The record-union., 1899-01-13
General ragan made 4 vigorous at

General Eagan made q vigorous att
tack on the Inspector Generals depart
ment in connection with this :nvesslsa-
ton.
Inspector General Breckenridge" he
said, has recently addressed letters di-
rect to officers OF my department call
ing for reports to- him about the va
rious articles of iood furnished during
the past year to the army. lie dces
this without tie authority - the Sec
rotary Of War
General Breckenridge has also adj
dressed, am credibly informed, a SIM
liar letter direct to the Surgeon General.
and my department, who are concern
ed in this matter, are being tried not
with sworn evidence, nor with oppor-
tunity to confront the witnesses, still
less the opportunity to reeute any state
ments made, because they refer to
things gone, to things consumed, things
not in existence, and, therefore, every
one is given a free hand md free
license to comment as they please be-
cause of the inability to refute with any
evidence whatsoever the statements
| that have been made by people who
know that their statements cannot be
controverted because the evidence in
the case is out of existence
General Eagan concluded as follows:
IF have used harsh language before
this commission in dealing with the
subject, 1 ask the commission to bear
in mind that the grouping together Of
| the statements made by General Niles
means that have furnished or allowed
to be furnished to the army embalmed
beef which has diseased soldiers, and
| that great deal Of sickness arose from
| its use; that have furnished meats to
the army under the 'pretsEse g: experi-
| ment,' meats that made the soldiers
sick, and this under the pretense Of ex-
pertinent, this because of corrup ton.
| Nearly all the press of America, be-
cause of General Miles high position
/ in the army, has accepted these views
| and his statements, AMI many OF them
have called for my disgrace, court
martial and dismissal from the service.
Also that these statements of General
Miles were held back by him not fur
nished to the Government for its APP
propriate action and use, but sprung
upon you and the country at time
when the country, from the falsehoods
that had been told in regard to starva-
ton and supplies for the army, was in
O. state Of excitement ard ready to be-
| lieve almost anything.
THE subject have just treated here
| is a filthy subject and YOU cannot
touch pitch without being defiled, you
cannot touch base, malicious. iibelous
falsehoods, Misrepresentation without
calling spade a spade, and telling the
whole truth and characterizing things
as they are. The damage that has been
done by these statements is believed
to be very great, but l indulge the
hope and the belief that my statement.
when published to the country, when
read by the representatives OF foreign
Governments here, will offset the state
ments made by General Miles, and will,
| in some measure, at least, do justice to
others that have been wronged, ma
| ligned and 1ibeied. For myself, I con-
tent myself with expressing my pro-
found belief that either General Miles
or l should be put out Of the service;
either he is right or am right; either
| he dishonors his uniform with false
statements and Hbels, or I dishonor
mine in feeding soldiers with poisonous
beef, causing their sickness and doing
so under pretense of experiment.