The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-10-04
FIRST FORMAL SESSION
PROCEEDINGS LIMITED 10 OJ1-
LINING \ GENERAL POLICY.
THE MEETING WAS STRICTLY SECRET
Letters of Inquiry will be Addressed to Var De-
partment Officials, Army Officers aid
all who Know Anything of
Facts Complained Of.

Washington, Sept. 26.-1hc c"mmis-
sion selected by the President to %inVeStI-
gate the conduct OF the Wan Depart
mcnt held its first formal session to-day
with all the members present.
To-day's meeting was strictly secret,
and WAS confined to Il session Of two
hours duration in the forenoon. The
proceedings were limited to the outlining
of a general policy and the formation Of
letters of inquiry which Will be made
public tomorrow.
The letters which nave been decided
upon are to be addressed to the Secrc-
tary of War, the Quartcrmaster Gen
craI, the Commissary General. the Sur
%eon General and the Chief of the Ord
nance Department Of the Army. They
will consist in the main of inquiries in
tended to bring out all the facts that
can be given relative to the ~OrGanlZa-
ton of the volunteer army. These DILL
ciaIs will be asked to give specific infor-
nation so as to cover cacho f the i)cpAtt-
ments i'll question, concerning the Condl-
ton OF the army, both at the beginning
and the close of tn" war. For this pur-
pose a date i'll April has been selected
as the one for the beginning of the prep
araticn and another in August for the
close.
The questions are so formulated as to
call out answers covering the organiZa-
ton Of camps, the purchase of supplies
and the making Of contracts with trans
portation companies, and also to show
the methods adopted for furnishing sup
plies to the various commands and for
protecting the health of the soldiers.
There will be an especial effort to de
Vel0p tho motives that actuated the De
partmcnt in the choice of camp sites,
as there have been charges to the effect
that they were located as Il matter of
fayoritism to railroad companies.
The commission also considered soy
eral letters of complaint from persons
processing to have information bearing
upon the subject of investigation, and
decided to address replies to the writer's
Of each of them requesting them to put
their charges in specific shape. and in
forming them of the scope of the inquiry.
1t is intended that if the replies r"ccci,-
ed to these letters show tho writer's to
be i'll possession of real information to
SuInmon them before the commission
when it is feasible to do so, or otherwise
to secure their ~affidavits. Where. how
ever, it becomes evident that thcir &C
cusations are mere idle complaints with
no information back of them. the writer's
viii not receive further attention.
The commission also expects to sum
mon before il the commanding officers
of the various divisions and brigadcs,
and probably the colonies of regiments
from which complaints have cmanated.
They Will re expected to give full in
formation as to the pains they may have
taken or failed to take concerning the
location of their troops and their. general
welfare. The commission decided to
hold two sessions daily. one iii the fore
noon from 10 to 12:3O. and the other
III the afternoon from , to I O'Clock.
DR.. Phincas Conuor sat with the COM
mission to-day for the first time. DR..
Conner found it impossible to remain
with the commission for the present. and
received a leave of absence for two or
three days in order to return to Cincin-
matt to put his affairs in shape, to be
absent 50 long as the work of the com
mission may require.
In DIR. Common the commission secured
the services of Il man who is not only
eminent in his profession, but who is
also familiar with thc conduct of the
medical department of the army. in
which he served for four years. He
was born ut West Chester, Pa, on the
23rd of August, 1899: went to Cincin-
natl in 1871, and graduated from
Dartmouth college in 1859. The doctors
services in the army extended from
1862 to 1866. when he was assistant
surgeon and bcryct major. He resign
ed his position on the LIST of August.
1856. and since then has been in practice
in Cincinnati. He is now ana has been
for many years professor of surgery III
the Medical college of Ohio. md in
Dartmouth Medical college.