Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1899-02-15
WAR BOARD REPORTS
BEEF FURNISHED SOLDIERS DE.
CLAREo NOT aAD.
investigating Committee Sends g--rIt
of Its Labors TO the President-Man-
agement and Conduct of the Army Is
Commended-Repor Is Unanimous.

The complete report of the war inves-
tigation commission was submitted TO
President Mckinley Thursday. The re-
port is very long and would fill about
thirty newspaper columns.
Naturally the chief public interest in the
report at this time attaches to the inves-
tigation of the beef furnished the army.
Upon this point the commission finds in
direct contradiction TO Gen. Miles. The
commissioners devoted the last four weeks
of their labors to this subject, calling in
experts, physicians, chemists and pacS'
ers, as well as army officers both favora-
BILE and opposed TO Gen. Niles. The COM
mission called for and received reports
from nearly every command in the service
as to the character of the beef. Samples
were gathered from the commissary Off
GERS from the various camps and depots.
These were examined by chemists for the
alleged chemicals.
1t is admitted that some of the beef wa,
spoiled when it reached the front, but
the commission attributes this to the ef-
feet of the tropical climate, and finds that
most of the beef was wholesome and sat
isfactory for emergency. The g1eat h,ass
of the testimony fails to corroborate the
charges of Gen. Miles, and the compsis-
sion emphasizes the fact that Gen. dileS
failed to report the alleged faultine IS IN
the beef while he was in Porto Rico, or
even Immediately after his return. The
structures of Gen. Miles made publicly on
the beef and his public expressions in 9TH
er ways are subjected to criticism.
The Military Camps.
The camps are reported upon with much
detail. The methods of transportation and
distributing supplies are discussed. The
commission points out where some of
these might have been improved, but it
finds that the War Department bureaus
did well under the sudden and extraordi-
nary demands upon them. Secretary AL
gers administration of the War Depart
ment is commended. The commission calls
attention to the unpreparedness of the
country for war, which existed, not
through any fault of the War Depart
ment, limited as it was by Congress in the
way of keeping supplies for an army, and
points out the great work which was done
in brief period.
Under the circumstances, it concludes
that the department is deserving of praise
rather than censure. The caMps in Cuba
are discussed, a careful review of the
management of the expedition against
Santiago Is presented, and the conclusions
drawn from it are favorable to Gen Shat
ter. The evidence ON which the findings
Of the commission are based will fill "a
dozen large volumes.
The commission was organized Sept. "a.
1t has worked continuously, as business
men work, has had three separate commit
tees conducting hearings most of the time,
and has taken testimony in twenty-three
different cities. The commission was
made up of Republicans and Democrats
from the North and the South who were
in the Union ar Confederate armies in
the civil war, AID who were in politics an
tagonistic to ch other. These men are
unit in the report, which, written by
different members assigned to various
subjects, received the approval of all.
There is no minority report.