Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-05-10
GOES AGAINST MILES.

NOAR 1ANIlllNbl NllA1Je
Wade Court Of Inquiry Report IL
Made Public.
ALLEGATIONS ARE NOT SUSTAINED
Chemically Treated or Furnished I'm
der Pretense of Experiment-The Com
mander of the Army Placed in a Most
Illuminating Position-What the Report
Has to Say of General Eagan.
Washington, May S.-The report Of
the court of inquiry, approved by Pres
ident Mckinley, has been made public.
The findings of the court are that Gen.
eral Miles allegations are not sustained
by the evidence submitted by him or
his witnesses. The report is long and
1t reviews the conditions under which
the army operated, but it finds no ex-
cuse for the charges of General Miles.
These allegations by the commanding
general. are summarized by the court
as follows:
l. That the refrigerated beef fur
| nished to the troops in Cuba, Porto
| Rico. Tampa. rAickamauga and Jack
| sonville, was q. salmed or treated with
chemicals to n .::crve it. of which over
whelming proof existed.
2. That refrigerated beef was seri-
Gus cause of sickness and distress
among the troops in the places above
named.
8. That the canned roast beef was fur
| nished to the army under pretense of
/ an experiment.
4. That the canned roast beef was also
a cause of sickness and distress among
the troops and is unfit for issue as food
| in any country.
| Is Really Beef Pulp.
g. That what is called canned roast
beef is really beef pulp from which the
boiled out.
g. That the bacon issued to the troops
/ in Porto Rico was not suitable food for
use in the tropics.
The last allegation is admitted as
probably true, as bacon was considered
an unsuitable ration for tropical eli
i
effort was made to substitute other
meat rations for it so far as possible,
but all the allegations as to refrig-
Grated and canned beef are found un-
true. More than this. the court indi-
rectly finds that General Miles inter-
views, which he tried to repudiate, must
stand as part of his allegations, be-
cause he did not specially deny maxi
ing the statement attributed to him in
these interviews.
The testimony of the newspaper re-
porters to the effect that they had in
terviewed General Miles and correctly
written down what he said, is accepted
by the court. rather than the generals
denial that he had submitted to inter-
| Views. Briefly stated the report not
only finds that General Miles made false
allegations against the war department
and the packers but that he furnishe d
no evidence to show that he had any
excuse for believing that these allega-
lions We're true.
Was Not Chemically Treated.
The court finds that there was over
whelming testimony to the fact that the
refrigerated beef was not chemically
treated, but was preferable in every
1 W
and Porto Rico; that this beef was not
serious cause of sickness; that the
canned roast beef was not furnished
under the pretense of an experiment
and that 1t was not beef pulp, from
which the nutriment had been taken 70,
beef extract.
1t is admitted that canned roast beef
was not intended for field ration, anG
that the commissary general committed
"A colossal error for which there is nc
palliation" in making such large pur.
chases of this ration. This reflection
upon Commissary General Eagan is the
only part of the report which relieve.
1t of the cumulative analysis of Gen.
erel Miles allegations, and, there.
fore, the only part which will give any
comfort to the champions of Genera
Miles
Answer 10 President ,lcstions.
In answering the questions PROFOUND.
ed by the president to the court as t.
the character of the rations. and who
was responsible, the report censure.
only General Miles for allegations which
We're untrue. and General Eagan fol
purchasing 100000 pounds of canned
roast beef, considering the use that haC
been made of it in the regular army
Regarding Eagan, the court finds M
ground for any imputation of any 9th
CT actuating motive than the earnes
\ desire to procure the best possible foot
for the troops.
No such excuse is made for Genera
Miles. The court was unable to fine
any worthy motive for his mistake II
making such allegations or any excuse
Tor his not reporting at once to the pres
ident or secretary of war, II he believed
his allegations were true. Throughout
the fifty printed pages the report is
tempered scorching of the commanding
general. showing him as an officer a
the head of the army, who, without ex
cuSe, bore false testimony against thu
government In its conduct of the war.
Passed AN Important ELL.
Jefferson City, NO., May S.-The Mis
souri, house passed and sent to the gov
ernor an important bill requiring Mis-
souri, corporations to keep their prin
cipal office in the state and providint
that at least three directors shall b.
residents of Missouri The house ais,
sent to the governor a bill prohibiting
the use of arsenic, bismuth, calomel
ammonia or alum in the manufacture
; of food preparations sold in the state
} Sampson at Washington.
Washington May S.-Rear Admira
5 Sampson arrived in Washington ant
called at the navy department to confe
with Secretary Long and Assistant Sec
rotary Allen respecting the future
movements of the north Atlantic squad
ron. 1t was decided that the ship
| should start from Tompkinsville on tn,
2Sth of the present month for Newpor
to be present there during the inaugu
ration of the governor of Rhode Island
i, Retired Major Killed by IA Fall.
Nantucket, Mass, May S.-Maior L