The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-27
War Department officials to BE In
Concerning the Army.
C0MPLAINANTS TO BE HEARD
ONLY WHEN THEIR ACCUSATIONS
ARE BASED ON FACTS.
RegimentaI and Other Officers May
Also BE Examined-War Department
Orders-News of the Camps.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26. = The commits
sion selected by the President to investigate
the conduct of the War Department held it's
first formal session to-day, with all the
members present. The meeting was in the
room OF the fertilization and ordnance
board of the army, but it was found to be
too small for the purposes of the board, and
1T was announced that future meetings
would be held in the apartments secured in
the Lemont building, New York avenue.
To-day's session was confined to a meet
ing of two hours duration in the forenoon.
after which an adjournment was taken until
10 o'clock tomorrow. 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 have been decided on are to be
| addressed to the secretary of war, the quar-
termaster general, the commissary general,
the surgeon general and the chief of the
ordnance department of the army. They
will consist in the main of inquiries intend
ed to bring out all the facts that can be
given relative to the organization OF the
volunteer army. These officials will be
asked to give specific information so as to
cover each of the departments in question,
concerning the condition of the army, both
at the beginning and at the close of the
war. For this purpose date in April has
been selected as one for the beginning of
the preparation and another in August as
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
81 l.
rious commands and for protecting the
health of the soldiers. There will be an es-
pecial effort to develop the motives that
actuated the department in the choice of
camp sites, as there have been charges that
they were located as a matter Of favortism
to railroad companies.
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 the writer of each of Them requesting
them to put their charges in specific shape,
and informing them of the scope of the in
quiry. 1t is intended that if the replies re-
ceived to these letters show the writer's to
be in possession of real information to sum-
mon them before the commission when it is
feasible to do So or otherwise to secure
their affidavits. When, however, it becomes
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 it's
inquiry before it closes it's work to the ex-
tent of summoning before it the command
ing officers of the various divisions and
brigades, and probably extending it to the
coionels of regiments from which COM
plants have emanated. They will be ex-
pected to give full information as to the
pains they have taken or failed to take con-
corning the location of their troops and their
general welfare. The commission decided to
hold two sessions daily, one in the forenoon
from 10 to 1880 and the other in the after
noon from to o'clock.
DR.. Phineas 5. Conner sat with the COM
mission to-day for the first time. He ar
rived from his home in Cincinnati early in
the day, and called upon the President for
a brief interview before joining his fellow
members in the War Department. The
President expressed his appreciation of the
outlined briefly his wishes in the matter of
the investigation. In DR.. Conner the COM
mission secures the services of man who
is not only eminent in his profession, but
who is also familiar with the conduct of
the medical department of the army in
which he served for four years. He was
born at West Chester Pa, on the I'D OF
August. 1882 and went to Cincinnati in 1874.
He is a graduate of Dartmouth College in
1852 The Doctors service in the army ex-
tended from 1862 to 1866, and he was as
sistant surgeon and brevet major. He re-
signed his position on the 1st of August,
1866, and since then has been in practice in
Cincinnati. He is now, and has been for
Medical College of Ohio and Dartmouth
Medical College.