Daily Kennebec journal., 1899-05-08
MILES CENSURED
Continued from page 1.)


| Replying To this direction tn court
| says:
The court finds that at the outbreak
| OF hostilitieS in April. 1898, the packers
| Of canned beef We're engaged in the
| manufacture Of an article of standard
| quality, well known To the trade and
| The subsistence department under the
| name Of canned roast beef. The
| methods of packing then in use were
| the same as those habitually employed
| in the preparation of the meat rs an
| article OF commerce, and the court does
not find that they underwent any
| change during the progress OF the war.
| The large purchases for the use OF the
military forces during the months of
May and June. 1898, We're made-not at
the solicitation of the packers. or IN
them for that purpose, but by the order
and upon the initiative of the commits
sary general of subsistence, such pur-
chases being made in every case by
officers of his department in the usual
manner
on another point connected With the
| packers the court says: Although tine
subject of readjustment of accounts
| between the United States and the
contractors was not referred to the
| court. il appears from the testimony
that whenever any cans have been
found to be defective. subsequent to
their original delivery to the subsist-
ence department. such cans have been
replaced in every instance"
| Replying specifically to other ques-
| h,r h..
saws:
| THAT the canned roast beef was d.
scribed as fresh because it was not
! salted. but that the meat was not OLD
or stale; that the refrigerated beef fur
nished the army was not doctored on
| treated with any other agency than
| cold air; that the meat purchased Tor
| the army was the meat of commerce;
that both kinds, refrigerated and can
ned. were such as are well known ir
both hemispheres as commercial aru-
cles. of which there is and has been
| very large consumption not only py
the trade generally but by the United
States navy and by the armies and ma
yies of Europe; that no reports OF un-
| fitness or unsuitablity of the beef sent
| from the United States forwarded Il
the war department by any general OF
fcer serving in Cuba or Porto Rlc'
while the field operations were in pro-
| gress nor were any such reports re-
ceived until more than one month after
hostilities ceased; that barring some
defects in methods of inspecting the
beef on it's delivery to the subsistence
department, the deterioration of the
meat in shipment was due to the fault
of no one.
The charges of Gen. Miles as made
in newspaper interviews as well as
: those made before the war investgat-
ing commission are referred to at
length, among them being an interview
with the general sent out from the
New York Office of The Associated
Press on the 31st of January, in which
Gen. Miles was quoted as saying that
he had Overwhelming evidence that
the beef was treated with chemicals
to preserve it and that he had aflida-
Wits from men who saw the beef under
going the embalming process.
The court notes the denial which
Y Gen. Miles made of this part of the
. conversation as it was printed in the
New York Herald. but prints tho
. charge as a part of the allegations
= saying on this point
/ The testimony of both Mr.. Reid an(
1 Mr. Berry of the New York Timst
agree in the verify of the interview n;
y reported by the former and this i:
e found in the Herald clipping. Th'
n court does not therefore ignore thi'
: paragraph but treats ii as a part o
V the allegations which are under inves
:. tigation."
n vestigations of the chemists employed
y by the court, the court says:
7. THE contents of all the cases. whicl
r consisted of boiled rather than roas
beef were found to be perfectly sweet
/ with an odor of cooked meat. The bee
n in nearly all the cans appeared to hav'
e been SOftened by exposure to heat, bu
1t apparently without injurious effect a
n, To its quality: apart from this the mea
er contents were found to be in goo,
l. state of preservation in every case. n
, traces of praservative accords wer
\ found in any of the cans.
III There is no testimony to the effect tina
lS any of the canned fresh beef Supple
N to the subsistence department sine
III April %. 1898, has been chemical
IT, treated or subjected to the action @
preservatice5 Of any kind save a
ag small quantities of common salt hay
= r been added as seasoning to the pro
duct of certain packers
Detailing the numerous inyaetipa