The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-02-21
visits of courtesy, and after two pho
tographsrs made pictures Of the court,
Colonel Davis announced his readiness

Colonel Davis announced his readiness
to proceed, and read the orders con-
vening the court and its instructions.
Following the reading of the order,
which has been published already, Col
onel Davis read a letter from Ad1u-
tant General Corbin in response to a
letter from General Wade, President of
the court, explaining more specifically
the lines along which the court was ex-
pected to investigate.
The court was then sworn, and Major
General Miles was presented as the
first witness. He appeared in fatigue
uniform and was sworn. After stat
ink his rank and Office, he was asked
about his statement before the War
Commission He said he made one,
and upon Colonel Davis submitting a
printed report of that statement, Gen
eral Miles examined and approved it,
Then he was asked about an alleged
interview, which appeared in thes N
York. Journal of December .stl,
whether it represented completely or in
part what he said.
General Miles read it. Then he said:
st do not recall anything in that in
terview that had not been given in my
testimony, or transmitted in my reports.
You will observe it contains a. number
of my destinations to name officers or
my authorities and refusals to answer.
1t must, therefore, be incorrect in its
representations.
He then commented upon the gen.
eral slight inaccuracy of newspaper in
terviews, owing to the dependency CT
writers upon their memories Hardly
q n ci bic bod od fIot ~,
interviewer had not applied, and be-
cause of the kindness of the press to
the army and especially the enlisted
men, he had endeavored to give them
such information as he thought wise
and safe, but never, he said, with a
view to prejudicing anyone against any
person or department.
Finally General Miles said he did not
think the Journal interview repre-
scented correctly what he had said. be-
cause its contents should be taken in
connection with all that was said, his
silence upon some points and speech
upon Others
When he was asked about an inter-
view in the New York Herald of Feb
ruary LIST, he said: Il have letter
from the gentleman, who l understand
wrote this, in which he. says he is will
ing to swear that 1 declined to be in
terviewed, and that thinking something
had been given out, he had proceeded
to write what he knew were the facts
He then pointed out that the inter-
view was erroneous, in that it repre-
sented him as having said that he had
overwhelming evidence that the re-
refrigerated beef was treated with
chemicals. The fact was that his only
evidence was what was contained in the
reports of officers and statements of
men who claimed that the beef had the
odor of chemicals in it; that they had
seen fluid injected into beef and other
indications of chemical treatment. He
declared the interview an erroneous
presentation of what he could possibly
have said
Colonel Davis, recurring to the state
ment of General Miles before the War
Commission, asked him what his idea
as to the beef supply for the army was
When war. broke out.
Replying, General Miles said while
his attention was occupied with
weightier problems of mobilization and
equipment of troops, he felt confident
that the usage of 100 years would be
followed, and that cattle herds would
be shipped to the army in the tropics
and killed there, just as they were dur
ing the civil war in the South in Ari-
iona, Texas and in Mexico, where it
was so hot the soldiers could not sit
upon the rocks. He understood Cuba
and Porto Rico We're excellent grass
countries; cattle could be shipped and
kept in prime condition.
He reviewed his action in cabling the
department to send no more refriger-
ated beef to Porto Rico while he was
there, finding it possible to use beef on
the hoof.
General Miles said he understood that
our troops in Porto Rico We're still be-
ing supplied with a form of refriger-
ated beef, although the country was az
good grass country as any in the
world, and cattle there were plentiful,
and the Spanish troops secured all theii
meat supply from this source.
Colonel Davis asked if General Miles
knew whether Porto Rico exported any
cattle.
Witness said it did to the number oi
several thousand, and they We're fire
cattle. Still, he understood that our
troops We're not only receiving refrig-
ing sent into the interior The situa-
ton now, he said, was different from
that during the war. Now there We're
ice machines on shore Then there was
not ice enough for the hospitals
Recurring to the expediency of feed
ing the troops hoof beef in Porto Rico.
General Miles said he was much in IA
vor of it.
ir1ly
Davis. that the, native beef would
keep as we'll as the refrigerated beef
in the absence of cooling apparatus on
shore?"
Il am quite sure it would, unless the
refrigerated beef was chemically treat
ed with preservatives. If it was treat
ed so as to keep for seventy-two hours
after coming out of the coolers, of
course it had the advantage of the
native beef so far as keeping goes
Asked how long he was in Porto Rico
before he had advised the department
against sending any more refrigerated
beef. General Miles said he had learned
of the large supply of native cattle
soon after landing and advised the
War Department the next day after
getting ashore.
Referring to the canned roast beef
as distinguished from the refrigerated
beef, Colonel Davis read a portion of
General Miles War Commission testi-
mony condemning it in severe terms.
General Miles said the canned roast
beef was issued to volunteers and regu-
lar troops alike on the transports and
in Cuba until the arrival of the refrig
orator beef 1t was fully tested by both
the regulars and volunteers The first