The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-10
Ayers Commission Severely Cen
sures Commanding General.
DEFENSE OF THE REPORT
MANY CoMPLAINANTS REFUSED
TO GIVE TESTIMONY.
General Miles Criticised Because He
Did Not Report Conditions
Promptly to the War Department
Mckinley Appoints a Board of
Inquiry-Retirement of Eagan.

Washington, Feb. 9.-The war inyesti
eating commission, with the .presenta-
ton of its report to the president this
afternoon, ceases its existence. The
commission was in session throughout
| the forenoon, al 1.-The members being
present, but the long session Tas due
solely to delay in receipt of Drinte5
copies OF the report. 1t was laid before
! the president formally at o'clock, the
commission proceeding in a body TO the
White House for the purpose. The re-
port may be in the hands of the nresi-
dent several days before being given
| official PRONUNCIATION, to enable full con-
sideration of the document. 1t consists
of between $4,000 and $1,000 words
| The general scope of the report was
sent out last night and renewed atten-
| ton was called to the fact then pointed
out that there were but two witnesses
who made charges against the govern
ment in the beef issue.
1t is pointed out that there were nu-
merous allegations made and many at
tacks in the public prints, but that
when those making the attacks and
charges were called on to appear before
the commission with their statements,
under oath or otherwise. to SubStan-
tiate them, they failed either to appear
or furnish proof of what they had said.
It is insisted that all the men who had
made any charges were offered the full
est consideration and that every effort
had been made to probe the truth in
whatever matters had come up before
their body. The Eagan incident is
passed over without material mention,
in view of General Eagan's revision of
the statement that he originally made
to them.
Tto0 anrf oil Of tha
strategy of the war, that being mat
ter regarded as outside the functions of
the commission. The references to Cen
eral Miles, commanding the army, are
devoted mainly to structures on his
course with reference to the beef issue,
as covered in his testimony. In this
connection a main point made, it is I'm
derstood, is as to General Miles failure
to take prompt action in reporting on
the beef, instead of waiting a long pc
riod before reporting the facts to the
department, with the information he
gave in his possession, and have ipdg-
ment on the beef supplied made I'D,
meantime permitting beef he so vigor-
ously condemned to be issued to the
army.
The fact that he was the only wit
ness failing to testify upon oath is re-
ferred to.
NOT A "WHITEWASH."
In speaking of the report today, a
prominent member of the commission
said:
The report does not whitewash. 1t
criticises, but not persons or things not
warranted by the evidence before Us.
We started out with the assumption
that the conduct of the war was all
right, and then we went ahead TO hear
and call witnesses who said it was not.
The report represents the honest Cpin-
ion of every member of the commission.
We were unanimous in adopting it. 1
say this, and [ am of the opposite po-
litical faith and don't expect and don't
want anything from the administration.
L know that every line of the report
my individual view, and if
any member tried harder than I did to
get at and bring out all the facts,
have yet to see him. There was no sup
preston or concealment, and no point
brought out in the evidence was evaded
or glazed over. We never met before !
hearing a witness, and agreed hot to !
examine him or to touch upon certain
matters that might turn out unfayor- /
ably. Everything that a man knew or |
thought he knew was the subject OF in /
quiry, and 1 am satisfied when the |
country gets our report in full, that /
there will be no complaint either as to |
our methods or results"