Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-08-15

fought valiantly in the civil war and in
the campaign against the Indians. He
was an able officer on all occasions
and rose from private citizenship to
the ranking place in the army through
his own personal qualifications and
not through favoritism in high
places. He IS a man of brains and of
the highest personal courage. His
deeds in battle are not the works of
an artist in the generous use of oil;
but he has been at deaths door for
his country many times. His record
in one battle for the union, when the
surgeon told him he must die from an
awful wound he had received, is worth
more than the dreSs-parade pretenses
of a thousand soldiers of another
stripe.
When the war for the liberation of
Cuba was undertaken Gen. Miles had
ideas as to how the necessary or
ganiza ton should be effected, when
hostilities should be opened, and how
the war should be carried on. His adj
vice, though it was entitled to great
consideration on account of his po-
sition in the army and his splendid
record as an organizer and fighting
general. was ignored. The army was
hastily concentrated in Florida in the
widest confusion. Provisions rotted
| in the cars and sWindling contractors
IwaNed wealthy in a fortnight. Ar
| tillery horses went to Santiago on one
ship, the harness on another and the
guns on another. and the whole trans
portation was on this laundering sys-
TEN. The troops were landed in a
tangled mass at Il season when they
had to drag themselves in mud more
than knee-deep to get anywhere.
Following the advice of Gen. Miles
would have saved thousands of lives
and millions of money and a scandal
that had to be quickly whitewashed
on the commission plan to keep it
from becoming worldwide. The vic
tory over Spain would have been
sharper and more decisive and much
more to the general credit of the re-
lpublic.
| Since the advent of the present adj
ministration frequent opportunities
have been taken to insult. humiliate
and. if possible. degrade Miles, so that
the advantage might be given to men
without a real war record. No doubt
Mr.. Roosevelt, in his soul, regrets the
manner in which the general of the
army was treated. for il is said Of him
that he is good hearted, though i'm
lpetuous. We're the whole matter tC
be acted DER" again his course would
no doubt be different; but it has long
been too late to retract. and the
"toadies" and blatherskites will of
course trim their sails to the breeze
the Administrative has blown.
Time flies and events multiply. The
rising and active generation of today
have affairs of their own to think OF
and to entertain them. Much import
ant history escapes the average man
1t is wholesome to remind them oc
OCCASIONALLY of what such men as Mile:
did before they were born. or at leas1
before they were old enough to fully
comprehend affairs. They shoulc
know that Nelson y. Miles is entitled
to go into the soldier galaxy of Grant
Sherman. Sheridan, Hancock, McClel
Ian, etc. He is one of the last of the
old guard and has held himself il
dignity and gallantry TO the hour o
his retirement. He can afford t.
sheer at the gibes and insults of thos
who never departed from the com
forts of 4 feather bed to sleep on thei
arms on the cold ground.
y career like Gen. Miles is one o
which even Theodore Roosevelt woul'
have no reason to be ashamed; and i
deserves a more generous recognition
from the president of the United
States than Il has received.