The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-01-13
1.-THE proper authorlty-about things
that are PASSED.

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-
ton, and thiE, too, when and while
and the whole department courted 1t,
but we did not court 'exparte reports
made at the instigation Of people well
known to be hostile, parties whose ac-
tions already, and whose statements
here before your committee, show but
too plainly what animus is behind 1t
ALL 1t can be readily geen that If this
sort of exparte examination is made
and exparte 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 were here today.
4 Inspector General Breckenridge has
recently addressed letters direct to Of
ficers of my department calling for re-
ports to him about the various articles
Of food furnished during the past year
to the army. He does this without the
authority of the secretary of war. In
effect we have In this two officers Of
the army-General Miles and General
Breckinrldge-who 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 case. General
Breckenridge has also addressed, I am
credibly informed, a similar letter di-
rect to the Surgeon general. 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 OPP
portunity to refute any statements
made, because they refer to things gone,
to things consumed, things not in exist
ence, and therefore every one is given
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 1t appeared from
the seeking of these reports that the
subordinates were inspecting their su-
perior, trying him by exparte reports
obtained at their own instance.
"If General Miles" he continued,
chad 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 g.
1883. Whether General Miles is ignor-
ant of this, 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 impli-
cation shows how reliable his state
ments are"
General Eagan went on to say that
General Miles chief commissary, Sc
lected by him over experienced officers,
had public subsistence funds In his
possession, but could not use them for
lack of check book, though Colonel
Sharpe, chief com,nssary on General
Rrooke's staff, who because he did not
happen to be a selection of General
Miles, had sense enough to provide
himself with 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.'s "haying shown
him to be liar having demonstrated
the animus that pervades the whole
I ern 1,or rly n ctnfH-
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 base motive AMI
under cover Of the qualifications. III
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 1t does
determine how to hold accountable the
- party furnishing improper food.
General Eagan concluded as follows:
"rhe damage that has been done by
these statements is believed to be very
great, but indulge tho 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 I should be put out of the SER
vice; either he or I am right: either
he diglonors his Uniform with his false
statements and libels or I dishonor
mine in feeding soldiers with poison
ous 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 in prospect in fd'cing
an issue between himself and General
Miles. IT have said all I intend to say
for the present." he replied, "and II
any one wants to bring the matter to
O. court martial I am ready for that,
too, as ! have already stated before
the commission"
NS SICll as liic idtllIC VI 'cHt al
EagaNs statements became known at
tention was directed to army headquar-
tars to ascertain what move would be
made by General Miles. The latter,
beyond saying that he had stood for
tile soldiers, declined to make any
statement.
Altogether the intimation conveyed
was that General Miles would act with
deiberation If he decided to take any
action at all, and there was faint
suggestion that he might decide to ig-
more the statements altogether. OF
course decision to that effect on the
part Ct General Miles would terminate
the incident. But should he decide to
take notice officially of the attack the
next step would be for him to prefer
charges with~lhe president against the
colEmissary general.
The Weather.
For eastern Pennsylvania and New
Jersey: Rain; warmer; fresh easterly
winds. Fer Delaware and Maryland:
Rain; warmer; brisk northeast to east