The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-04
President Mckinley Anxious to End
the Chickering's in the Army and
Place Responsibility for Scandals.
TWO METHODS PROPOSED
REGULAR COURT OF INQUIRY MAY
MAKE THE INVESTIGATION,
Or an Inspection Board May BE APP
the War Commission Reports.


WASHINGTON, Feb. 3.-The purpose of
the President to terminate the unsatisfac-
tory state of affairs that has existed for
some time as the result of the numerous
charges and coGnter-charges and interviews
respecting the character of the army beef
by nstituting q formal inquiry into these
matters and endeavoring to place the re-
sponsibility where it belongs was made
known to-day. This inquiry will not be un-
dertaken before the commission to investi-
gate the conduct of the war has made its
report to the President The scope of this
new inquiry has not been defined but it
certainly will embrace the allegations made
by General Miles as to the character of the
army supplies, and will involve that officer
to the extent that he must make these
charges good, and to that degree will be on
trial himself in a preliminary manner.
Should the charges be found well estab-
lished a heavy responsibility would be
placed on the packers and persons con-
cerned in the meat inspection and perhaps
others; should they fall unsupported Cen
eral Miles may be obliged to answer to a
court martial for rejecting on the character
of other officers.
There are two methods by which such an
investigation may be conducted, 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 inspection board.
In the former case it would be necessary
to name some officer who is to be the sub
ject Of the investigation. In the latter the
board Is charged simply to inquire into a
state of facts or alleged facts, without ref
erence to any particular person, and to
place responsibility, if possible, for any
thing of which complaint is made Their
findings may serve as the basis for a court
martial quite as effectual as the findings
of court of inquiry and has some advan-
tages in that 1t does not begin with the
presumption of a court of inquiry Where
a court of inquiry is ordered, it is said,
there is conveyed a distinct reflection on
the officer named. Because of this, when
the Navy Department requested the War
Department to order q court of inquiry to
investigate the circumstances attending the
killing of a number of Spanish prisoners on
board the Harvard the latter instead, or
dered an inspection board, considering that
the ordering of the court of inquiry might
be looked on as a predecision against our
troops. Such officers boards are frequently
NANNA ACO " ia lCpt'OuSlDllly IOT the loss OF
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 a court of inquiry,
these boards return statements of facts de-
veloped by them on which the superior au-
thorities can act 1t is not possible at pres
ent to learn in which direction the Pres
ident 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. No action is to be taken on either
plan until the report of the war investigat-
ing commission is submitted, which may be
given to the President on Monday.
1t was argued at the Cabinet meeting to-
day that if the packers who had furnished
the beef to the army had fraudulently sup
piled an article of the character charged
by General Miles, the country had a right
TO know it and if the charges were without
foundation the people had an equal right to
know that fact in justice to all concerned
it was agreed to demand that the whole
truth be brought to light. 1t was also agreed.
that General Miles should not be suspended
from his office as commander of the army
pending such investigation as it was not
intended that even by inference should he
be prejudged of any wrong doing in this
connection. The common impression is that
court of inquiry can be ordered only on
the demand of the officer whose conduct is
to be made the subject of investigation
While that is usually the case, there is,
however, a reserve power in the President
to order such a court regardless Of the
wishes of the officer concerned. The author
ss-.. ,f,S,,- H..
Of war, which have the force of statutes.
The article reads as follows:
"A court of inquiry to examine into the
nature of any transaction, or accusation, or
imputation against any officer or soldier.
may be ordered by the President. or by
any commanding officer; but. as courts of
inquiry may be perverted to dishonorable
purposes and may be employed in the hands
of weak and envious commandants as en-
gines for the destruction of military merit.
they shall never be ordered by any COM
manding officer except under a demand by
the officer or soldier whose conduct is to be
inquired into"
1t is suggested that it will be a matter of
difficulty to secure the personnel for even
a court of inquiry, with its limited member
ship, without employing some of the Off
GERS who have already taken some part in
the controversy between General Miles and
General Eagan This. on account Of the
scarcity of available officers of sufficient
rank to warrant their assignment to duty
Up TO the close of the day General Miles
positively declined to discuss in any man.
ner the events of the day, so far as they
relate to himself, or TO discuss any state
ments contained in any OF the interviews
attributed to him. 1t may be said Of these
interviews that while It is conceivable that