Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 December 1901 — PRESIDENT TAKES ACTION. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

PRESIDENT TAKES ACTION.

Rebnkes General Miles and Orders His* torian Maclay Fired. President Roosevelt on Saturday privately scored Lieut. Gen. Nelson A. Miles for his Cincinnati interview com-

mending the report of Admiral Dewey on the Schley case. Subsequently, by the special direction of the President, Secretary of War Root sent to Gen. Mlles an official letter of censure, which was given to the public by direction of the

President. Practically at the same time Secretary Long promulgated his letter approving the findings of the court of inquiry, disapproving of the report submitted by Admiral Dewey alone, and declaring that this minority opinion could not have been submitted without impropriety. Miles, Schley and Dewey were all made the recipients of official and public displeasure within a few hours. The President also sent an order to Secretary of the Navy Long to demand the resignation of,Edgar 8. Maclay, who though officially designated as “special laborer, general storekeeper's office, navy yard, New York,” is the author of “The History of the Navy”—the work used at

Annapolis for the instruction of naval cadets. In the last volume of the history, bringing it up to the Spanish-Amer-ican war, Maclay violently assailed Schley as a “caitiff,” and a “poltroon,” and, in fact, was to some extent directly responsible for the Schley controversy. The censuring of Miles and the dismissal of Maclay is taken, in army and navy circles, a Washington correspondent says, as signifying President Roosevelt’s determination to end the Schley trouble right now for good and always. This belief was strengthened by the action of Secretary Leng, who made public his decision on the Schley court findings. The decision upholds the majority report and is against the individual report of Admiral Dewey. In indorsing the majority report Secretary Long stands by the recommendation that there be no further action in the controversy by the Navy Department. Hence he advised the lawyers of Admiral Sampson that the Sampson protest could not be considered, and sent a similar letter to Admiral Schley regarding the Schley protest. The President acted in the case of Gen. Miles on his prerogative as com-mander-in-chief Of the army, and from this there is no appeal. The highest law officers of the government say that Gen. Miles has no remedy.

E. S. MACLAY.