Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-01-13

language he attacked three New York
| newspapers and their editors and pro-
prietors, whom he said should be in
dicted and tried for treason to the I'm
tied States during this war, as giving
aid, comfort and information to the
public enemy for the sole purpose of
gain. Were | man of wealth or
MEANS he protested, II would take
this subject UP myself; | would put
journalistic knayes, purloiners of the
secrets Of the government, behind the
| bars where they belong
Gen. Eagan made vigorous attack
on the inspector generals department
in connection with this investigation.
He asked why were not these inspec-
lions made while the armies were in
the fields; where were the officers of
this department? He said the princi-
pal officers of this department took
other positions and let the inspections
of the army which were never needed
so much as during the war; go, so far
as they were concerned, for personal
| ACKNOWLEDGMENT, as we know they took
volunteer rank with increased pay, and
now at this late day we find this de-
partment suddenly endeavoring to get
| experts views of people in a manner
not authorized by the Secretary of War
the proper NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. things
that are passed"
Gen. Eagan concluded as follows:
IF I have used harsh language be-
fore this committee in dealing with the
subject, | ask the commission to bear
in mind that grouping together the
statements made by Gen. Miles means
| that | have furnished to the army en-
( balmed beef which has diseased SOL
diers, and that great deal of sickness
arose from its use; that | have fur
nished meats to the army under the
| 'pretense of experiment.; meats that
made the soldiers sick, and this under
| the pretense of experiment, this be-
cause of corruption.
Nearly all the press of America be-
cause of Gen. Miles's high position in
! the United States army, has accepted
these views and his statements, and
many of them have called for my dis
| grace, courtmartial and dismissal
| from the service. Also that these
statements of Gen. Miles were held
back by him, not furnished to the gov
eminent for its appropriate action and
| use, but sprung upon you and the
| country at a time when the country,
| from the falsehoods that had been told
in regard to starvation and supplies
for the army, was in a state of excite
ment and ready to believe most any
| thing. The subject have treated here
is filthy subject, and you cannot
| touch pitch without being defiled; you
| cannot touch base, malicious, libelous
| falsehoOdS, Misrepresentation, with
out calling spade spade and tell
ing the whole truth and characteriz-
| ing things as they are. The damage
| that has been done by these statements
; is believed to be very great, but in
dulge the hope and the belief that my
statement, when published to the
country, when read by the representa-
| tlveS OF foreign governments here, will
offset the statements made by Gen.
Miles, and will, in some measure at
least, do justice to others that have
been wronged, maligned and libelled.
| For myself, | content myself with ex-
pressing my profound belief that either
Gen. Miles or l should be put cut of
the service; either he is right or | am
right; either he dishonors his uniform
with his false statements and libels. or
L dlshonor mine in feeding soldiers with
poisonous beef, causing their sickness
and doing so under 'pretense of expert
ment'
| mat his statements concerning the
commanding general were not the re-
| suit OF sudden outburst of passion
was clearly shown by the fact that Cen
aeral Eagan read his remarks from a
| carefully prepared typewritten copy.
| Not the least remarkable phase of Gen
eral Eagans statement was the langu-
age in which it was couched. There
was scarcely phrase that would not
have been characterized as sensational
IN an ordinary official utterance.
| Gen. Eagan, after the hearing was
over, refused to say whether he had
any further move in prospect in fore
ing an issue between himself and Gen.
| Miles. Il have said all intend to say
for the present" he replied, land if
any one wants to bring the matter to
a court-martial | am ready for that,
too, as | have already stated before
| the commission"
AS soon as the nature of Gen. Eagan's
statements became known, attention
was directed to army headquarters to
ascertain what move would be made
by Gen. Miles. The latter, through
Col. Milchter. his chief aide, beyond
saying that he had stood for the SOL
diers, declined to make any comment
| saying that now was not the time for
talk and that before taking action it
! would be only proper and necessary
to wait until he had had an opportun-
| ity to receive through the regular chan
nelS and to consider the testimony fur
nished by Gen. Eagan. He would not
| talk about court-martial. Altogether
| the intimation conveyed was that Gen.
| Miles would act with deliberation if he
decided to take any action at all; and
| there was faint suggestion that he
might decide to ignore the statement
| altogether.
Of course decision to that effect
| on the part of Gen. Miles would ter
| inmate the incident. But if he should
| decide to take notice officially of the
| attack the next step with him would
| be to prefer charges with the President
| against the commissary general. These
| might be based on seveFai technical
! grounds, such, for instance, as conduct
| tending to the destruction of good or
| der and discipline.
| 1t would be for the President to
| pass upon the demand and he might
| adopt one of three courses: refuse it,
grant it. or instead order a court of
| inquiry In this latter case the body
/ ~