The Red Cloud chief., 1899-05-13
THE BEEF INQUIRY REPORT,
Generals Miie' and E,.an Get abe
Principal Con,urc.

Generals Miles and E,san Get abe
Principal Con,u-c.
WAsuiNGToN, May 0.-By directics
81 the President, who approves this
findings. Acting Secretary Of War
Meiklejohn has made public the re.
port and findings OF the military court
appointed to investigate the charges
made by Major General Miles. COM.
manding tho army, that the beef sup.
piled to the army during the war with
Spain was unfit for the use Of the
troops.
The most important features OF the
report are: The finding that the zen.
erals finding that the refrigerated
beef was treated with chemicals was
not established; that his allegations
concerning the canned fresh or cannea
roast beef were sustained as to its un.
suitability for TOO as used on the
transports and as a long continued
field ration; ccnsure OF General Miles
for error" in failing to promptly no.
tify the secretary Of war when hs
first formed the opinion that the food
was unfit; censurc Of the commissary
general then General Eagan) for the
too extensive purchase Of the canned
beef as an untried ration; cen sure Of
Colonel Maus, Of General Miles staff;
the finding that the packers were not
at fault, and that tho meats supplied
to the army were of the same quality
rs those supplied to the trade general.
~, and the recommendation that no
further proceedings be taken In tho
premises.
The conclusion OF the court adverse
to further proceedings based upon tho
charges Is us follows:
at has been developed in the course
OF the inquiry, as recited in this
report, that in some instances some
individuals failed to perform the full
measure OF duty or to observe the pro-
prieties which dignity high military
command, but the court Is of tho
opinion that the mere statement in
the official report Of the facts devel-
oped meets the end of the discipline,
and hat the interests Of the service
will DO best subscrvcd IL further pro-
ceedings DO not taken"
The censuro OF Colonel Maus, iuspcc.
tor general on General Miles staff, is
based upon his failure to call atten-
ton to charges concerning the beef at
Chickamauga, contained in a report Of
inspection made by DIR. Tor Major) DAILY
on the Goth Of October last, ia which
he stated his belief that the beef was
chemically treated.
The silence Of Colonel Maus," saws
the court, ION so important a matter
as the chemicalized beef reported by
Major Daily, and personally known to
himself, is most remarkable"
The remark is also made that Gem
eral Miles failure to draw special at
tention to this report is ''unex-
planned"
Commenting upon General Niles
testimony that he had FIRST formed
the opinion last August hat the re-
i%rigerated beef had been processed,
the court remarks: Whatever the
date on which he formed q belief, or .
reasonable suspicion. that the health
OF the troops were being impaired by
the use OF d~e!eterious food, it was his
bounden duty in the opinion of tho
court, instantly to take the most
effective mcasure within his con.
troll to ascertain the actual fact
and to correct tho wrong, IL any
should be found, 1t would have been
practicable to obtain samples OF tho
beef then being Supplied to the army
by contractors and to have submitted
these samples to chemical examine
tion which would have resulted in the
detection OF the presence Or absence
of boracio or salIcylic acids or any
other chemical agent that may have
been used rs . preservative agent
Yet no. such precautiou as that sug-
gested Was taken by the major general
commanding Mt that time or at any
subsequent time. 50 far as has boon
learned, by the court
A chapter OF the report is devoted
to h confederation Of the cause Of
the sickness in the army in the Santl-
ago campaign, but. ''the court fnds,it
impossible to conclude that either tho
aimed fresh beef op refrigerated beef
appeared to'any appreciable extent as.
causes Of intestinal disease"
General Miles, when asked whether
he had any comment to mako upon
the beef report, seplied that he had
read it, but l have nothing TO say"
he added, either about the report,
the method of testimony or the, con,
illusions reached"