The Elbert County tribune., 1899-05-11
WASHINGTON GOSSIP
ANDeDEPARTMENT NEWS

c,srxameaga. Camp AIger- and Mon.
..',,r Paint The board visited all
,,,asa noints and found thnt not only
....s tj,ere- great deal more -f!phoid
,han was nj first supposed, Dut tnat
.i'a eurpeons. mostly Of the volunteer
.Isxs In wore from ignorance or other
,,a,tyes treating and reporting typhoid
,,,,,,,r r,u,. the names of--.persIstent--sn ma
,a,ia ..indigestion," gastric feyer"
and atypho-maiaria-y Qenernt Hern.
i,aro referred to tlie appointment OF
yolunteer medical army officers ~ me
Governors of states. the former mere
by becoming responsible Tor tne hehItn
OF our camps- Most q The vomnteer
'rrnactation or lighting mo end of ma
,,,tns In one regiment each man. was
nrovided with 200 grains of quinine
and n tbree-ounce bottle of paregoric.
Tbe great bulk OF supposed malarial
eases7 wer,. not malarinl affections at
aII but many of the doctors, regard
loss of this dosed their patients with
thirty to forty grains Of auinine each
day.
Nv direction of the President, who
approyes the findings, Acting Secretary
OF War. .AIeil,lejohn has made pnhlic
the report and.findfrigs OF tire military
court appointed to investigate the
charges made by Major General Afiies.
commanding the army, that the beef
supplied to the army during ,tbef wnr
with Spain was unfit for the use Of the
troops. The most important fentures
OF the report are: The finding that
the generals charges that the refriger-
ated beef WAS treated with chemicals
were not established; that his allega-
tons concerning the canned fresh or
canned roast beef were sustained as
to lis unsuitability for food as used
on the transports and as a long contin-
ued field ration censure, of General
Miles for error in falling to prompt
Iy notify. the secretary of war when
he first formed the opinion that the
food was unfit; censure of the commits
sary general then General Eganl for
the too expensive purchases of the
canned beef as an untried rations cen-
sure Of Colonel Maus of General Miles
staff; the finding that the packers were
not at fault and that. the meats sup
piled to the army were of the same
quality as those supplied to the trade
generally and the recommendations that
nc further proceedings will be taken
| In the premises. The report places the
qunntity of canned roast beef pur-
chased for the war by the commissary
department at $751; ,174 pounds. includ-
ing $4,000 pounds which was brought
from Liverpool land other English
points. This amount Is characterized
MS excessive and the commissary gem
ernl General Egan) is severely criti-
cised in several parts of the docu-
mepts on this score - One OF the sever
est rebukes is MS follows. considering
the little use that has been made of
this beef In the regular army. the
probability that the volunteers were
entirely Ignorant Of 1t, that Its use as
n part of the field ration had never
been sanctioned by the President or
secretary of war. the court can but
characterize the action of the commits
sary general Of subsistence as unwar-
wanted and reckless in that, he ordered
the purchase Of such enormous quanti-
ties of food that was practically un-
| tried and, unknown. and the court so
finds. The court also finds that there
Is no ground for any imputation what
ever or any other nctuating motive on
the part OF thcl lcommissary general
than the earnest desire to procure the
best possible food for the troops. The
court pronounces this act of the COM
missary general of subsistence n colos-
sal error for which there is no pallia-
| ton" rislif eiti tis lfuf-aIlrIys yt- 81