The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-04-30
The BEEF SCANDAL
Court Of Inquiry Has Made Its Report
to War Department.
NILES IS NOT SUSTAINED.
Refrigerated Beef Was Not Treated
with Chemicals or PreServatlveS.
DETERIORATION DUE TO THE CLIMATE
All Meats We're In Good Condition When
Delivered to the Government.
DETERIORATION DUE TO THE CLIMATE
CANNED BEEF WHOLESOME AND NUTRITIOUS
General Miles and other officers
ceu.ured for railing to Make
Reports ut the Proper Time

of inquiry today concluded its work IN
connection with the allegations OF CEN
cral Miles concerning the beef supplied TO
the army during the war with Spain. Inc
report was signed at $50 O'Clock p M
by every member of the board and soon
| afterwards the members OF the court lett
the Lemon building. where all the meet
ings in this city have been held. Colonel
Davis. the recorder of the court, carried
the official copy of the findings to the war
department and in the absence of Sec
| rotary Alger delivered 1t to Acting Secre-
| tary Mekleiohn. Mr.. Meiklejohn imme-
diately deposited the document in an en-
velope and forwarded 1t to the president
in New York.
| The report is OF about 10000 words and
goes fully into the questions which have
been raised in connection with the a. ny
beef The text has not been made public
and will not be until after the president
shall have read It. 1t will then rest with
| him to say whether the report shall be
given to the public. The verdict, however
Ia known to be that the charges which
| General Miles made before the war invesCi-
eating commission are not sustained In
refer snce to the refrigerated beef although
his contention that the canned roast beef
was not a suitable continuous ration is
admitted. There is direct criticism Of
General Miles for failing to promptly
bring to the attention Of the war depart
ment the reports made to him concctn ng
bad beef and several individuals ne
censured for falling to observe ths proper
duties of their positions as commanders In
this and other respects.
The forecast of the report as made ty
the Associated Press on the 18th instant
was an accurate one. AS was thea stated,
the court takes the position that the tes
timonv is conclusive that both INC rafrig-
Grated beef and canned beef Hsre in good
condition when delivered TO the govern
ment and continued so until Issued TO the
troops, except in especial instances, wncre
the deterioration was due to accid entail
conditions in transportation or to the In
| fiuences OF the tropical climate. The ie
port admits the liability of refrigerated
beef to faint quickly after removal from
the Ice chests
The court finds the charges of "embalm-
ing" the fresh beef to have been unsub-
Stimulated by the testimony and says no
chemicals We're used to preserve it, 1t
slso finds that 1t would have been mprac-
ticable to secure beef on the hoof for the
Cuban campaign. The finding is likewise
in opposition to the assertion on the part
of General Miles that the use of the beef
was an experiment.
Much attention is given to- the charges
concerning the canned roast beef and it is
stated that the testimony proves il to have
been wholesome and nutritious where used
in moderation and under favorable circum-
/ stances The position is taken that too
much of this article OF food was supplied
to the men and that under the circum-
stances 1t was unpalatable and found I'M
desirable as a continuous ration The fact
is set forth that the canned roast beef had
not been used TO any appreciable extent
before The beginning of the Spanish Amer
lean war and 1t is therefore regarded as a
practically untried ration. In view of this
fact the commissary general Of subsistence
Is roundly criticised for the purchase of
the meat In such extensive quantities. AS
10 the character Of the meat for whole
someness and nutrition the reports OF
| Prots Atwator and Chittcnden are quoted
al length sustaining the claims n this re-
Spect The instructions of the president
are followed closely In order and all the
points indicated by him as being those
upon which he desired that inquiry should
he made are covered
Accordingly, the court finds that tho
meat was not "doctored" that It was The
beef al commerce; that there was no more
neglect than was incidental TO the hurried
preparation for the war that the jnspec-
ton, while generally according to regula
tons was not always up to the require
ments, and that the sickness OF the troops
was not to any great extent caused by
lne use OF either the canned or the refrig-
Grated beef
On me other hand, 1t is found that Con
erai Miles himself did not report during
Ine war that the beef, either refrigerated
" canned was UNIT as ration Other Of
hcers who give testimony before tho CONT
were found also to have neglected What
the court conceives TO have been their dIitv
~ ms respect and all are blamed for
ms failure But the court does not think
further proceedings necessary