The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-08-19
MR.. ROOT AND GEN. MILES.
Some Things Made Clear About which
There Are Disputes.
Washington Post.

Washington Post
1t will serve no useful purpose, we think,
TO reopen the controversy over General
Miles and the circumstances under which
he was retired on Saturday last The peo-
pie have long been divided on the general
subject and nothing in the way OF argu.
ment or proof, no matter how unanswer-
able. would have the effect OF changing the
attitude or the convictions OF either body OF
partisans. a very large number OF persons
hold that General Miles has been consists
emily snubbed and sighted by his superiors
In office ever since he succeeded General
SchOfeld as the sO-called commanding gem
eral OF the army. An equally large num-
Der of persons are quite as positive that
General Miles has from the beginning been
insubOrdinate, hostile and miSchievous.
Perhaps We may as well leave this quarrel
undisturbed. one of the parties thereto
is right, OF course, and the other is mis-
taken. Intelligent and well-informed men
Will have no trouble in deciding between
them.
There are one or two popular misappre-
tensions, however. which can be. removed
without disarranging the alignments We
have described, and certainly without in
creasing the bitterness OF the controversy
Itself. Chief among these is the idea so
frequently proclaimed and seriously en-
tertained in certain quarters that the ofi-
GERS OF high rank in the army are preju-
uIce9 aSa1nst GSneral Mics because ne en-
tered the service from civil life Nothing
could be more preposterous. Very few OF
the class in question are in a position TO
scorn General Miles on that account for
the good and sufficient reason that very
few are themselves graduates Of the Mile
tary academy General Cc-bin is not a
West Pointer, neither is General Young nor
General Wood. General Brooke, now re-
tired, is in the category. Indeed. il
is quite safe to say that a large majority
of the major generals and brigadier gen.
the year 1902 were quite open TO reproach
on this score as General Miles was. AS a
matter of fact. the proposition is extray-
agantly nonsensical and unworthy OF seri-
Gus consideration. No doubt there is a
cause for the estrangement which has
arisen between General Miles and most OF
his fellow-ofiicers i'm high position, but that
cause cannot be sought In the generals
civil antecedentS.
Another thing-and this really deserves
especial notice-there is no sort of warrant
for the much too prevalent impression
that Secretary Root has been at pains TO
prosecute General Miles. The fact is that
MIR. Root has gone out of his way TO avoid
even the suspicion OF such an attitude.
That he has not had pleasant relations.
either official or personal. with the So
called lieutenant general commanding" is
unfortunately true enough. 1t is a curious
coincidence, though, from which the
Thoughtful mind may derive a great deal OF
useful suggestion, that Secretary Roots
relations with General Miles have differed
in no important respect from thoseof his two
| predecessors, Secretaries Alger and Lamont.
| Everybody in Washington knows that
neither the war secretaries nor the Presi-
| dents of the United States who have been
| in office during the period OF General Miles's
| inc1mbency commanding officer OF the
army" have had the good fortune TO COM
mend themselves to the latter's approval.
| He withheld from Cleveland. Mckinley,
Lamont and Alger those sympathies which
he has since denied with equal firmness TO
Roosevelt and to Root. We fail TO dis
cover, after careful examination, any OFF,
| cial superior with whom during the past
| ten years General Miles has been upon
| terms of good will and cordial co-opera-
| ton.
OF Mr.. Root il can be said, and truly
| said, that he has treated General Miles
| with all the consideration possible under
| the circumstances. In securing the passage
| of the army bill, which Miles resolutely
| opposed he was at pains TO arrange that
| the reorganization should not go into eff
| feet so long as the general remained on
| the active list and retained his title OF
| lieutenant general commanding. In all
| his public utterances, when the subject
/ was apropos, notably on the occasion OF
| his address to the West Point graduates
| last June he took pains 10 pay fervent
/ tribute TO the generals military virtues
| and achievements. General Miles, he
| said inNhe course OF his speech, earned
| undyingName on many hard-fought fields.
| General Miles sitting near Mr.. Root at
| the time, and heard IL all. What erect
| this graceful and sincere eulogy had upon
4 him have no means Of knowing.
| 1t is a melancholy situation-or, rather,
has been Possibly Presidents Cleveland.
Mckinley and Roosevelt and Secretaries
| Lamont Alger and Root have all been
| Jealous, intractable. prejudiced, unkind.
| Possibly the fault lies with General Miles
| Who shall say? We seek, however, TO dis
| pei the attendant misapprehensions here
| specified hoping that some Of the rancor or
| the dispute may be eliminated.