Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-20


evidence was contained in the reports OF
officers and statements Of men that the
beef had the odOr of an empalned ooGy,
and also the statements from men VINO
claimed to have seen chemicals injected INTO
meat for army use.
Colonel Davis adverted TO General Miles
statement to the war commission, ana
asked him what his idea was as 10 the beef
supply when the war broke out.
General Miles replied that his attention
had been wholly given UP to the weiShtier
matters Of equipment and transportation.
hut he had been confident that the usage of
one hundred years would be followed and
that cattle herds would he shipped to the
army in the island and killed there just as
they had been sent TO the army in the
south during the civil war.
He said that the same practice had been
carried out in supplying troops in Arizona,
Texas and New Mexico, when the tenn
perature was so hot that soldiers could not
sit upon the rocks He had been informed
that Cuba and Porto Rico were good grass
countries and that cattle could be shipped
there and fed
Favored Beef on the Hoof.
Gen. Miles referred here to his cablegram
to the War Department advising that no
more refrigerated beef be sent to Porto
Rico. and stated that it was for the reason
that the meat could not be sent into the in
terror with the troops. He said it is a fact
now that refrigerated beef is still being fed
to the inland and coast troops in Cuba and
turage and the possibility of using cattle on
the hoof there He said that he is very
much in favor of feeding the troops upon
beef on the hOof II could very well be
killed at night and the next day served to
the men
DO You think said Col. Davis. that
it would keep as well the refrigerated
beef in the absence of the cooling ap-
paratus?
quite So responded the witness quite
so unless the beef was chemically treated
with preservatives- If the meat was trea ted
so as to keep seyenty-two hours after leay-
ing the cooler then it would of course have
the advantage over the native beef-at
least 50 far as the keeping goes
Asked as TO the time efter he reached
Porto Rico he advised the War Department
not to send any more refrigerated meat
he stated that when he landed he was told
there was a large native supply, and the
next day he wired the department.
Complaints of the Canned Beef.
Referring to the canned beef as distinct
from the refrigerated supply, Col. Davis
read from the testimony given by him be-
fore the war commission. in which he
strongly Condemned this part of the ration
Gen. Miles said that the canned beef had
been issued to the men in Cuba until the
refrigerated beef reached there. Ii had
been fully tested by regulars and volun-
teerS. who. alike. were opposed = ii. The
first complaint he heard was made to him
at Tampa by a Rough Rider from San An
tonic: but he did not pay much heed TO ii
at the time because he was not aware then
that the usual ration was not provided.
He next heard complaints on the transport
Yale. Finally, his serious attention was
drawn to the subject when officers reported
to him that all the men OF the 9TH Army
Corps We're weak and PROSTATE from the
effects Of their food.
He said the matter came up in August,
when the question Of the parade of the
men through New York city was preached.
(rau ed q e.
fifth of the men at Montauk Point were
fit To- march. and, Gen Miles said, he
thought 1t singular. in view of his knowl-
edge that there was then no yellow fever
among them. and they should have recOv
cred certainly from malaria before that
time.
Did you report that condition of affairs
to the commissary general asked Col.
Davis
Slowly and impressively Gen. Miles re-
Piled: 4 am not required, sir, to report to
the commissary general
Why He Failed TO Report.
~WelI. did you report it to the Secretary
of War;" asked Col. Davis.
In effect the reply was that he preferred
to conclude his inquiry 50 as to have some
thing tangible to submit to the Secretary
of War. Explaining why he had delayed
taking definite action in the matter. Gen.
Miles declared that ne did not want to act
until he had secured the very best evil
dence from the most reliable sources
Finally his circular to officers requiring
them TO report upon the quality of the bccf
was issued. He did not report directly 20
The Secretary Of War, because under a rule
made in 1890 the order should go from the
adjutant general to the Secretary
Did Not Intend to Charge Fraud.
Col Davis then read more extracts from
Gen. Miles war commission statement in
which he referred to the refrigerated beef
as ''embalmed beef" and said it had been
served under the pretense of expert
ment-"
He asked Gen. Miles if he knew when the
war began that canned roast beer was a
part of the army ration.
General Miles explained the ''pretenSe"
phrase that led Commissary General Eagan
to such extremes, by stating that he did
not knew that canned roast beef a
part of the army ration, but admitting that
in 1881 order had been passed adopting
canned beef. He said he did not understand
that the canned beef now in use was
meant When his attention was finally di-
rected to the canned roast beef he as
stunned that il had been ISSUED as ex-
pertinent
Col. Davis read the regulations upon this
subject and Gen. Miles said that the can
ned beef referred to in them has always
been understood by him to refer to canned
COrned beef
He admitted that his use of the phrase
tunate' and declared that he had no inten-
ton To imputv fraud upon the part of any
one. and had his attention been drawn to
IL at the time it uttered he would have
eliminated anything that could have given
offense or imputed fraud He said he might
have easily amended it to ''on the theory of
an experiment
with that disclaimer" remarked Col.
Davis, we Will pass TO the question of the
refrigerated beef"
Complaints Against Refrigerated Beef
Gen. Miles said he first heard complaints
against the refrigerated beef at Porce. and
the first direct statement that it had been
chemically preserved came. he believed,
from Surgeon DAILY. This was presented
late in September and DR.. DAILY testified as
to il before the war Investigating commits
sion He said that he did not know wheth-
er or not DR.. Days report had been vol
untaTy or Tie result of order TO invt =
tiSate the meat
Gen. Miles said II was common talk among
the officers AT Ponce that the beef had been
chemically treated in order to make ii keep
seyenty-twO hours after leaving the re-