Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-19
GOING TO REPORT.

The final report of the army court of
inquiry is being framed and is said to be
to the effect that the charges made by
General Miles have not been sustained
by the evidence, a rigid investigation has
shown thai the spoiled meats complained
of were in good condition when delivered
TO the army. They were wholesome when
! canned, but when hastily prepared to
| meet the exigencies of the situation could
| not Withstand the hot climate of the
| south. Canned beef when opened, and
~refrigerate beef when taken from the ice,
| spoil quickly under the intense heat of
that section, and a great deal of it had
to be thrown away. From the outset the
| Inter Mountain was of the opinion that
! q thorough and impartial investigation
| would show this state of facts.
The preliminary statements as to the
| character of the report are not clear rela-
| tive to the use of chemicals for the
preservation of meats, but testimony was
! submitted to show that nothing of an in
| furious or deleterious type was discover
ed. The most expert chemists agree that
the use of boric acid for the preservation
of meat. butter, etc, is in noWise inlmlcal
to health. 1t has been used for years as
a food preventative in many portions of
the country, according to the testimony
of recognized authorities on chemistry.
1t would appear that all this frantic
hullabaloo about '~embalmed beef has
grown out of a possible attempt to pro-
tect shipments to the south from the
climatic changes to which the meats
would be subjected-a precaution taken
by the shippers of butter and other food
supplies that are easily affected by
changes of temperature.
The fact tina the navy has used and
is still using meats taken from the same
contract invoices that furnished the
basis for complaint in the army, is suffi-
cient evidence to show that they We're
originally sweet and ~palatable. Had this
not been the case the charges of General
Miles should have been made at the time
the beef was received at army headquar-
ters. During. the war period it appears
that whenever any of the meats spoiled
they were thrown away as a matter O
course. and good meats or vegetables
used in their stead. NJ complaints as tt
1c ,-+4o, ,,oo+, ,ro,
then registered by General Nils. 1t wa:
not until the conclusion of the war, whe1
the relations of the general and the wa
department became strained, that sucl
charges We're made.
; Immediately the democratic press seiz
ed upon s.embalmed beef" as a swee
and an attempt was made to CONVEX
General Miles into a popular hero. Th
most brutal attempt was made to taste
: upon the administration such an unrea
sonable crime as cooperating wit
r~ascally contractors in an effort to XII
off American soldiers for paltry gal
dilSlllS oI coiii'i'9ioii0 w o'' Nv
Fooled in his effort to create an art
fetal political issue, through the mos
painstaking and thorough investigated
that could be made into all the facts ir
yolved in the controversy, the democrat
will now set up a dismal yowl abol
"whitewashing'' the war department
Having colored the investigation to su
the issue they We're trying to create, tt
democratic press suffers a terrible 'di:
appointment that the facts brought OF
in the inquiry do not justify the charge
made. Another great political issue hs
gone to the "demnition bow-wows."