Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1899-01-14
DAILY INDEPENDENT.
SATURDA JAN. H. lss
The NIiIes-E IAN Controversy.

o"oSI Va viz Wat u6S &fOu6Su con-
siderable of a tempest. The Con-
mission refused to receive Eymn',
carefully prepared statement aud T., .
turned it to him with the request
that the personal attacks and In i.-
want statements he ei minated. G-, =
eral Egan refused 20 say anything
yesterday hey ond what he had giver
TO The Commission. saying that his
statement was d full declaration of his
FEELINGS and belief. 1t was, he sal :.
an official utteran:p made to the nod,
which had II right to hear it and he
declined to discuss it with newspaper.
mon.
General Miles ON being asked what
Official action, il any, would be- taken.
regarding General Egan's attack, re.
Piled that he had not made any state.
ment on the subject and did not in
tend to forecast the proceedings of the.
War Department. When it was suy-
gested that the War Department was
e6topped from any proceeding against
General Egan ON the grounds of the
protection promised by the President
20 all witnesses in their testimony be-
fore the War Investigating Comm is
sion' General Miles said there might
be some ques ion as to the dividing
line between the testimony and per
sonal abuses; that in his opinion any
court OF Justice, or. for that matter,
police court, would have stopped
WltIess who had used before it su 4.
language as was used before the War
Commission yesterday. General
Miles said:
Il did not want to appear before
the War Department in the first
place. When they wrote suggesting
that l voluntarily appear before them
replied that believed it to be for
the best interests Of the service for
me not to volunteer any testimony.
When was ordered before ;he com.
mission and they asked me concern.
ing facts that l the u had in my DOS.
session. was obliged as a matter of
honesty, to answer them, and pro.
duced official complaints to me as INV
best reply. Even then did not tell
them all the facts which l had dis.
covered by my own Investigation
General Miles has made public the
following letter bearing on the quail
ity of army beef which he received
from Governor Roosevelt:
IL do not distinctly understand this
beef controversy, but possibly what I
have to write about it may he OF some
use.
The canned corn beef We found to
be good. The 80 called canned roast
beer that was issued to us for travel
ratlons, both ON the transport and on
the train and which we occasionally
got oven at the front, was practically
worthless. Unless very hungry the
men would not touch it, and even
when suffering from lack of food thew
WV ohS.Aiui VI IL. AL the pest
1t was tasteless, ut the worst il was
Eauseating. There was also n ann
ply OF beef lin the shape OF quarters)
which was put aboard our transport
at Tampa 1t was supposed to be
fitted by some process to withstand
tropical heat. 1t at once became
pntrid and smelled 30 that we had Il,
dispose OF 1t for fear OF its creating
disease. think we threw it over.
board. At any rate 1t was con.
demned.
SHE beef we got at Santiago after
the 24th or 25th Of July--that is, after
the siege had ended and when nv
brigade has been without fresh meat
or vegetables for month-was gen.
orally good. BY this time the cavalry
division was in sickly condition.
The fact that the meat ration was go
bad as generally to be inedible caus.
cd very great hardship TO my men
and reduced their supply Of food be
low what was necessary to keep them
in proper condition. Very sincerely