The times., 1899-03-03

gradually disappeared. anu IL was hth'i
very widely held. for obvious reasons.
Now let us consider the testimony 81
those who declared that the beef was bad.
One of them was a surgeon of the army.
who might be supposed to know somethinG
about the wholesomeness of food and its
effect on the men. Eighteen were army of
fcers and six were enlisted men. All these
had had the beef served out to them and
their men, and had at least tried to eat il
Those who managed to swallow any inva
riably found the consequences unpleasant.
Colonel Miner OF the Sixth Infantry, said
that he believed that it had been used for
making beef extract and then canned VI
and sold. Colonel Powell. of the Ninth In
fantry, said the stuff was more like wet
seaweed than anything else. Captain
Hughes of the Thirteenth Infantry, said
that the men would not eat the beef at all,
preferring to go hungry, which is about as
strong an argument. under the circum
stances. as could be used against it. Sur
geon Daily declared that even the flies
would not eat the embalmed beef, and if a
fly is fanciful about his diet nobody ever
discovered it before.
But it was when the enlisted men came
on the stand that the strongest testimony
came out. These men were accustomed TO
say what they had to say in good strong
Saxon phrases. and they were as thor
oughly convinced of the unwholesomeness
of that beef that they had Joined the
army. One was questioned at some length
in an apparent effort to make him say
something which could be considered fa
vorable, but the examination ended alb
ruptly when he delivered himself of this:
Well. sir. it didn't look good when you opened
il, and it didn't taste good when You eating
II. and II didn't seem TO do YOU no good after
you had eaten ii.
| What mere do the American people want ?
AS for the neutral testimony. that does not
count. There is too little of it, and it is
only negative. If twenty -four men say that
they know murder was done and three
declare that they know nothing about it,
one takes the testimony of the twenty-four
in preference to that of the three. We
have the emphatic statement of General
| Miles and of numbers of officers and of
hundreds of enlisted men that the Alger
beef was not fit for human consumption.
Any person of ordinary common sense will
conclude that they are telling the truth.
Shoulder Straps in Congress.
From the point of view of good nature
and good fellowship. the House yesterday
covered itself with glory in refusing TO un-
seat General Wheeler and a few other
members holding commissions in the mil
itary service of the United States. The
friends of the gallant fighter. whom no
body admires more than we do. were what
| one might call "canny" in seizing upon a
collateral point to accomplish their object.
when, on the direct issue, they might have
/ felt compelled, on constitutional grounds,
to vote otherwise.
Happily they We're saved the necessity
I for such obnoxious action. The basic law
( of the land still warns us in terms as plain
I as the English language can state them
that a member of Congress, while holding
/ that office. shall not occupy any other po-
sition of trust or profit under the Govern
ment. But we presume that the mandate Is
regarded as an unpleasant thing which it is
as well to dodge, lest it might hit some
body Of personal popularity.
Were it not for slight and doubtless
questionable tendency to adhere TO the
Constitution and law, we would be the first
TO congratulate the House upon its action
Among all the men prominently before and
dear 10 the American people, We consider
the doubly-starred Joseph Wheeler as just
ly in the foremost rank. If we could ad
just the conditions to our political con-
science it would delight US to see him at
one and the same time Lieutenant Gen.
eral, Senator, Colonial Governor. Chief
Justice Of the Supreme Court, Bishop OF
the Diocese Of Washington. and Secretary
of the Treasury. In principle, under tht
constitutional inhibition. it is our reluctan
conclusion that he might as we'll, legally
be all these. as member of Congress and
coincidently, a major general of yolun
teers.
But the House, in its wisdom" has es
tablished the precedent. Let future Con
crosses note the fact that precedents. lik,
curses. are pretty certain to come home t,
roost,"
Among the myriad of stars which vii
appear after sundown this evening we car
reasonably count four which in future vii
adorn the admirals flag of George Dewey
They will be fixed stars for the next te.
years at least, and il they do not prove t
be of the first magnitude then history an,
prophecy would better resign and go out O
the business
Il am confident" said the Rev. Same
June Barrows, in a recent interview tina
my experience as member of Congress
as well as a journalist and a maker o
books, will be OF much value 10 me in m
new Office Unless the signs are all asl,ew
the confidence of the Rev. Samuel Jun
Barrows viii be wasted upon a frigi,