The age-herald., 1899-01-13


 war the next day and he understood and realized that the inspector-general, doubt less at the instigation of the senior major general of the army, was inaugurating system of inspection not contemplated by the regulations nor authorized by proper authority he promptly informed me he would not have approved my course, al though he thought perhaps I was right.
 "Inspector-General Breckinridge has re- gently addressed letters direct to officers of my department calling for reports 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 these two off, cers of the army-General Miles and Gen. eral Breekinridge-whot take 1t upon them selves to investigate matters pertaining solely and exclusively to the secretary of war; to call for ex-parte reports and to do this directly, not through the adjutant-gen- eral of the army, but direct and without the knowledge of the secretary of war or the adjutant-general of the army. Your commission will readily see how far the thing has gone and to what extremes these men go to tablish and make a case Gen. eral Breckinridge has also addressed, I am creditably informed a similar letter direct to the surgeon-general
 The Department on Trial
 I and my department who are concerned in this matter, are being tried, not with sworn evidence, nor with opportunity to confront the witnesses, and still less the opportunity to refute any statement made because they refer to things gone, things consumed, things not In existence and therefore every one Is given a free hand and free license to comment as they please because of the inability to refute with any evidence wha the state- ments that have been made by people who know that their statements cannot be con- troverted because the evidence in the case is out of .xistence."
 General Eagan said it appeared from the seeking of these reports that the subordin- ates were inspecting their superior, trying him by ex-parte reports obtained at their own instance. He referred to the reports from officers and submitted by General Miles as irresponsible statements, and said that few army officers would take advan- tage of the situation to make statements which they knew there was power nor means earth to disprove because the substances they speak of have passed out of existence, the proofs are gone. One of these officers goes outside to tell you about competition for contracts and what was used in canning, both things without pos sible knowledge.
 .Embalmed Beef" Again
 'If General Miles had informed himself as much about the army ration as he pre- tends to have informed himself about re- frgerated beef which he falsely calls 'em- balmed 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 February s, 1888. Whether General Miles is ignorant of this I do not pretend to say, but he takes it upon himself when he asked who fixed it as part of the army ration to say you will have to ask some one here in Washing bic inn 1ioa chnyUS how l hlQ his statements are"
 General Eagan went on to say that Gen. eral Miles chief commissary selected 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 commis- gary on General Brooke's staff, who be- cause he did not happen to be select'on of General Miles, had "sense enough to provide himself with check book He questioned the right of General Miles to divert the customs of the funds to the pur- chase of beef when the subsistence depart ment had over $40,000 available.
 Had Motive for Lying
 Having traversed General Miles state ments," he said, having shown him to you to be a liar, having demonstrated the an;- mus that pervades this whole matter, I now go back to his statement 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, devoid of any facts. devoid of truth, and can only be prompted by base motive and under cover of the qualification in my judgment
 Questioning MT. Miles course in submit-