The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-14


er or not they would receive it as evidence,
even though the Objectionable language
| were excised nor did General Eagan him
self give any sign of an intention on his part
! to avail himself of the offer made by the
board. His friends did not hesitate to inti-
mate that ne would expunge the objection
| able language, but he would say nothing for
himself, and any intimation on that score
must be obtained from the board itself
The War Department officials are not yet
clear as to what would be the effect of a
withdrawal or modification of the state
ment. One element holds that, officially,
the record failing to show that any objec-
| tionable language had been used, there
would be no legal offense. Another takes
| the view that while the amendment of the
statements would mitigate Eagan's offense,
| it would not wipe it out. Another aspect is
/ the bringing forward OF the plea of exemp-
tion which guaranteed in the name of the
| President all of the witnesses before the
| board from the consequences of what they
might say. But again the officials were di-
vided. and this was also true of the mem
| bers Of the Cabinet to whether the ex-
| emption could be claimed in this particular
case. Meanwhile General Miles is appar-
| emily waiting for the War Department to
act, taking the position that it is incumbent
upon it and the war commission to protect
| the army from such attacks.
1t is said by persons who may be regarded
| as authorities in military law that, in its
present phase, the controversy between
| General Miles and General Eagan is not one
that will admit of the calling of a court of
| inquiry. This is entirely apart from the
| question of the right to call a court-martiaI
In the latter case, under the strict rules of
military law, the court would be obliged to
| take under consideration certain specific
| charges, such as an attack upon a brother
| officer, and would not be permitted to go be-
| yond that matter, even 10 the extent of in
| qUiring into the truthfulness of the charges
made in the attack. The court of inquiry
however, as its name implies, has broader
| field of action, and might, without being
| bound closely, inquire into all the facts not
| even conhning its inquiry to the officer al
legged to be the offender, but, perhaps, as has
been known in the past, to return a finding
that involved the court-martial of more
than one officer. In other words, court OF
inquiry in a case like this might, if it
found reason therefor, indict for trial before
a court-martial both of the parties to the
controversy. However, as already stated,
| the best opinion is that at the present phase
| Il court OF inquiry Is DeyoIlu ISdcu
1t has been known for a month past that
a bad feeling existed between the command
ing general and the commissary general of
the army, yet such has been the effect of
thorough military discipline that before
yesterday this feeling had not manifested
itself openly. It is true that the two men
have not come into close contact frequent
ly, and, their relations being confined strict
| ly to the exchange of official communca-
| tions, there was no occasion for the devel-
| opment of personal friction, but in view of
General Eagan's known bitter feeling it is
now learned that it was with some anxiety
that the friends of the two officers saw
| them meet last week, the occasion being
periodical session of the managers of the
Soldiers Home. General Miles is ex
oficio president of this board and
Commissary General Eagan is mem
ber. The two officers met sat at
the same table and transacted the
routine business before the board without
the slightest exhibition of i'll feeling and
without showing a trace of animosity for
what had gone before. 1t is a matter of
! speculation, however, whether, failing pro-
ceedings before d court-martial or some
other judicial method of disposing of the
issue between the two men, the relations
NeNAA PSAAAA
where even official business can be trans
| acted.
In the excitement created by this Incl
dent the pending issue before the commits
sion, the quality of the army beef, was well
nigh lost sight OF. There were, however,
| two piquant additions to that part Of the
| proceedings, one containing the testimony
| Of General Wood, to the effect that no one
who amounted to anything had made any
| complaint to the rations, and the other
| from Theodore Roosevelt, making a very
severe complaint regarding the beef.
1t was stated at the War Department to-
day that orders had been issued to Inspector
General Breckenridge to proceed to Porto
| Rico and Cuba for a thorough inspection of
the army camps there The idea is ridiculed
that this order has any connection with the
beef investigation set on foot by General
Miles and now being prosecuted by the in
spector generals office. In the inspector
generals office it was not accepted as likely
| this order was in any way a continuation of
| the policy that had made General Breckin-
| ridge The first, and for long time the only
| major general of volunteers to be mustered
out of the service and reduced to his original