The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-04
MUST FACE THE MUSIC
Mckinley Driven to Investigate
the Beef Scandal.
IT IS MILES, TURN NOW
He Will Be Given a Chance to Make
Good His Charges That the Army
Beef Was Vile-Miles VIII $780,.
Not Discuss 1t.

Washington, Feb 3.-The purpose of
factory state of affairs that has existed
for some time as the result of the nu-
merous charges and counter-c charges
and interviews respecting the character
of the army beef, by instituting a for
NAL inquiry into these matters and en-
deavoring to place the responsibility
where it belongs, was made known to-
day. This inquiry will not be UNDER
taken before the commission to inves-
tigate the conduct of the war has made
its report to the president. The scope
of this new inquiry has not been de-
fined, but it certainly will embrace the
allegation by General Miles as to the
character of the army supplies and
will involve that officer to the extent
that he must make those charges good,
and to that degree will be on trial him.
self in a preliminary manner. Should
the charges be found well established,
heavy responsibility would be placed
on the packers and persons concerned
in the meat inspection and perhaps
others: should they fall unsupported,
General Miles may be obliged to answer
to court martial for rejecting upon
the character of other officers
| There are two methods by which an
| investigation may be conducted, accord
ing to established military usage. The
first is by the appointment of a court,
of inquiry and the second is by the ap-
pointment of what is known as an Off
GERS, or inspection board. In the former
case it would be necessary to name
some officer who is to be the subject
n ~ o. IN, tol lott tI. ri
is charged simply ITO inquire into
state of facts, OF alleged facts, without
reference to any particular person and
to place responsibility if possible for
anything which complaint is made
Their findings may serve as basis for
court martial quite as effectually as
the findings of a court of inquiry and
has some advantages in that it does
not begin with the presumption of d
court of inquiry. Where a court of in
quiry IS ordered, il is said there Is con-
veyed a distinct reflection upon the off,
Ger named Because of this, when the
navy department requested the war de-
partment to order a court of inquiry to
investigate the circumstances attending
the killing of a number of Spanish
prisoners on board the Harvard, the
latter instead ordered an inspection
board, considering that the ordering of
a court of inquiry might be looked up
on as predecisiOn against our troops.
Such officers boards are frequently
ordered to fix responsibility for the loss
or damage of stores and several of them
have been appointed during the war
to look into the loss of meats, notably
in the case of that shipped to Porto
Rico and returned to Montauk Point,
Like court of inquiry, these boards re-
turn statements of facts developed by
them upon which the superior authors
ties can act.
II is not possible at present to learn
in which direction the president leans,
but he has been in conference on the
subject with the secretary of war and
the attorney general. and the matter
has been discussed in the cabinet to
some extent. AS before stated, howev-
er, no action is to be taken on either
plan until the report of the war inves-
tigation commission is submitted Up
to the close of the day. General Miles
positively declined to discuss in any
manner the events of the day, so far as
they related to himself or to discuss
any statements contained in any of the
interviews attributed to him. 1t may
be said of these interviews that while
it is conceivable they might figure,
they would not do so of necessity, for
the matters to be first looked into are
those connected with the character OF
the army beef,