The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1899-02-09
MANY BLAMED
Some Features Of the Report
OF the War Commission
Outlined.
Both Secretary Alger and General
Miles Said to Be Severely
Censured,
The Former for His Indecision
and the Latter for His
Utterances.
Main Trouble Alleged to Be
Due to Lack Of Proper
Organization.

NEW York, Feb. "a dispatch to
The Herald from Washington says:
President Mckinley will receive, prob
ably before NIGHT, the war investigation
commissions report on the conduct of
the war.
The commission directly criticizes the
secretary of war for lack of frnness in
his administration of the war depart
ment No specific illustration of the
secretary's weakness is given by the
commission, but through its reports the
evidence of this fault Of the secretary
will be found, particularly in the mat
ter of his relations with Major General
Miles. The commission has determined
not to dwell upon matters Of strategy
and for this reason has left out all ref.
erence to the action of General Miles in
going to Santiago, of the secretary's per-
mission for him to do SO, of his dispatch
to General Shafter that he was not tc
be supplanted in his command by the
major general commanding.
General Miles is severely criticized
and the president will find ample mate
rial, from the standpoint of the com.
mission, to take action against the
major general commanding.
Miles Severely Criticized.
The commission devotes all important
chapter IS its. repeTt. Ito General Miles,
charges concerning the beef and meats
generally, furnished to the army, and
finds that they are practically without
foundation. 1t reports that the beef
was not chemically prepared, that it
was of good quality and that the charges
of the use of chemicals in the beef prob
ably grew out of the fact that four
quarters of experimental beef were
placed on board a transport at Tampa
by Mr.. Powell, inventor of a preserving
process which he desired to test.
This meat was thrown overheard by
direction of General Wood. No chemi-
Gals, according to the commission, were
employed in the preparation of the
canned meat, but it is found that that
meat was unfit for use in the tropics,
because of the climatic conditions,
which made it unappetizing in appear
ance, though it was perfectly good ex-
cept in those instances where the cans
had been accidentally punctured or i'm
perfectly soldered, thus allowing the
air to enter.
Attention is called to the fact that OF
the ID officers whose reports General
Miles submitted for the purpose of
showing that the beef supplied to the
Porto Rican army was bad, not one
served on that island. 1t is also shown
that General Miles was responsible for
the selection of a number of camps at
Chickamauga and Miami, and that this
latter recommendation was made not.
withstanding the protest OF the secre-
tary Of war.
Defective Organization.
According to the commission, the
primary trouble lies in the defective
army organization. A recommendation
is made that the inspector generals de-
partment be radically reorganized and
the report sharply criticizes General
Breckenridge for abdicating his Office of
inspector general to accept commits
sion as major general of volunteers.
The secretary of war is cleared of re.
sopnsibilty for the transport horrors,
but Colonel G. F. Humphreys, now on
General Brooke's staff, who had charge
of the fitting out of the transports and
officers of the quartermaster's depart |
ment in charge of them, is held to be
responsible. The conditions which ex-
listed at Camp Thomas prior to it's re-
moval are censured and attention is
called to the fact that Major General
Brooke was in command of the camp at |
the time.