The evening times., 1898-07-30
GENERAL EAGAA's REPLY.
he Says Robert B. Roosevelt Is
. Ksferiety Seeker.
THREATENS A LIBEL SUIT
Besides stating That Supplies Have
Calls the Criticisn "a Low, Libel
ess, scaAdaio1s vilineation Of
HonOrable Men.vs ~

Brig. Gen. Charles P. Eagan. commits
sa<y general Of the army. is very indig-
uant at the allegations regarding his de-
partment. made by Robert B. Roosevelt
in a recent letter to William v. Keenly.
secretary of the Sons Of the American
Revolution.
Speaking of this letter yesterday. Gen.
Eagan said:
sMr. Roosevelt begins by stating that
he and the society are doing everything
that they can in 'rousing patriotism. The
my suffers Is the shameful incapacity or
infamous dishonesty in the conmissary
department. Can we not help expose this
and give shape and direction to the burn
ing Indignation of the people at the way
in which our soldiers have been neglected
and ili-fed?
"'If we cannot hang them let US ex-
pose them to public execration and send
. their names down to all time as the syn
onyms Of infamy.'
'.Mr. Roosevelt makes a positive state
ment and seeks to correct an evil that
exists in his own imagination. If it ex-
lists even there. Nobody better than Mr..
palmer, or easier than to cause a thor
ough official Investigation of any and
every case of either incapacity or corrup-
ton, by presenting the case to the head of
the department. Mr.. Roosevelt did not
pursue this course. for 1t would not give
him notoriety; II would give the libelied
officers a chance to be heard. 1t would
develop the truth and the facts in the
case. which is not what Mr.. Roosevelt
wants, but notoriety.
'tHe further says: I'VE all personally
know Of cases Of the grOssest neglect. 1
can quote several among my own friends
or family. I don not give names because
the boys are willing to endure all things
for their country
IN other cases where complaints were
alleged to have been made by the boys
who were willing to endure anything for
their country investigation by wholly
disinterested parties developed that the
complaints were never made and. further
that no cause existed for such complaints
'Mr. Roosevelt seems to refer. SO far
as can understand his letter. to the con-
ditions at the front at Santiago. and ex-
plains that a lieutenant colonel has told
him he has had nothing but hardtack
and bacon since he has been in Santiago
While I positively deny that this is the
fact, even IL IL were so the fault of the
condition lies with the lieutenant colonel
and other line officers, whose first duty
Is to see that their men are fed, and as
well and properly fed as the military
conditions will permit
'tAs a matter of fact. the command had
with 1t when 1t went to Santiago over
three millions of rations, and there never
was a moment from the time they left
Tampa to the present day that they have
not had an abundance of rations inclun-
ing an ample supply of vegetables. po-
tatoes, onions. tomatoes. coffee, beans.
rice and a complete and ample supply of
roast beef In tins for the entire time
they have been there, including the Siege
of Santiago and up to the present hour.
"If. as were likely the case. there have
been some hours, or a day. or day and
a half or two or three days. that the
troops did not have their full rations
while on the line facing the enemy. look
ing down upon Santiago. about fifteen
miles from their base of SUPPLIES. then The
fault does not lie with the subsistence
department which furnished ample sup
plies OF full and complete rations.
"If Mr. Roosevelt cared for the truth
he could easily have ascertained that the
commanding general and all the line Off
GERS, among them the lieutenant colonel
he refers to. could not, in the nature of
things, fall back from the line and give
up the ground they had won to bring up
food, and that the storms. the mud. the
rains the narrow bride paths. the lack
of transportation. all these and other
difficulties combined doubtless prevented
the men for awhile from having their
full! rations.
''Mr. Roosevelt Is invited to point to
one single dishonest or improper transac-
ton on the part of any officer; to point
to one single instance where the depart
ment has, since the breaking out of the
war. failed to properly feed the troops
I do not refer to troops fed by State gov
ernments- 1 refer to troops from the mo-