Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-02-04
AN INQUIRY
BE ORDERED
On the Charges Made BY Gen-
eral Miles.
WHAT WILL BE THE RESULT
If the Charges Are Made Good--A
Court Martial in the Event OF
Failure the Prove.
WHAT WILL BE THE RESULT

Washington, Feb. 3.-The purpose or
the president to terminate the unsatisfac-
tory state of affairs that has existed for
some time as the result of the numerous
charges and ounte charges and inter-
views respecting the character of the
army beef, by instituting a formal inquiry
into these matters and e~ndeavoring to
place the responsibility where 1t belongs,
was made known today. This inquiry
will not be undertaken before the COM
mission to investigate the conduct of the
war has made it's report to the president.
The scope of this new inquiry has not
been defined, but it certainly will en-
brace the allegations by Gen. Miles as to
the character of the army supplies n
will involve that officer to the extent that
he make these charges good and to that
degree will be On trial himself in a pre-
liminary manner. Should the charges be
found we'll established. a heavy response
bility would be placed on the packers and
persons concerned in the meat inspection
! and perhaps others; should they fall I'M
supported, Gen. Miles may be obliged to
answer to a court martial for rejecting
upon the character of other officers.
There are two methods by which such
an investigation may be conducted ac-
cording to established military usage.
The first is by the appointment of a court
of inquiry, and the second by the APP
pointment of what is known as an OIL
GERS inspection board. In the former case
it would be necessary to name an officer
RI ,o1yn on px-actiootion Tn tho I0ftQT
case the board is authorized to make in
quiry into the state of affairs, or alleged
statements. without regard to the respon-
sibility, if possible, for anything On which
complaint is made. Their findings may
serve as the basis for a court martial
quite as effectually as the findings of a
court of inquiry, and has some advant-
ages.
Where a court of inquiry is ordered, il
is said there is conveyed a distinct ref1ec-
ton upon the officer named. Because OF
this when the navy department request
ed the war department to order a cOur
of inquiry to investigate the circum
stances attending the killing of a numbe
of Spanish prisoners on board the Har
ward, the latter instead ordered an in
spection board, considering that the or
dering of the court of inquiry might b
looked upon as a pre-decision against on
troops. Such officers boards are frequent
ly ordered to fix responsibility for the los
or damage of supplies, the loss of meats
) as in the case of that shipped to Port
} Rico and returned to Montauk POM
ike a court of inquiry, these boards re
} turn statements of facts developed b
) them upon which the superior outhorltle
} can act.
} 1t is not possible at present to learn l
} which direction the president leans, bu
} he has been in conference on the sub]et
} with the secretary of war and the attol
, ney general and the matter has been dis
} cussed in the abine to some extent. A
? before stated, however, no action is TO c
: taken on either plan until the report {
7 the war investigating commission is SUI
mitted. 49,,
Up to the close of the day Gen. Mile
positively declined to discuss in any mar
ner the eventsAuf the day so far as inc
related to himself or to discuss ar
statements contained in any of the II
terviews attributed to him. 1t may
said of these interviews, that while 1t
conceivable they might figure, thu
t would not do so of necessity, for the ma
ters to be first looked into are those CO..
nected with the character of the arm
haef