The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-14
CENSURED.
Eagan s Language Is
Not Liked
BY WAR BOARD.
His Statement Is Returned
to Him.

Washington, Jan. 13.-There was no
abatement in the interest exhibited
here today in all the incidents con-
nected with the bitter attack made yes
terday by Commissary General Eagan
upon Major General Nelson A. Miles.
AS might have been expected, mat
ter of this official consequence was sure
to attract the attention of the presi-
dent. and in consequence the greater
part of the session of the cabinet today
was given to it's consideration. The
principals in the case Gems. Miles and
Eagan, contributed little during the day
to the controversy, but the war invest
igating commission today acted
promptly to redress the affront put
upon the board itself, as the members
regarded it, contained in the excessive
language used by Gen. Eagan.
Their letter returning the latter's
statement, may not indicate positively
whether or not they would receive it as
evidence, even though the objection
able language was excised, nor did
Gen. Eagan himself give any sign of
self of the offer made by the board
His friends did not hesitate to init
mate that he would eXpunge the objec-
tionable language, but he would say
nothing for himself and any intimation
on that score must be obtained from
the board itself.
The war department officials are not
yet clear as to what would be the eff
feet of withdrawal or modification of
fhn statement l,ot
officially the record, failing to show
that any Objectionable language had
been used. there would be no legal Of
Tense.
Another takes the view that while the
amendment of the statements would
mitigate Gen. Eagans offense, it would
not wipe it out. Another aspect of the
case is the bringing forward of a plea
OF exemption which guaranteed in the
name of the president all of the wit
nesses before the board from conse-
quences of what they might say. But
again, the officials were divided, and
this was also true of members Of the
cabinet as to whether the exemption
could be claimed in this particular
case.
Meanwhile. Gen. Miles is apparently
waiting for the war department to act
taking the position that it is incumbent
upon it and the war commission to pro-
tect the army from such attacks. In
the excitement created by this incident
the pending issue before the commits
sion. the quality of the army beef was
well nigh lost sight Of There were
however, two piquant additions today
to that part of the proceedings, one
consisting of the testimony of Gen.
Wood. to the effect that no one who
amounted to anything had made any
complaint as to the rations, and the
other of letter from Theodore Roose-
welt, making very severe complaint
regarding the beef.
Gen. Miles, when asked what official
action, If any, would be taken regard
ing Gen. Eagan's attack, replied that
he had not made any statement on
the subject and did not intend to fore
cast the proceedings of the war de-
partment. When it was suggested
that the war department was estopped
from any proceedings against Gen.
Eagan, on the ground of the protec-
ton promised by the president to all
witnesses in their testimony before the
war investigating commission, Gen.
Miles said that there might DO some
question as to the dividing line be-
tween testimony and personal abuse
that in his opinion any court of justice,
or, for that matter, police court,
would have stopped a witness who had
used before it such language as was
used before the war commission yes
terday.
Gen. Miles said: "I did not want to
appear before the war commission, in
the first place. When they wrote me.
suggesting that / voluntarily appear
before them, / replied that / believed
1t to be for the best interests of the
service for me not to volunteer any
testimony. When / was ordered before
the commission, and they asked me
concerning certain facts that / then
had in my possession, l was obliged as
matter of honesty to answer them,
and produced official complaints to
me as my best reply. Even then, I
did not tell them all the facts which I
had discovered by my own investiga-
ton.
This inquiry was carried on quietly
through the proper branches of the
war department and was begun as a
matter of duty by the commanding
general, after the receipt of an inn
mense number of complaints. That
investigation is still being prosecuted,
and still think, as ! said before, that
it would have been much better had the
officers of the war department who
have in charge the care and proper
feeding of the soldiers been allowed to
attend to these matters quietly in
their own way.
The following letter was made public
today by Gen Miles, bearing on the
quality of the army beef. which he had
received from Gov. Roosevelt:
Estate of New York, Executive Cham
Der, Albany, N. Y, Jan. 9th. 1899
"Gen. Nelson A. Miles, War Depart
ment, Washington, D. G.
my Dear Gen. Miles: I do not dis
tinctly understand about this beef con-
troversy, but possibly what l have to
write may be of some use.
1.-THE canned corn beer we found to
be good. The so-called canned roast
beef that was issued to us for travel
rations, both in the transport and on
the train and which we occasionally got
even at the front, was practically
worthless. Unless very hungry the
men would not touch it, and even when
suffering from lack of food, they never
ate fifth of 1t.
"At the best it was tasteless; at the
worst, it was nauseating, There was
also a supply of beef in the shape Of
quarters) which was put aboard our
transport at TaTppa, le was supposed to
be fitted by SOME process to withstand
tropical heat. 1t at once became pu
trid and smelt so that we had to dis
pose OF 1t for fear Of its creating dis
ease I think we threw IL overheard