New-York tribune., 1899-03-25
crVcrPF FOR TRTTH SEEKERS.

What is heralded as the SECRETARY VI wa
"indirert censure' OF General Miles ana "eheI"i
Rrecl,inridge for presuming without his au'hor
itv 10 make Investigations ana seek 'eS'i'n'ii'
concerning the beef sent 10 the soluelS "'"i
he inOpporiune as n ccnsure. Inc cehsuic
censure is involved in the order mat hereafter
officers Of the InSprctorGcnerals department
shall not proceed from point TO point ior 'ne
nurpose Of making Investigations without 'he
authority of the Secretary OF War-comes 100
Lotto or else is pasSod TOO soon. Some time ago
Il might have prevented friends OF General
Nuos from seeking evidence to bring before Il
court bv which General Miles and they were III
oil hut form on rial Some time hereafter the
result of The inquiry may furnish material lor
orders conveying praise or blame, direct OF ihui'
,oc, Jus, at present official locking Of the doors
through which knowledge OF witnesses whose
evidence should be brought before the board OF
Inouirv may hc ohtained would be ineffective
and impolitc. Too much evidence has already
been obtained. The character OF much or the
beef furnished 10 the Army the facts that II IS
generally described by those who used II as nm
ft for human food" that II was OF poor quality
70 start with and had given much OF It's virtue
10 make beef extract in tho process OF canning,
are TOO well understood
The people who have been anxious TO vindi-
cate the beef-whether 10 discrcdit General
Miles or for some other purpose II is unnecessary
10 inuuire-have an opportunity 10 vindicate
their own motives by accepting the proofs al
ready found and assisting in a more complete
exposure Of the evils they were slow 10 believe
existed They may resist or even prevent full
revelations henceforth. But they cannot blot
out what is already known, and any attempts
AZ suppression will only deepen the conviction
that the soldiers were wretchedy -fed and
strengthen the suspicion that the ill-feeding was
due 10 more than incompetence and was the re-
snlt of crime There is no vindcaton 10 be
lad by censuring or tying the hands of tie men
through whose efforts the overwhelming test!-
mony so far submitted to the court has been
secured The attempt would only discredlt
those making 1t. The coincidence of an "ndi-
rect censure" on Inspector General Breckn-
ridge for seeking evidence on the beef question
with President Elots euogy of the higher kind
"of courage which at the expense Of calumny
"and obloouy seeks fearlessly to make known
"the truth would not be without significance.
The American people want to know the truth.
| Whoever keeps them from knowing the whole
truth must be prepared to accept the peoples
]
/ have OF the way their sons scl;ened and died
on the maggoty. unwholesone stuff called meat,
appropriately described 10 the court as only lii
for fertilizer
The new rule Of the War Department IN itself
seems simple enough. II appears merely 10
settle question of long standing and though Il
does restrict the power OF General Miles In or
dering inspections We think the Interpretation
strained which would regard II as censure OF
the Major General Commanding. or as an at
tempt 10 hamper him in presenting his case 10
the Court OF Inquiry. ANY such design would
be foolish as we have just pointed ont Yet
before the order Is actually promug ted
through the official channels we find critics Of
General Miles saying that 1t Is m indirect
censure Of the InspectorGenern for 'devoting
"his time 10 work for the benefit OF General
Miles" and that II is made because tho Secre
tary discovered that officers of his own De
"partment were making Independent invesi!sa
lions Of " hich he had no knop ledge evidently
Intended 10 undermine the authority NJ the
head of the Department aad that of board NJ
officers appointed by direction Of the Presi