The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-01-13
THE WAR
OF WORDS.

that are passed
81 have not felt at liberty to object
to this method of procedure for the
reason that my objection however well
founded, however well based on law
and regulations. ! feared would be
given to the world as an evidence that
I and my department feared an inspec-
tion, and this too. when and while 1
and the whole department courted &c.
but we did not court eXparte reports
made at the instigation of people well
known TO be hostile. parties whose ac-
tiouS already. and whose statements
here before your committee. show but
too plainly what animus Is behind it
all. 1t can be readily seen that IL this
sort of eNparte examination is made
and eNparte reports solicited no mans
reputation is safe; every mans char
acter may be put in jeopardy; de-
signing people might ruin Christ even
II he We're here today.
Inspector General Breckenridge has
recently addressed letters direct to Of
1cers of my department calling for rec
ports to him about the various articles
Of food furnished during the past year
to the army He does this without tho
authority of the secretary of war. In
Hhf'A Nt nave IN lIls TWO tllttIS bL
the army-General Miles and General
Breckinridge-wh take upon them
selves to investigate matters pertain
ing solely and exclusively to the secre-
tary of war
Your committee will readily see at
once how far this thing has gone and
to what extremes these men go to
establish and make a case General
HTaFlF inrf1rra ha a1 nnIrnuua1 I az
credibly informed, a similar letter di-
rect to the Surgeon general. 1 and my
department, who are concerned in this
matter, are being tried not with sworn
evidence or with opportunity to con-
front the witnesses, still less the op-
portunity to refute any statements
made, because they reftr TO things gone,
to things consumed, things not in exist
ence, and therefore every one is given
a free hand and free licence to comment
as they please because of the inability
to refute with any evidence whatsoever
the statements that have been made by
people who know that their statements
cannot be controverted because the evil
dence in the case is out Of existence"
General Eagan said it appeared from
the seeking of these reports that the
subordinates were inspecting their SUI
perior. trying him by exparte reports
obtained at their own instance.
IF General Miles" he continued.
had informed himself as much about
the army ration as he pretends to have
informed himself about refrigerated
beef which he falsely calls 'embalmed
beef then he should have been enabled
to inform you that this very timed
beef we are speaking of has been a
part of the army ration since Feb. 8,
1888 Whether General Miles is ignor-
ant of this, I do not pretend to say, but
he takes it upon himself when asked
who fixed it as a part of the army ra-
tion to say You will have to ask some
one here in Washington This impn-
cation shows how reliable his state
ments are"
General Eagan went on to say that
General Miles chief comnissary, Sc
lected by him over experienced officers,
| had public subsistence funds in his
| possession. but could not use them for
lack of a check book though Colonel
| Sharpe, chief commssary on General
| Brooke's staff. who because he did not
happen to be a selection of General
/ Miles. had sense enough to provide
| himself with a check book" He ques-
| toned the right of General Miles to
| divert the customs funds to the pur-
| chase of beef when the subsistence de-
| partment had over 100000 available.
Having traversed General Miles
| statements" he said, having shown
| him to be a liar, having demonstrated
| the animus that pervades the whole
| matter, l now go back to his state
ment that in his judgment food was
| one of the serious causes Of so much
! sickness and distress of the troops.
| The design to say, to imply, TO assert
| to insinuate that sickness was caused
| for such reason in Porto Rico is to
make an assertion wholly untrue, de-
void of facts, devoid OF truth, and can
| only be prompted by a base motive and
under cover of the qualifications, in
my judgment"
General Eagan said General Miles le-
| gally had no such control of the purse
as he assumed in Porto Rico, nor does
| the law authorize him TO set aside food
| furnished under the law, but it does
| determine how to hold accountable the
! party furnishing improper food.
General Eagan concluded as follows:
"The damage that has been done by
| these statements is believed to be very
great, but ! indulge the hope and the
| belief that my statement will offset the
statements made by General Miles, and
Will, in some measure at least. do JUS
| tice to others that have been wronged,
maligned and libeled. For myself, I
content myself with expressing my
| profound belief that either General
Miles or l should be put out Of the SER
! vice; either he or l am right; either
he dishonors his uniform with his false
| statements and libels or I dishonor
mine in feeding soldiers with poison
Gus beef, causing their sickness, and
| doing so under 'pretense Of expert
ment.'"
General Eagan, after the hearing was
! over. refused to say whether he had
any further move I'm prospect in forcing
an issue between himself and General
Miles. Il have said all I intend to say
for the present" he replied, land if
any one wants TO bring the matter to
court martial l am ready for that,
too, as I have already stated before
the commission"
As soon as the nature Of General
| Eagan's statements became known at
tention was directed TO army headquar-
ters to ascertain what move would be
made by General Miles The latter
beyond saying that he had stood for
the soldiers, declined TO make any
! statement.