Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1899-05-10

Chemically Treated or Furnished I'm
der Pretense of Experiment-The Com
mander of the Army Placed I'm Most
Illuminating Position-What the Report
Has to Say of General Eagan.
Washington, May 8.-The report of
the court Of inquiry, approved by Pres
ident Mckinley, has been made public.
The findings of the court are that Gen.
eral Miles allegations are not sustained
by the evidence submitted by him or
his witnesses. The report is long and
it reviews the conditions under which
the army operated, but it finds no ex-
cuse for the charges of General Miles.
These allegations by the commanding
general, are summarized by the court
as follows:
/. That the refrigerated beef fur
nished to the troops in Cuba, Porto
Rico, Tampa, Chickamauga and Jack
chemicals to preserve it, of which over
whelming proof existed.
3 That refrigerated beef was a seri-
Gus cause of sickness and distress
among the troops in the places above
named.
g. That the canned roast beef was fur
nished to the army under pretense of
an experiment.
A. That the canned roast beef was also
cause of sickness and distress among
the troops and is unfit for issue as food
in any country.
Is Really Beef Pulp.
5. That what is called canned roast
beef is really beef pulp from which the
beef extract of commerce had been
boiled out.
6. That the bacon issued to the troops
in Porto Rico was not suitable food for
use in the tropics.
The last allegation is admitted as
probably true, as bacon was considered
an unsuitable ration for tropical cli-
mate by the war department, and an
effort was made to substitute other
meat rations for it so far as possible,
but all the allegations as to refrig-
Grated and canned beef are found un-
true. More than this, the court indi-
rectly finds that General Miles inter-
views. which he tried to repudiate, must
stand as a part of his allegations, be-
cause he did not specially deny MAX
ing the statement attributed to him in
these interviews.
The testimony Of the newspaper re-
porters to the effect that they had in
terviewed General Miles and correctly
written down what he said is accepted
by the court, rather than the generals
denial that he had submitted to inter-
views. Briefly stated, the report not
only finds that General Miles made false
allegations against the war department
and the packers, but that he furnished
no evidence to show that he had any
excuse for believing that these allega-
tions were true.
Was Not Chemically Treated.
The court finds that there was over
wheming testimony to the fact that the
refrigerated beef was not chemically
treated, but was preferable in every
way to the fresh beef killed in Cuba
and Porto Rico; that this beef was not
serious cause of sickness; that the
canned roast beef was not furnished
under the pretense of an experiment,
and that it was not beef pulp, from
which the nutriment had been taken for
beef extract.
1t is admitted that canned roast beef
was not intended for field ration, and
that the commissary general committed
"a colossal error for which there is no
palliation" in making such large pur-
chases of this ration. This reflection
upon Commissary General Eagm is the
only part of the report which relieves
1T OF the cumulative analysis of GEN
erel Miles allegations, and, there
fore, the only part which will give any
comfort to the champions of General
Miles.
Answer 20 President >.c5tions.
In answering the questions PROFOUND
ed by the president to the court as to
the character of the rations, and who
was responsible. the report censures
only General Miles for allegations which
were untrue, and General Eagan for
purchasing 100000 pounds of canned
roast beef, considering the use that had
been made of it in the regular army
Regarding Eagan, the court finds no
ground for any imputation of any 9TH
er actuating motive than the earnest
desire to procure the best possible food
for the troops.
No such excuse il made for General
Miles. The court was unable to find
any worthy motive for his mistake in
making such allegations or any excuse
for his not reporting at once to the pres
ident or secretary of war, If he believed
his allegations were true. Throughout
the fifty printed pages the report Is a
tempered scorching of the commanding
general, showing him as an officer at
the head of the army, who, without ex-
cuse, bore false testimony against the
government in its conduct of the war.