Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-01-04
more ABOUT BEEF
IT Is THE LEADING POST-BELLrM
QUESTION At PRESENT.
RIGID INQUIRY TO BE MADE
WAR INVESTIGATION COMMISSION TO
TAKE NATTER Up.
Chicago Packers Deny Allegations of
General Milcs-Cnptnin Hutchins
Declares the Beef Was First
CIuss-BOard of survey
at Work.
RIGID INQUIRY TO BE MADE

made about the beef furnished the army
in the eXpeditionary campaigns Sum
mons was made to-day for the appearance
before the commission next Friday. of Ma
jor DAILY, the chief surgeon at army head
quarters at Tampa prior to the depart
ure of the Shafter expedition, who made
= vigorous report, forwarded by General
Miles in condemnation of the beef The
Swift Packing Company. of Chicago. Will
be heard next Monday. in defense of these
supplies. There was only ore witness to-
day, Colonel James NJ Moore, assistant
quartermaster general of the army, who
appeared merely to correct some errors
in the report of previous testimony.
Commissary General Eagan has bean
steadily prosecuting the inquiry into meth
DDS followed ny the big meat packing
houses in putting up the meats supplied
to the army during the war. Last week
he made public formal statement from
the Armour company, and to-day he gave
out for publication the following letters,
addressed to Lieutenant Colonel o. NJ.
Smith, purchasing ommissary at Chicago.
which came from save one of the firms
which supplied t army meats. either re-
frigerated or GAINED:
Swift & Co, Chicago, Dec. 2S.-ln re-
plying to you'll letter of the 9th inst, we
wish to state',that we do not put up
timed beef; thA fore. are not able to an
swer your interfogations with regard to
timed beef. We are slaughterers and ship
pers of refrigerated beef, and in all of our
experience have never used any chemi-
Gals whatsoever with refrigerated beef.
We have made shipments of refrigerated
beef to Santiago Cuba and Porto Rico and
have supplied the United States army dur
ing the month of December at the follow
ing places: Admission, Ala: Huntsville,
Ala; Knoxville, Tenn; Savannah. Ga:
Augusta, Ga; Greenville, 5. c.: Somer.
vile, s. C.. and Columbia. S. c. Beef
shipped TO Santiago. Cuba and Porto Rico,
and to varioIs United States camps. has
been handled in exactly the same way as
that used to supply our various branch
houses at different cities and towns in the
United States and England. with which
anyone can become familiar by visiting
our branch houses and slaughtering
Libby Mcneil & Libby Incorporated,
ChicaSo.-ln reply to your letter OF the
2Ith. in regard to roast beef. We first COM
1t is sold by all wholesale grocers and
retailers. and used by the mass of people,
especially in mining camps. Large guam
titles have been consumed by the Alaska
trade the last two years; also in South
Africa in the mining regions. We also
snip large quantities of it TO our foreign
trade, especially Scotland. and large guam
titles have been used by other govern
ments. and especially in the French army.
In cooking the beef. before putting into
cans. there is naturally more or less Juice
that comes from the meat. the same rs
there Is when cooking it at home, wnicn
is sometimes saved and used in making
soups. The beef is not cooked for the ex-
tract. In regard to the cooking of roast
oeef. We consider 1t must be cooked rs
much as corned beef to make it tender
the same as corned beef but it is done
under 4 higher degree of heat, and. cor
sequently, does not take as long to cook it,
n
foreign ingredients and scraps being used
in putting up this meat. will say we use
nothing but good. wholesome, sound. gov
ernment-inspected beef, and no scraps of
any description are used. The fat in any
can Is part of and belongs to the beef
which is packed in the can. There is none
poured in. We do not handle refrigerated
beef"
Nelson Morris & Co.. Chicago-"Your IA
For OF the 2,th inst. requesting information
according to extract of a letter received at
your Office, has come to hand and We here
with beg to submit TO you all the informa-
ton at our command. We have manufac-
tured and sold timed roast beef for the
last eighteen years, or thereabouts, selling
it principally to the wholesale grocery
houses. and provision dealers; and timed
roast beef is and has been used by all
classes of people. We have. for years. sup
Piled this article. directly or indirectly, TO
the British government for use of the navy.
also the French government and to our
government for the use of the navy: in the
latter case before, during. and after the
Spanish war, and made our sales Ipon
samples inspected and approved by the
proper board OF INSPECTORS;
We make no soup from TIE water and no
chemicals are used in preparing 1t. We have
never used. and do not use, scraps in put
of meat, parts of the carcasses and use
such parts in the making of timed roast
beef.
We never pour in tallow of any kind. at
any time. We cut up with the meat when
it is raw, the fat that properly belongs to
and is part of the meat. We do not use
ever with refrigerated beef. and see 10
reason why any should be used
Commissary General Eagan late in the
afternoon gave out for publication some
additional correspondence relative to crit
icisms passed by General Miles upon the
quality of the meat supplied to the army
during the war.
First is letter from Major Black. who
was General Miles commissary officer
during the Porto Rican campaign. In view
OF the regulations forbidding the destruc-
tion or condemnation of any supplies eX-
cept upon the finding of a properly con-
stituted board of survey. he was asked as
to the correctness of a statement attributed
to General Miles that 10000 pounds of
canned beef had been condemned in Porto
Rico. His reply was as follows:
Replying to your communication of de-
cember 81, relative to boards of survey
I have the honor to state that I find no
port of boards of survey on refrigerated
beef or timed roast beef among my pa
pers.'
Following up the inquiry into the alle-
cations against the quality of the roast
beef furnished the army. General Easan
says he directed Il special examination to
be made OF all the meat the minute Ee
heard the first complaint. The first report
to come to, hand was the following:
Office Purchasing and Depot Commissary,
Tampa. Fla, Dec 81. 1898.
Commissary General Eagan. Washington.
Str:-lt has Just occurred TO me that.
with the intensely unjust things that have
been said about the beef business connects
ed with the ,commissary generals Depart
ment. it might he gratifying to you to re-
member that. under your direction. I ex-
amined a very large number of cans OF
beef. both roast and corned representing
hundreds of thousands of cans and found
none bad. You Will remember that l did
this with a great deal of care and it oc-
CURED to me that. inasmuch as | went
through the war of lS6l-5 from beginning
to end and issued this kind of beef TO both
war and having made this examination as
referred to- it would be gratifying 10 You
to know personally that I have never
seen in this somewhat extended experience
better beef in cans than You have fur
nished. | trust you will pardon this Seems
ing intrusion. but l cannot refrain from
the good quality of this beef. | am. very
Captain and Commissary Surgeon, Tnitei
States Volunteers. Purchasing and i, pot
The last of the letters relate to the is
sue raised between General Miles and Gem
erai Eagan as to the authorship of a GER
tain newspaper criticism upon the army
supplies and include General Eagan.s and
General Miles reply. as follows:
The Tn. Adjntant General of the Army.
from the New York journal. dated New
York. Friday. December %. 1895 headed
Miles makes grave charges against the adj
the soldiers iii; tons of bad meat sent TO
troops in Porto Riro' etc.
In view of the grave charges made in