The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-08
BEEF COURTS CONCLUSIONS.
Continued from First Page.

sanctioned by the President or Secretary
OF War, the court can but characterize
the acton of the commissary general of
subsistence as unwarranted and reckless,
III that ne ordered the purchase of such
| enormous quantities of a food that was
placucally untried and unknown, and the
| court SO finds
| Inc court also finds that there &c no
srouho Tor any imputation whatever or
| any other actuating motive on the mart
Vi the eommissary general, than the earn
| est desire to procure the best possible
ZOO LOG the troops. The court pronounces
tnls act Of the commissary general of sub
slstence a colossal error, for which there
IS no Daliation."
Inc court finds that there was neglect
IN Cuha and TO less degree in Porto Rico
IN delivering the refrigerated beef.
The fault, if any there was" says the
| court rested with the brigade and high
CT commanding officers and their commits
| saries and quartermasters, but the testi-
mony IS not so definite or specific as to
warrant the naming by the court of any
! particular officers"
10 Iney say that the refrigerated beef was
| at hrst received with great satisfaction.
Ihere is also criticism of The delay in I'M
loading the refrgerating apparatus of
Swift & Co, at Santiago. 1.-The delay in
! tEls matter was the cause of serious loss"
Not Good Travel Ration,
1.-THE court is of the opinion that the
| canned roast beef was not suitable as a
travel ration on transports considering
| the absence of cooking facilities, and the
| absence from that ration of fresh vege-
| tables and condiments. For use on shore
as a field ration, where the companies had
| their camp and cooking equipment and
vegetables were available, canned roast
| beef is suitable for issue. say two days in
| ten, but not for Two days in succession.
THE refrigerated beef is, in the opinion
of the court, suitable ration for troops
when it can be issued to them in good
| condition. -
The court Is of the opinion that the use
of canned fresh and canned corned beef
on the transports was wise, but that the
| former was the less desirable; that for use
of the troops bacon would have been more
| suitable in the circumstances than the
canned roast beef; but that there was no
better food available or practicable"
| where landing facilities were good.
The opinion is expressed that it would
| have been impracticable to land beef cat
| tie on the hoof in Cuba, the remark of the
court on this point being as follows:
THE commanding general of the expedi-
ton characterizes as absurd" such a
| proposition, and many of his commanding
| officers, whose opinions are given in the
| testimony, conceded with him in the i'm
| practicablity or inexpediency of such a
| project"
Packers Not to Blame.
An instruction of the President to the
court was that 'ff the packers of the
| country are guilty it must be known
Replying to this direction, the court
says:
| The court finds that at the outbreak of
| hostilities in April 1898, the packers of
canned beef were engaged in the manu-
| facture of an article of standard quality,
well-known to the trade and the subsst-
ence department, under the name of can
ned roast beef. The methods of packing
| then in use were the same as those ha-
| bitually employed in the preparation of
the meat as an article of commerce, and
| the court does not find that they under
went 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, were made, not at
the solicitation of the packers, or in con-
| sequence of efforts put forth by them for
that purpose, but by the order and upon
the initiative of the commissary general
! of subsistence, such purchases being made
in every case by officers of his depart
ment in the usual manner"
ne was All hl&nI.
Replying specifically to other questions
set out by the President, the court says:
THAT the canned beef was described as
fresh" because it was not sailed, but that
the meat was not old or stale.
| That the refrigerated beef furnished the
| army was mot doctored or Treated with
| any other agency than cold air"
That the meat purchased for the army
was the meat of commerce; that both
| kinds-refri gerated and canned-were such
| as are well known in both hemispheres
| as commercial articles, or which there is
| and has been very large consumption, not
only by the trade generally but by the
| United States navy and by the armies and
navies of Europe"
| That no reports of unfitness or insult
I ability of the beef sent from the United
| States were forwarded to the war depart
ment by any general officer serving in
| Cuba or Porto Rico, while the field oper-
ations were il. progress, nor were any such
reports received until more than one
month after hostilities ceased.
| That barring some defects in methods
| of inspection of the beef on its delivery
| to the subsistence department, the deter
| ioration of the meat in shipment was due
| to the fault of no one.
| Gen. Miles Interviews.
| -
| nevspaper interviews as well as those
made before the war investigation com
! mission, are referred to at length, among
| them being the interview with the general
| semi out from the New York office of the
| Associated Press on the 3lst 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 afidavits
| from men who saw the beef undergoing
| the embalming process"
The court notes the denial which Gen.
Miles makes of this part of the conversa-
| ton. as it was printed in the New York
Herald, but prints the charge as part
| of the allegations, saying on this point:
1.-The testimony of both Mr.. Reid and
| Mr.. Berry of the sew York Times, agree
in the verify of the interview, as re-
| ported by the former, and this is found in
! the Herald clipping. The court does not
| therefore, ignore this paragraph, but
! treats it as a part of the allegations
which are under investigation"
Reports of the Chemists.