Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-02-14
THE WHITEWASH.

1t is safe to say that there is not an
intelligent man in the country that
places the slightest credence in the re-
port of the Presidents 100000 War
Investigation Commission, hickman
ed by common consent the ''Whitewash
Board" The whole tenor of the re-
port plainly shows its prejudiced char
acter, even if the facts of the proceed
ings and examination of witnesses
were not known and which prove be-
yond reasonable doubt the sole pur-
pose of the Commission to whitewash
the war department. Instead of in
vestigating certain facts and con-
ditions the commission resolved
itself into a one-sided court for the de-
Tense of the accused war department,
and witnesses were handled with that
sole end in view and not with any idea
of getting at the facts and the truth,
which were deliberately suppressed as
far as the commission were able to do
it whenever they reflected on the de-
partment. One portion of the report
alone will be ample to de-
monStrate this fact and the en-
tire animus of the commission,
namely, that portion which re-
fers to Gen. Miless embalmed beef
charges. Despite the fact that Miles's
testimony is supported by sixty other
army officers who declare that the
meat was rotten, made the troops sick
and had to be thrown overheard, yet
the Commission, ignoring these things,
| blandly says: "The testimony, with
some exceptions, showed that the re-
| frlgerated beef issued was pure, sound
! and wholesome" Now, even if the
facts did not bear out Gen. Miles, be-
| tween the word of this "Whitewash"
| board, at least one of whose members
was known to have been in secret
communication with Armour & Co., of
! Chicago, and with their agent in
Washington, who looked after the in
terests of the beef trust in this con-
nection, between the word of such
men, we repeat, and the word of
! General Miles who has bold
ly endangered his official position
in his honorable and noble
championship of the cause of his
troops against the thievish contract
ors who would coin their lives and
| health into dollars, the public will
| unanimously accept the word of Gen..
| Miles, despite the vicious and under
| hand efforts of the commission to dis
credit him.
Another bold army officer who did
not hesitate to beard the commission,
/ brave it's bullyragging and tell the en-
tire truth, is Major and Chief Surgeon
W. H. DAILY, of Pittsburg. The Ian
| guage and substance of the following
| from the commissions report referring
| to DR.. Daly's testimony sufficiently
| shows the animus of the commission,
whose object was not to get at the truth
in this case but to discredit the witness
and combat his testimony:
For months. as it appears, DR.. Daily
| concealed the knowledge of the commits
sion of a crime affecting men under his
| charge, whom, as an officer and physl-
| clan. he was bound to protect.
How false this charge against Dr.
Daily is is exposed by that gentleman
himself, in a statement on the subject
! to a Pittsburg paper. He says:
| My observations were made along
| careful lines, with no disposition to create
| unnecessary suspicious or to make
| noise about what could possibly be RENE
! died without any unseemly publicity out
| side of the army and the proper official,
whom consider to be, and the public will
| eral Major General Nelson A Miles. To
| him / reported my suspicious along about
the early part of August. He at once
| took the matter UP and endeavored to
have the army supplied with fresh beef
! of a good character from the mountains
| of Puerto Rico, and also requested the
| War Department to send no more refrig-
TO THIS LATTER REQUEST NO AT
! TENTION WAS PAID. BUT THE BEEF
PARENT DETERMINATION TO FORCE
IT UPON THE SOLDIERS AS FOOD"
General Miles presented my report to
| December, 1898. While the Commission
| gave everything TO the public that ap-
| peared in any way to suit their purposes,
they , SUPPRESSED my report until about
| meantime one or more persons. supposed
| to be officers or employees of the Com
missary Department. appeared in Pitts
! burg and andeayored to obtain some in
| formation that could be construed de-
| rogatory to Nne or my character in any
sense. in order, probably. that when my
| report shouldtgo to the public 1t would go
coupled with eome scandalous statement
! holding me uA - being unworthy. So