Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-02-23

court Of inquiry yesterday made a good |
start in its work. Calls of ceremony |
on the president and the general COM |
handing the army occupied a large |
part of the forenoon, and Immediately
thereafter Gen. Nelson A. Miles ap-
peared as the first witness. He and
three other army officers summoned as
witnesses were examined and disposed
of before the court closed its session at
o'clock Miles testimony of course
was the feature of the days proceed
ings. 1t was said after the court adj
journed that DR.. DAILY, whose original
"embalmed beef" report was the begin
ming of the meat controversy, probably
would appear at today's session.
In speaking of the beef used in Cuba
and Porto Rico, Gen. Miles said he was
much in favor of feeding the troops
hoof beef and said the native beef
killed at night could be very we'll
fed to the men next day. He said that
native beef would keep as well as the
refrigerated beef, in the absence OF
cooling apparatus on shore, unless the
refrigerated beef was chemically treat
ed WIN preSerVdLlVeS.
Asked how long he was in Porto
Rico before he advised the department
against sending more refrigerated beef,
Miles said that he learned of the large
supply of native cattle soon after
landing and he advised the war depart
ment the next day after getting ashore.
Referring to canned roast beef as dis
tinguished from refrigerator beef, Col.
Davis read a portion of Miles war
commission testimony condemning it
in severe terms. Miles said canned
roast beef was issued to volunteers and
regular troops alike on transports
and in Cuba, till the arrival
of refrigerator beef 1t was fully test
ed by both the regulars and Volun-
teers. The first complaints Of it, Miles
said, he heard at Tampa from some of
the rough riders from San Antonio,
but he paid little attention to it at the
time, not realizing fully that there had
been any change from the standard
ration. He again heard of it aboard
the Yale when the men declared that
they could not eat it and he ordered
the inspector to inquire into it. Again
he heard of it in the trenches at San
tiagO but he was still largely occupied
with the campaign and thought moth
ing more of the complaints than he
would of hearing some man kicking
about his coffee or his bareback.
What finally drew his attention seri-
ously to the matter was an officers re-
weak and Frustrated. This was in Au-
gust when the question OF
parade Though New York
was preached. Gen. Bates at
that time reported only about one
fifth of the men at Montauk Point in
a condition to march through New
York. Miles said this seemed to him
remarkable as there was no yellow
fever al the Point, and he thought that
the men certainly ought to be over
their malaria. He therefore ordered
an inquiry into the beef about which
there had been so much complaint.
Did you report this matter at the time
to the cOmmissary Officer" asked MT.
Davis. Miles leaned forward, drawing
his brows to a furrow, and replied
fOrcefully: Il am not required, sir, to
report to the cOmmissary general. -
well, did you report it to the secre-
tary of war;" asked Mr. Davis Miles
in reply went at some length into an
explanation of the routine of army
headquarters, showing why he pre-
ferred to conclude his inquiry so that
he might have something tangible
to present to the secretary.
Davis asked why the commanding gen
eral delayed definite action in the beef
matter and Miles responded that he de-
layed because ne did not want to act
until he secured the best authority
which was information from the most
reliable sources. Finally he issued an
order to the officers to report upon the
quality of the beef furnished. He did
not report directly to the secretary uf
war because under the rule of 1890 the
order should go from the adjutant
general to the secretary.
His attacks upon canned and refrig-
Grated beef before the war commission
were then taken up specifically, Davis
reading the testimony of the COM
handing general in which he referred
to it as "embalmed beef" and said that
it had been sent as a "pretense of ex-
pertinent Miles was asked if
he knew when the war
began that canned roast beef
was part of the army ration. This
question brought out partial explain
alton of his using the phrase, "a pre-
tense of experiment" He said that he
did not know that canned roast beef
was part of the army ration, though
in 1888, an order had been issued in
Guiding canned corned or fresh beef.
He did not understand that the canned
beef now in question was meant When
his attention was finally attracted to
the canned roast beef recently issued,
he assumed, he declared, that cit was
being issued as an experiment, since
it was not understood by him that the
canned roast beef was part of the
regular ration. Continuing his explain
alton. Miles said he thought his use of
'pretense of experiment. was unfor-
tunate and he disclaimed any intention
to lmpute fraud to anyone. GAS far
as indicating fraud he said, 81
wish to state that no such inference
was intended. 1t was perhaps an I'M
fortunate expression, and had my at
tention been called to it | might have
amended it to say-well on the the
DRY of an experiment. As matter of
fact il was an eyDerimapt and n Vow