The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-13

me interview was headed as follows;
MILES MAKES GRAVE CHARGES
AGAINST THE ADMINISTRATION.
Poison used in beef made the soldiers il!
Tons of bad meat sent 10 troops in Porto
Rico"
Referring to another published stare
ment that Gen. Miles had sent or had
found it necessary to send a serious repri-
mand to the quatermaster general, the
commissary general and the chief of ord
nance for conditions that he found IN
Tampa. Gen. Eagan said no such reprl-
mand was sent and yet the story was
allowed to so unconradicted.
Goes for the yellow Journals.
This uncontradicted story of a repri-
mand to the heads of three of the most
important departments of the army" he
continued, aided as much as anything in
exciting the yellow journal press, the
knaVes of Journalism to harass and viiify
and libel the conscientious, able and hard
working officers on duty in Washington
| Gen Eagan, referr ng to newspaper at
lacks, asserted that the Secretary of War
had nothing whatever to do with the fur
nishing of refrigerated meats or timed
meats, nor mad he attempted 90 control
/ the contracts, awards, or purchases; and
| in this connection in heated language he
attacked three New York newspapers and
| their editors and proprietors whom ne
said should be indicted and tried for trea-
son to the United States during this war.
as giving aid, comfort and information to
the public enemy for the sole purpose Of
gain.
'Were.I a man of wealth or means" he
protested, II would take this subject up
myself. | would put journalistic knaves,
purloiners of the secrets of the govern
ment' behind the bars where they belong"
The Inspector General Too.
Gen. Eagan made vigorous attack on
the inspector generals department In con-
nection with this investigation Re
ferrins to Inspector General Breckin-
| ridges investigation, Gen. Eagan pointed
| out various reports of officers that have
| been published, and quoted a telegram he
received on Jan. / from Lieut. Col. A. L.
Smith depot commissary at Havana, as
| follows:
"Commissary General, Washington
| Guild, inspector Seventh Corps. ordered by
| Breckenridge TO inspect and report on all
meat, and require samples l will with
| out further instructions decline to recog-
| nize Breckinridge's authority, but will
| personally show all stores desired unoffi-
| cially Smith"
Col. Smith is an old, experienced Off
GER" said Gen. Eagan, "and not knowing
that there was anything like game in
! progress he stood upon the regulations.
and from strict military point of view
| properly refused this improper course I'M
| less he had evidence that it was author
| ized,as it should have been, by the Secre-
| tary of War. For it can be readily seen
| that if this sort of eX parte examination
| is made and eX parte reports are solicited,
no mans reputation is safe, and every
mans character may be put in jeopardy
| Designing people might ruin Christ even,
if he were here to-day.
Thought II Was Trap.
But as 1 believe this course not only
| improper and not contemplated by the reg
ulations, believing further that it was a
trap to produce just such a refusal as
| Col. Smith made, I replied to Col. Smith
| the same day, saying: You will not stand
| on SGS army regulations, but you viii al
| low meats and every article of subsistence
stores to be inspected by Guild, and if
| necessary to be inspected twenty times a
| day Inform Guild, inspector, of this dis
| patch. Furnish copy of this dispatch to
! every commissary in Cuba for their guild
ance, and for compliance in similar cases. ,
81 had no right" Gen. Eagan explained,
ito send that dispatch, but took it upon
myself to send out this authority fearing
! a refusal would be interpreted by the
| WOilu at ldI sc " AlSdA that ltle O6pdA /
ment was afraid of any and every kind
| of investigation. When. I informed the
| Secretary of War the following day and
| he understood and realized that the in
spector general, doubtless at the instiga-
! ton of the senior major general of the
army, was inauguratng a system of in
4 spection not contempla ted by the regula-
! tons, nor authorized by proper authority,
he promptly advised he would not have
| !,
| perhaps l was right.
Called for Direct Reports.
This Inspector General breckenridge
has recently addressed letters direct to
| officers of my department calling for re-
ports to him about the various articles of
| food furnished during the past year to
| the army He does this without the au-
| thorty of the Secretary of War. In effect,
we have in these two officers of the
| army-Gen. Miles and Gen. Breckenridge
| men who take upon themselves to inves-
| tigate matters pertaining solely and eX-
clusively to the Secretary of War; to call
for ex parte reports and to do this direct
ly, not through the adjutant general of
! the army, but direct and without the
| knowledge of the Secretary Of War or the
| adidtant general of the army. Your com
! mittee will readily see at once how far
! this has gone and to what extreme these
| men get to establish and make case"
Gen. Eagan referred TO the reports from
officers and submitted by Gen. Miles, "as
| irresponsible statements" and said that
! few army officers would take advantage
! of the situation 10 make statements which
! they knew there was no power or means
on earth to disprove, because the sub
stance they spoke of had passed out Of
existence, the proofs are gone.
| A. IN the SfCISnass
Having traversed Gen. Miles state
ments," Gen Eagan said, Having shown
| him TO you to be liar, having demon
strated the animus that pervades this
whole matter, l now go back to his state
ment that in his judgment food was one
| of the serious causes of so much sickness
and distress of the troops. The design to
say, 70 imply, to assert, to insnuate, that
| sickness was caused for such reason in
| Porto Rico, is to make an assertion who'll
| ly untrue. devoid of any facts, devoid of
truth, and can only be prompted by base
motive and under cover of the qualifica-
| lions in my Judgment"
Gen Eagan said the first intimation of
| chemical treatment ne had was in Gen