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Show MILES DEFENDED (Special Correspondence New York Freeman's Journal.) Washington, D. C, May 7, 1903. The report filed by Lieut. Gen. Nelson A. Miles concerning conditions in the Philippines is the absorbing topic of interest in every circle of society? here. Government officials and those churchmen who are in administration favor minimize its importance and detract de-tract from the reputation of Gen. Miles to bolster up their arguments. It is well, however, to call attention strongly to one point of Gen. Miles' report. He states that Major Glenn was convicted by a court-martial of administering the water cure and punished pun-ished only by a penalty of a short suspension sus-pension from command and a fine of $50. The important fact is that Major Glenn was convicted. In this one case at least an American officer has been found guilty of torturing prisoners. That the punishment for this offense was inadequate to the crime is apparent. ap-parent. Gen. Miles also calls attention to the fact that church property is unnecessarily un-necessarily used for military purposes, and that the commodious barrack property left by the Spanish government govern-ment is not so utilized, although much better adapted, for the shelter -of troops. This has long been a disputed disput-ed question. The administration apologists apol-ogists asserted that church property was never used for military purposes except in absolute emergency. Gen. Miles asserts that his experience is to the-contrary. During the past week, or since the publication of the report, that coterie of army officers who have been favored fa-vored by the administration have been industrious in circulating advice derogatory de-rogatory to Gen. Miles. He is accused ac-cused of casting a stigma upon the army. The campaign of abuse and detraction cannot be well judged by those at a distance from Washington. As a matter of fact, subordinate officers offi-cers find easy pardon for any offense against Gen. Miles. As a matter of fact, Gen. Miles is easily the principal American soldier living. He is now the only officer on the active list who shared with Grant, Sherman and Sheridan the burdens of the great civil war. By this is meant that Miles was a general officer, actively ac-tively participating in the battles and councils oi this great triumvirate. By the time be was 2t years of age he was a major general commanding a separate sepa-rate corns of the American armv. TTr- on his individual resource and courage the fate of many of the principal engagements en-gagements around Richmond depended. depend-ed. After the civil war Gen. Miles was graded as a colonel in the army when reduced to its peace footing. He took part in all the great Indian campaigns cam-paigns of the sixties, seventies and eighties. Miles has had more actual experience in command of large bodies bod-ies of men upon more important battlefields bat-tlefields than any other soldier now living. In this assertion full estimate is given to the soldierly claims of the Waldersees, Kitcheners, Robertses and all other living soldiers. The services of Kitchener in South Africa cannot be compared with those of Miles before Richmond. Miles was only a corps commander, it is true, but he has taken into action bodies of from 50,000 to 100,000 men, and the character and number of his foes were immensely different. In this nothing is intended derogatory to the brave Boers;, but that handful of farmers far-mers could not be compared to the embattled hosts of the Confederacy. Were Miles of that subservient type who, have won promotion from the two past administrations, his name would be constantly lauded. Miles did ' not wade a creek as did Funston. He threw a brigade across the march of Stonewall Jackson's terrible division and during a hard-fought day halted them, saving the Army of the Potomac. Poto-mac. Miles did not administer a little city as did Wood. His honors were won on bloody fields and in the formation form-ation of treaties with Indian bands numbering largely in the thousands. As a matter of fact, Miles is so great a military potentiality that very shame should silence his little detractors. de-tractors. Notwithstanding the volume of abuse now hurled at Miles, one hears everywhere in Washington the query, "What will be its effect?" The charges of the lieutenant general commanding the army cannot be lightly brushed aside. When he asserts that a certain cer-tain contingent of American officers made a practice of barbarous tactics he cannot be silenced by a Fourth of July speech concerning the honor of the army. The honor of the army lies in the punishment of such crimes and the eradication from the army list of officers who can find excuse for brutal and . barbarous treatment of even an opponent. According to Gen. Miles, priests were subjected to the water cure. Their private property was looted from them. Indignities the most atrocious atro-cious were heaped upon them. Whe a Catholic priest 13 taken out and tortured, tor-tured, is it a rational defense to allege that some common Tagals perpetrate outrages? Where is the analogy between be-tween an ignorant Tagal and an educated edu-cated gentleman of the status of a Catholic priest? In the early days of the Phllipplna controversy your correspondent over and over again called attention to the fact that returning soldiers made the same allegation as does Gen. Miles. Instance after instance was carefully investigated and good testimony adduced ad-duced to establish the facts. The only answer to the great mass of this teeti- mony was the torrent of congressional abuse against those who would "traduce" "tra-duce" the American officer or soldier. Now the soldier who, par excellence, represents the honor and dignity of American martial achievement renews re-news the same old charges. They are met with the same old outcry. It has been several times asserted in this controversy that the only reason rea-son to torture a Catholic priest would be a desire to extort irom him tne secrets of the confessional. As a matter mat-ter of fact, every Catholic understands that there was no obligation to inform the Filipino priests as to military measures. Bigots, however, insist that a Catholic priest knows every secret of the community. Therefore these priests were tortured to compel them to reveal imaginary secrets. It is well to call attention to the fact that since the days when Fathers tenwick and Coleman were brought before the courts of New York to compel com-pel them to reveal confessional secrets, se-crets, it has been the law of the land that no court has tne right to question 2 a priest as to the revelations of his I penitent. The supreme court of the t United States has sustained" these decisions de-cisions as the supreme law of the United States. Out in the Philippines i: any little subordinate officer may sub- . "1 ' ject a priest not only to inquisition, but physical torture, to pry into these secrets. In other words, Secretary Root, President Roosevelt and every person who abets the Philippine programme pro-gramme asserts that any little army lieutenant may override the supreme v law of the land and exercise a jurisdiction juris-diction denied to the highest and most honored courts of his country. It Is not necessary to argue the right or wrong of retaliatory torture, but certainly cer-tainly .every Catholic has a right to- "1 ttio tnrtnra nt ni-lnofs ' I I am glad to note that the revelations revela-tions of Gen. Miles have exercised a i good influence upon that body of the clergy which hitherto has looked leniently leni-ently upon the outrageous programme in the Philippines. There are many here who even yet prefer to join the administration cry and villify Gen. Miles, but since the publication of this report many of the administration's stanchest ecclesiastical henchmen have been shaken in their fatuous belief. |
