The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-02-04
A BEEF INVESTIGATION.
General Miles Will Have 0ppor-.
4 tunity to Prove His Charges.
The BEGINNING OF TIE END.

Should the Charges Of General OF tho
Army Fall Unsupported by Evidence
He May Himself Be Obliged to An
swer to Court Martial.
Washington, Feb. 4.-The purpose Of
the president to terminate the unsatis-
factory state of affairs that has ex-
listed for some time as the result OF
the numerous charges and counter
charges and interviews respecting the
character of the army beef by insti-
tutlng q formal inquiry into these
matters and endeavoring to place the
responsibility where 1t belongs, was
made known yesterday. This inquiry
will not be undertaken before the COM
mission to investigate the conduct of
the war has made it's report to the
president.
The scope of this new inquiry has
not been defined, but 1t certainly will
embrace the allegations made by Cen
eral Miles as to the character Of the
army supplies and will involve that
officer to the extent that he must make
these charges good, and to that degree
will be on trial himself in a preliminary
manner. Should the charges be found
well established heavy responsibility
would be placed upon the packers and
persons concerned in the meat inspec-
tions and perhaps others Should they
fall unsupported General Miles may be
obliged to answer to a court martial
for rejecting upon the character of
other officers. -.
Thara a ra typ thnIr hv which snpn
an investigation may be conducted, ac-
cording to established military usage.
The first is by the appointment of what
is known as an officers or inspection
board. In the former case it would lre
necessary to name some officer who is
to be the subject of investigation. In
the latter the board is charged simply
to inquire into state of facts or al
legged facts. without reference to any
particular persons, and to place re-
sponsibilty, If possible, for anything
of which complaint is made. Their
findings NAV serve as the basis for a
court martial quite as effectively as the
findings Of court of inquiry, and has
some advantages in that it does not
begin with the presumption of court
Of inquiry.
Where a court Of inquiry Is ordered
1t is said there Is conveyed a distinct
reflection upon the officer named. Be
cause of this. when the navy depart
ment requested the war del artmcnt to
order court Of inquiry to investigate
the circumstances attending the kill
ing of number of Spanish prisoners
on board the Harvard the latter instead
ordered an inspection board, consider
ing that the ordering of the court of in
Quiry might be looked upon as pre-
decision against our troops. Such
officers boards are frequently ordered
TO ilx responsibility for the loss or dam
age Of stores, and several of them
have been appointed during the war to
look into the loss Of meats, notably in
the case of that shipped to Porto Rico
and returned to MOntauk y'oint. Like
a court of inquiry. these boards re-
turn statements of facts developed by
them upon which the superior authori-
ties can act.
1t Is not possible at present to learn
in which direction the president leans,
but he has been in conference on the
subject with the secretary of war and
the attorney general, and the matter
has been discussed in the cabinet to
some extent. AS before stated, how
ever no action is to be taken on either
plan until the report of the war in
vcstigating commission is submitted.
Up to the close Of the day General
Miles positively declined to, discuss in
any manner the events of the day So
far as they relate to himself. or to dis
cuss any statements contained in any
of the interviews attributed to him. 1t
may be said of these interviews that
while it is conceivable they might fig
ure, they would not do so Of necessity.
for the matters TO be first looked into
are those connected with the character
Of the army beef.