloN BILL PASSES.
OPPOSED TO GENERAL STAFF
Believes in Lieutenant General Having
Complete Control and Quotes oc.
casions Where 1t Worked to Great
Advantase-Asserts New Measure Is
In Interest Of Favorites Of Secretary
Of War and Adjutant General.
Of war and Adjutant General.

.
Washington, March 21.-General
s Nelson A. Miles told the senate com
mittee on military affairs during the
day that if the bill introduced by Sen
ator Hawley at the instance Of the wa1
department for the organization Of a
general staff for the army should be-
come a law he would decline to. long
er hold his commission. The reason
he gave for the statement is that the
bill is utterly subsersive Of the inter.
ests of the military establishment, and
he said that he would not t-be a party to
such@a proceeding to the extent even
of continuing to hold his place.
The statement was made +, in the
course of a prolonged hearing by the
committee, which was conducted be.
hind closed doors, and in which Gen.
eral Miles touched upon variety of
subjects connected with the army. The
portion of the bill to which he directed
his especial criticism is that contained
In section 7, reading as follows:
That from and after the passage OF
this act the senior general officer of
the army shall be assigned to COM
mand such portion of the army as the
president may direct, or be detailed to
duty in the general staff corps. All
duties prescribed by law for the com,
manding general of the army shall be
performed by the chief of general
staff or other general officer designat.
ed by the secretary of war; provided
that so long as the present lieutenant
general of the army continues on the
active list he shall be the chief of the
general staff, and upon the separation
from active service of the said lieu
tenant general Of the army, said Office.
except as herein provided, shall cease
and determine
General Miles said that if this pro.
vision should become a law it would
have the effect of destroying the unity
of the army and he read numerous au.
thorities, including Napoleon, yelling
ton, Washington, Cass, and Grant, to
show the necessity of having one head
to the army and of controlling author.
ity. His own experience and observa
tion had, he said, the effect of confirm.
ing these views and he gave an illus
tration of its beneficial effect
In Time Of Emergency,
instancing the beginning of the war
with Spain.
81 heard at midnig ght,'' - he said
'that the Spanish fleet had been locat.
+ ed definitely at Santiago, and hasten
ed to- the home of Secretary Long,
where the news was confirmed. Shaft.
eri was then at Tampa, and sat down
there, in the secretary's house, and
wrote a dispatch directing him to
start Immediately for Santiago with
the result that the army was soon on
its way to the point where it's presence
was needed. Suppose" he added, ex.
hibiting the message which he had
sent to General Shafter, 81 had been
compelled to get around to a dozen OF
more majors, as many colonels and
any number of generals constitut
ing a general staff. z
Then he added that in all probabil
ity the senior general of the army
would not, under the provision he had
quoted, have been in position to do
anything, and he called attention to
the clause relieving him (the senior
+ generaD of command and making it
possible for any other officer to be ap-
pointed. He declared that under sec
Etion 1T would be competent to one
( day promote a captain to the position
of brigadier and the next day make
him chief of staff, thus practically
placing a captain at the head Of the
army Warming up somewhat he as
serted that the bill was calculated to
accomplish no purpose except to allow
the secretary Of war and the adjutant
general to promote the. interests of
their personal fayorites.
In the course Of his remarks General
Miles told the committee in confidence
that with the bill law he could now
name the men who would hold the
places of honor provided under it, but
the committee did not ask for the
names.
WANTS INFORMATION.