Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-09-26
All the Members of the Investigating
Commission Meet.
WILL SEND LETTERS OF INQUIRY
Sessions to Be Held in the Lemon
Building.
DIR. CONNER'S SHORT STAY

Department in its conduct of the Spanish
American war met at 10 o'clock this morn
i1g, and remained in session two hours
The meeting was held in the room of the
i bureau of ordnance and fortifcations, War
| Department, the commission being well
fortified while In session by a big oak door,
| on which a card stating mo admission
was hung and beside which sat messen-
ger, whose duty 1t was to keep off all
eavesdroppers, and to inform everybody
who wanted to see a member of the COM
mission or to know what they We're doing
| that the sessions were held in secret.
There was some dissatisfaction over the
| fact that the session was a secret one, but
| the impression gained that the secrecy
| was to be maintained only regarding the
| preliminary work of outlining the labors of
the commission, and that when the taking
| or testimony was begun the doors would
be thrown open and the veil of secrecy torn
aside. 1t was the general belief that the
PRESIDENTS wish that the facts brought out
by the inquiry should be made pubic would
| be observed. The closed doors today could
not, therefore, be regarded as significant of
q desire to suppress the facts although
several democratic correspondents pro-
fesSed to rejoice at the closing of the doors
Every member of the commission was
present, including DR.. Conner of Cincinnati
who was the last member to reach the CITY
Or. Conner arrived from his home in Gin
clnnat early in the day and called upon
the President for a brief interview before
Joining his fellow members in the War De-
partment. The President expressed his an
probation of the doctors acceptance of the
position and outlined briefly his wishes in
the matter of the investigation. Dr. Con-
ner found 1t impossible to remain with the
commission for the present and received a
leave of absence for two or three davs in
order to return to Cincinnati to put his af-
1alrs IN shape to be absent so long as the
Work OF the commission may require
Shortly after the noon hour arrived the
rig door was thrown open and a dozen
newspaper correspondents entered the
room. 1t had been announced that General
Docge, chairman of the commission, would
give out all information to the newspapers,
and he was the center of attraction.
Engaged on Mapping Out Form.
General Dodge, in reply to numerous in
quiries said the commission had been en-
gagged on preliminary work in mapping out
the method of investigation to be followed
but that it had not progressed far enough
to allow him to make any statement for
the newspapers. Tomorrow, he said, a
statement would be made public showing
the plans of the commission.
VIII the session of the commission
tinue to be in secret?' Gen. Dodge was
asked.
For the present." he said, 'they will be
with closed doors. 1t was determined to
hold sessions with closed doors OF Satur-
day, and nothing further has been done in
regard to that matter" he replied.
Another member of the commission re-
marked that there was nothing secret about
the work of the commission, only it's pro-
ceedings were not open to the public.
New Quarters.
The commission will meet again tomor-
row morning in the Lemon building, locat-
ed on New York avenue between 18th and
18th streets. The commission has been as
signed large room in that building where
its meetings be held, together with
smaller rooms for their clerks and records.
The information bureau of the War De-
partment will also be removed to the
Lemon building.
Gen. Dodge told a Star reporter that the
commission would be in session from 10 to
II 30 and from until o'clock daily. He
declined to discuss any of the commissions
plans, saying all such Information would
be made public after the meeting of to-
II orrow morning: that the plans had not
been matured, and that nothing could be
given out until then.
Letters of inquiry.
The proceedings today were limited to
the outlining of general policy and the
formulation of letters of inquiry, which will
be made public tomorrow.
The letters which have been decided upon
are to be addressed to the Secretary of
War, the quartermaster general, the COM
HliSStiTy general, tAS surgeon SeHeEol ana
the chief of the ordnance department of the
army, They viii consist in the main of
inquiries intended to bring out all the facts
that can be given relative to the organiza-
ton of the volunteer army. These officials
will be asked to give specific information,
80 as to cover each of the departments in
question, concerning the condition of the
army, both at the beginning and the close
of the war Fer this purpose date in
April has been selected as the one for the
beginning of the preparation and another
in August for the close.
The questions are so formulated as to
call out answers covering the organization
Of camps. the purchase of supplies and the
making of contracts with transportation
companies, and also to show the methods
adopted for furnishing supplies to the va
rious commands and for protecting the
health Of the soldiers. There will be an
especial effort to develop the motives that
actuated the department in the choice of
camp sites, to the effect that they were
located as q matter of favoritism to rail-
road companies.
Letters of Complaint.
The commission also considered several
letters of complaint from persons profess
Ing to have information bearing upon the
subject of investigation. and decided to ad-
dress replies to the writer's of them re-
questing them to put their charges in spe-
cffic shape and informing them of the scope
Of the inquiry.
II iS iHtcUuSu pldt IL the replies received
to these letters show the writers to be in
posses of real Information to summon
them before the commission when it is
feasible to do 80, or otherwise to secure
II cir affidavits. Where, however, 1t be-
comes evident that their accusations are
mere idle complaints, with no Information
back Of them. the writer's will not receive
further attention.
The commission also expects to extend
its inquiry before it closes it's work to the
oxtent of summoning before it the COM
manding officers of the various divisions
and brigades and probably extending 1t to
the colonies OF regiments from which COM
plants have emanated. They will be ex-
pected to give full information as to the
pains they may have taken or failed to
take concerning the location of their troops
and their general welfare,
First to Be Recognized.
The President has recognized Yang Wei