The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1903-08-15
LAST sNUB TO MILES.


known that President Roosevelt was Il
man of strong passions. He has also
been generally regarded as Il man
actuated by Il high sense of justice and
public duty. 1t is well known that
the President was much inccnsed at
General Miles when that officer dared
to express an opinion in reference to
the controversy as to who was the
victor at the naval battle of Santiago.
Many excused the president for the
rude and unjustifiable manner in
which he attacked the commanding
general of the army at that time on
the ground that the president had an
impulsive nature. There is. however,
no excuse for the last SMlb. given to
the old warrior. On last Saturday,
Nelson \. Miles retired from the army
with which he has been prominently
connected since 1860. No word of
parting salutation or commentator
emnnated from the president or his
secretary of war. This action on the
part of the administration. has been
widely and severely criticized. PrcSi
dent Roosevelt has on several 0cc;l-
sions taken the opportunity to praise
in Il most fuls0me manner the military
accomplishments Of such men as
Wood and Funston. He cannot there
fore, say that he was prevented by the
rules of etiquette pertaining to mill
notable event as the retirement of the
lieutenant-genersl commanding the
army of the United States. Tile pres-
dent has shown littlencss Of chaluc-
ter and spirit. of which we thought
him incapable. In addition to Offering
Il slight to Il great and brave soldier,
hr has lowered the dignity of his own
great Office. The president who gained
some political capital as Il soldier of
inferior rank in the small Spanish war,
has. by reason of his accidental Occu
patton of the office he now holds re-
@arled it as his duty to Snub the last
surviving great soldier of the Civil
War Every lover of justice is aslam-
ed of the action of the president.
Nelson \. Miles. judged by the ex-
acting test of actual accomplishment,
is the greatest living soldier in the
world. He was one of the really
great officers of the Civil War. He
was the contemporary of Grant, Sher-
man and Sheridan. and their successor
in the great office. which he has just
laid down. His fame did not need the
public recognition of the president to
sustain it. but the president of the
United States has done the p"@:i!" n.s
this country an injustice by showing
ingrlttudc. The last two adminiStra-
tionS have neglected no opportunity to
| try and dim the fame of this last old
soldier of the Civil War in order to
| promote the schemes and desires Of
military prctendcrS With political rs
| pratiOnS. But. fortunately the his
tory of the Civil War and the Indian
campaigns were made loi.g before Cu.-
| hin. Long or Roosevelt were heard u.
The injustice OF the presidents ar-
tiun becomes at once apparent when
we compare the accomplishments u.
General Miles. whom he 80 ru.ieiy
| Snuls,Mtl. with the work of Grn"rli
N'cusi. whom Roosevelt has so OK
tielvH@amt!y praised. Miles fought III
williamsburg. Yorktown Fair Oaks.
Fredericksburg. .tnt:etam. Ch!ncrliorS-
Vile. gettysburg. Mile Run, Wilder
ness, Petersburg. liranl's Station and
the .\ppomattoN campaign. He enter
ed thr army Il captain of volunteers on
September 9th. 1861. and by actual
merit of service. for he had no political
or military pull, became Il colonel be-
fore the end OF Il year. and Il brigatlrr-
after the remarkable distinction of
having had every officer under whom
he had served. warmly recommend
| him to the authorities at Washington
| on octoDeF u. lSNhl. lie was nlauc Il
major general. The war over. General
Miles entered the reorganiZed army as
colonel of the l'orticth United States
infantry. On March Is. 1869. he waS
transferred to the Fifth Infantry. he
came Il brigadier general in 1880 and
Il major general ten years later. In
1898 he WAS assigned to the command
of the army and on June Is. 1900. an act
of Congress conferred upon him the
extraordinary rank of lieutenant gen
cral. Splendid as was his record in
the Civil War. he probably rendered
greater service in his clever campaigns
against the Indians during the two de-
cadcs from 1870 to 1890. General Miles
was the last connecting link between
the Army Of the United States and
), those grand armies of the nation which