The evening times., 1899-03-29
aJp too Eagan.

Yesterdays proceedings of the Court OF
Enquiry as reported this morning Go ros
suggest the coming of any testimony 10
refute the evidence collected by the Court
as 10 the bad and injurious character OF
the beef supplied to the army. There
were more of the beef men to affirm that
only good meat was sold to the Govern-
ment, but considering their interest in the
case their statements are not exactly con-
elusive. The first witness, Captain Da-
Wis, of the Subsistence Department, was.
perhaps, the most important. He brought
directly home TO Eagan the responsibility
for the terms of contract that has bsen
in dispute, and this suggests the purpose
to make scapegoat of that favored per-
son.
II viii be recalled that Eagan, after
boasting that he, unlike General Miles,
was en- oath. testified that he had made
contract with Swift & Co., under
which the beef was to remain good for
seyenty-two hours after delivery. The Al
ger Relief Commission called his atten ion
to the fact that the contract itsef provided
for only twenty-four hours. Eagan replied
that an error had crept into the document.
but that the packers understood that 1t
should be seventy-two hours. In his testi-
mony at Chicago, one of the Swifts denied
this most positively. He said there had
, been no talk of a seventy hour con-
tract, because that would be absurd; that
General Eagan was mistaken" Now
comes Captain Davis with the assertion
fhat he bc-, cla
inserted at the suggestion of Charles p.
Eagan. What is more to the point, a
board appointed by Secretary Alger is said
10 have reported in favor of the payment
of Swift & Co. for the beef although
it was dumped into the sea because it was
rotten
Clearly, il is up to" Eagan. But he has
no cause to worry. 1t is probable that the
packers and everybody else will be acquit-
ted of blame in this matter, and that Eagan
viii be subject TO prosecution either for
making contract that would compel the
soldiers TO eat decayed meat or the COM
missary agents 10 cast it into the ocean. or
else for giving testimony under oath that
was mistaken. For nobody will believe
that an error of this kind would be possi-
bic Surely the Commssary General would
(, know whether he had made a contract for
seventy-two or for twenty-four hours. To
| say. as Captain Davis does, that Eagan
may have forgotten the incident" is TO
! trine with reason.
However, Eagan has every right to be
pleased with the outlook When he was
convicted of using the vilest language that
Was ever attributed 10 an army officer and
! was sentenced to dismissal from the serv-
! ice in disgrace the President nterfered,
! allowed him a vacation of six years on
. salary and retirement on the usual con-
/ ditiOns al the end. Officers who have per-
formed valiant service in the field have
/ never been rewarded so generously as
! Eagan has been for his unparalleled Of
/ fence. If, now, he should be found 10 be
! the only person blamab!e for the meat
/ scandal. and should be condemned to suf-
/ fer the highest penalty prescribed for the
crime the President would probably insist
cn his promotion 10 the rank of major
/ general and his detail as military observ-
I er throughout the world, that the Govern
ment might be made to bear the expense of
/ his travels. Ii he is TO be made the scape-
/ goat in order that the packers may be ac-
quilted and the other officers connected
! with the War Department relieved of all
responsibility, the compensation will be
! liberal There is nothing mean about this
Administration when the Secretary of War
| or any of his immediate subordinates are
| in danger Algerism means more than
| frauds on the soldiers.