The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-02-04
MILES.
A Court Martial Is
Likely.
CRISIS IS REACHED.
President to End Unsatis-
factory Condition Of Affairs.

Washington, Feb. 3.-The purpose of
the president to terminate the unsatis-
factory condition of affairs that has
existed for some time as the result of
the numerous charges and counter
charges and interviews respecting the
character of the army beef, instituting
a formal inquiry into these matters
and endeavoring to place the RESPONSE
bility where it belongs, was made
known today.
This inquiry will 1ot be undertaken
before the commission TO investigate
the conduct of war has made its re-
port to the president. The scope OF
this new inquiry has not been defined,
but it certainly will embrace the al
legations made by Gen. Miles as to
the character of the army supplies, and
will involve that officer to the extent
that he must make the charges good
and to that degree will be on trial
hereafter in a preliminary manner.
Should the charges be found well es-
tablished, a heavy responsibility
would be placed upon the packers and
persons concerned in the meat inspec-
ton and perhaps others; should they
fall unsupported, Gen. Miles may be
obliged to answer to a court martial
for rejecting upon the character of
other officers.
There are two methods by which
such an investigation may be conduct
ed according to established military
usage. The first is by the appointment
of a court of inquiry and the second
by the appointment of what is known
as an officers or inspectors board
In the former case it would be nee
q 70 "a
to be the subject of the investigation.
In the latter, the board is charged sim
ply to inquire into a state of facts or
alleged facts without reference to any
particular person and to place respon-
sibility if possible for anything Of
which complaint is made.
The boards findings may serve as the
base OF court martial quite as effect
lively as the findings of court of in
quiry and the board has some adyan-
tage in that it does mot begin with the
presumption OF court of inquiry.
Where a court Of inquiry is ordered, 1T
| is said there is conveyed a distinct re-
Election upon the officer named Be
cause OF this when the navy department
requested the war department to order
a court of inquiry to Investigate cir
eumstances attending the killing of a
number OF Spanish prisoners on board
the Harvard, the latter department in
| stead ordered an inspection board, CON
slderlng that the ordering of the court
might be looked upon as a pre-decision
against our troops. Such officers boards
are frequently ordered to fix RESPONSE
b1lity for the loss or damage of stores.
and several of them have been appoint
| ed 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 a court of inquiry, the board re-
turns statements of facts developed nv
! them upon which the superior authori-
uleS can act. 1t is not possible at present
to learn in which direction the president
leans, but he has been in conference ON
the subject with secretary of war and
attorney general and the matter has
been discussed in the cabinet to some
extent. AS before stated however. no
action is TO be taken on either plan
until the report Of the war investigation
commission is submitted.
Up TO the close of the day Gen. 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 in
teryleWs attributed to him. 1t may be
SAID of these interviews that, while #
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 'Ae
The matter was discussed at some
length at today's cabinet meeting. and
although no definite decision was
reached, the concensuS of opinion was
tnat there should be such a proceed
ing. 1t was argued that if the packers
VINO had furnished the beef to the ar
my mad fraudulently supplied AN ar
t1cle of the character charged bv Cen
Miles, the country had right to know
IT,; and if the charges were without
foundation. the people had an equal
right to knoY that fact.
Justice to all concerned, it was agreed
demanded that the whole truth be
brought to light 1t was also agreed
that Gen, Miles should not be SUSPEND
ed from his office as commander of the
army pending such investigation. as
IT was not intended that even by infer
ence should he be prejudged of anv
wrong doing in this connection IT is
not believed that any action will be
taken, however, until the war investi
eating commission has made its report
which is expected within the next few
days.
1t is the expectation that the war in
vestigating commission will submit its
report to the president next Monday.
NO one outside the commission is sup
posed to know the nature of what that
report will be. The method which is to
be adopted. namely a court of inquiry
to pass upon Gen. Miles conduct is
taken to indicate a knowledge on the
part of the administration of what the
report will have to say as bearing up-
on the Miles charges