Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-01-14
EAGAN-hLES MISUNDERSTANDING
Continued from First Page.)

kSOItlUuPC from tlTSt PaGe.)
protection promised by the President
TO all witnesses in their testimony be-
fore the War Investigating Commits
sion. General Miles said that there
might be some question as to the divid-
ing line between testimony and perso-
nal abuse: that i'll his opinion. any
court of justice. or for that matter n
police court would have stopped n Wit
ness who had used before il such lam
guage as was used before the War
Commission yesterday. General Miles
said
FACTS WITHHELD.
81 did not want to appear before the
war Commission in the first place.
| When they wrote me suggesting that |
| voluntarily appear before them, | re-
Piled that ] believed it TO bc for the
pest interests of the service for me not
| to volunteer any testimony. When l
was ordered before the commission. and
they asked me concerning certain facts
that then had in my possession, | was
obllged as matter of honesty to an
swer them, and produced official COM
Even then. l did not tell them all the
facts which 1 had discovered by my
own investigation. The inquiry was
carried on quietly through the proper
| branches of the War Department. and
was begun as 4 matter of duty by the
| of an immense number of complaints
That investigation is still be-
| ing prosecuted, and think.
as l said before. that it
would have been much better had
| the officers of the War Department
who have in charge the care and prop
er feeding OF the soldiers. been allow
ed to attend to these matters quietly
in their own way
EAGAN IS SILENT.
General Eagan when seen to-day had
nothing to say. He regretted he said.
the newspaper notoriety which it had
| already involved. The controversy was
not of his seeking. and he should de-
| cline TO say anything further regard
| ing it.
In the excitement created by this in
| cident, the pending issue before the
| commission, the quality OF the army
beef, WAS we'll nigh lost sight OF. There
were. however, two picQuant additions
| to that part of the proceedings. one
consisting of the testimony of General
Mood 10 tho effect that no one who
! amounted TO anything had made any
| complaint as to the rationS, and the
| other of a letter from Theodore Roose-
| welt making 4 very severe complaint
regarding the beef.
ROOSEVELT TO THE RESCUE.
Governor Roosevelt's letter was to
General Miles. and is as follows:
State of New York
Executive Chamber.
Albany, January ., 1899.
General Nelson \. Miles.
War Department.
Washington. ID. c.:
My dear General Miles,-I do not dis
! tinctly understand about this beef con-
| troversy. but possibly what 1 have 10
write may be of some use.
The canned corn beef we found TO be
| good. The so-Callcd canned roast beef
that was issued to us for travel ra-
| tons. both on the transport and on
the train, and which we occasionally
got even at the front was practically
worthless. Unless very hungry, the
| men would not touch it, and even when
! suffering from lack OF food, they
} never ate Il fifth of it. At the best it
I was taSteleSs: at the worst il was
| nauseating. There was only supply
| of beef lin the shape of quartcrs) which
| was put aboard our transport at Tam
pa. 1t was supposed to be fitted by
some process To withstand tropical
neat. 1t at once became putrid and
smelt so that we had to dispose of /,
for fear OF its creating disease.
think we threw it overheard. At any
rate. it was condemned The beef we
| got in Santiago after about the cath or
25th of Juy-that is. after the siege
| had ended. and when my brigade had
been without fresh meat or Vegetables
for Il month-was generally good By
| that time the cavalry division was In
sickly condition. The fact that the
meat ration was so bad as generally to
be inedibe caused very great hardship
to my men. and reduced their supply
| of food below what was necessary to
| keep them in proper condition.
| Very sincerely yours.
TIL EODORE ROOSEVELT
LMU0EMENTo