The times., 1899-03-19
Shall They Escape:

Shall They Escape:
When the Alger Relief Commission was
trying to clear the meat packers and Eagan
and Alger of the charges made against
them, there were agents of the meat con-
Germs in Washington. Their kilograms to
their employees were intercepted and pub
lshed, and as result the Court of Enquiry
has been asked to summon and examine
the men who sent them. 1t is said the
Court declined to do SO, because the tele-
grams were irrelevant and that it re-
fused to subpoena Thomas F. Dolan be-
cause the beef about which he speaks was
not known to have been sold to the army
This is hardly credible, and we are in
clined to believe that the Court means to
investigate Dolans charges. at least.
it has been a practice of the beef packers
to kill and sell the meat of diseased cattle
contrary to the laws under which the Gov
ernment Bureau of Animal Industry was
organized. 1t was to learn what the meth
DDS are and have been that the investi-
eating body visited Chicago and the pack
ing houses. II it is revealed from any
source that at any time tuberculous and
lumpy iawed and other sick COWS have
been killed and the meat sold or packed
in cans for selling, it must have a tre-
mendous effect on the question whether
diseased beef was sold to the Government
and issued TO the army.
The kilograms of the packing companies
agents indicated or proved their intense in
terest in the proceedings that followed
General Miles testimony and particularly
Colonel DENLY to discredit the statements
of Major DAILY, whose reputation was found
to be unasssilable One telegram, relating
to contract for meat for the soldiers. in
formed the packers that they need not be
particular as to the quality. They all
seemed to be wholly relevant to the enquiry
into the kind OF beef the soldiers received.
AS to the Dolan charges, it has been dis
tinctly affirmed thatssome of the beef re-
called from Liverpool and sold directly to
Eagan over the head of the commissary
purchasing agent in Chicago was packed
during Dolan's service with the Armours.
If IL is true as Dolan and his wife swear,
that an agent OF the Armours paid five
thousand dollars to Dolan for an affidavit
to counteract his first, and offered a trip to
Paris during the sessions of the Court of
Enquiry 1t is clear that the Armours
| think the testimony relevant. The proba-
bilities are all in favor of the truth of
Dolan's charges. II it is practicable for the
New York Journal to bring the question
to trial by proceedings against the Ar
| mours, the Court of Enquiry will be placed
in an unenviable light as the relevancy of
his statement is revealed. as 1t surely will
be If 1t is not refuted. Only on the sup
position that somebody is willing to pay
lot of money to convict the packers of
a crime of which they are innocent, and
is willing to run the enormous risk OF get
ting into the penitentiary. can we doubt
| that the Armours have tried to bribe Do
lan-except, of course. that Dolan himself
and alone would run the same risk to
avenge himself for some slight of which
the Armours had no knowledge.
Whether the Court of Enquiry takes hold
of the matter or not, surely the ordinary
agents of the Government. either in the
Department of Justice or the Department
of Agriculture-the latter having control
of the Bureau of Animal Industry-must
find ground enough in the testimony OF
Dolan and others for preliminary investi-
CATION. Suppose Dolan has told the exact
truth, as the people believe he has; sup
| pose the meat of diseased cattle has been
sold 10 the people and the Government, and
has been supplied to the army; suppose II
has made consumers i'll and even killed
them. as it might be expected TO do-are
the packers and the Government officials
to be allowed to escape all prosecution and
punishment? Unless the Dolan charges
are refuted-unless the Armours bring him
to trial for perjury-we must believe what
Dolan says. Must We also believe that
such things can be done with im2unity?