The times., 1899-03-18
Action AGAINST the Packers.

| that, like the protection fallacy, will go.
Action Against the Packers.
1t is not to be believed that the Govern
ment Will fail TO take action against all
who have been concerned in the issue of
diseased meat to the army. 1t is supposed
that ii depends on the report to be made
by the Board of Enquiry appointed to ex-
anime into the charges of General Miles,
/ and some fears have been expressed that
| this will not be satisfactory. a number
of newspapers have intimated that, in the
! interest of Secretary Alger and the Ad
/ ministration, the supreme object will be
| to make the finding as favorable to the
packers as possible. They argue that as
| the Commission appointed by the Presi-
| dent chose to consider the negative evil
dence of persons in the commissary SER
| vice as a refutation of the testimony of
army officers and others, this Board, too,
mag give unwarranted weight to it. So
far there is no cause to doubt the sin
cerity of the enquiry, although it cannot
be said that the members have shown
any prejudice against the accused or failed
| to afford them the fullest opportunity to
| prove the good quality of the rations sold
to the Government, if that is possible.
But unless proof of innocence much
stronger than has been presented is forth
| coming, no report of the Board can justify
q failure to institute proceedings against
the packers and officials of the War De-
partment. The people have followed very
closely all the statements made on both
sides and the conclusion is inevitable that
there is a preponderance OF proof that bad
! beef was bought by the Commissary De-
partment and issued TO the soldiers; that
the packers knew its character when they
| sold it, and that if the commissary agents
did not they were culpable.
Until it is disproved, the sworn state
ment of Thomas F. Dolan, who was super
intendent of the killing department at Ar
mours for ten years. will be accepted
! by the public as true There has been no
denial under oath by his former employers.
! One CT the firm has said it was untrue and
malicious. but second affidavit by Dolan
gees far toward a confirmation of the first.
/ In this he says that Charles E. Todd, OF
| Chicago, processing to be an agent of Ar
mour, called on him and in the presence
of his wife offered TO give him five thou
sand dollars and trip to Paris, all ex-
penses paid, if he would execute an af-
| ldavit to counteract the effect of the first
and would remain in Europe during the eX-
istence of the Board of Enquiry; that un-
der the advice of his lawyer, James j.
Irwin, he made the required affidavit and
received the money, three thousand dollars
of which his wife placed in bank, as shown
by certificate of deposit. ,drs. Dolan con-
firms all this in an affidavit.
The time has not come to comment on
this proceeding or on the unspeakable
crime Of selling diseased beef to the public
and the army as good meat. 1t is neces-
sary that the packers should have time TO
reply to the charge Naturally, We look
to the Board of Enquiry to summon Dolan
and such witnesses as he may name before
it, together with the Illinois official whose
testimony has been published, and Krick,
now in Colorado, who claims to have been
employed under Dolan and in other es-
adjustments. and TO have personal knowi-
edge of the truth OF the Doian recital. 1t
is fair TO note that there has not been the
disposition to Investigate the charges made
by the former emDloye OF Armour that the
public had a right to expect The Times
predicted that if they were true. an at
tempt would be made to bribe or otherwise
dispose of Dolan aud suggested the i'm
portance of steps TO prevent it. Regardless
OF any action by the Board of Enquiry,
his affidavit is warrant enough for pre-
! liminary proceedings by the agents of the
Department of Justice, since the facts he
relates constitute violation of the rules
of the Bureau of Animal Industry, and
since 1t is affirmed that some of the dis
eased beef canned in Dolan's time was
bought for the army.
Fortunately. the New York Journal"
will bring the matter into the courts by
suit against the Armoars for a criminal
conspiracy TO injure its reputation and for
subornation of perjury. BY this means no
Incidence on the part of the Government
can deprive the country of knowledge
of the truth.