The evening times., 1899-01-27
The Beef Scandal Grows,

1t is now revealed that the Chicago
meat companies. General Eagan, and the
alger Relief Commission entered on a
scheme not only TO discredit the witnesses
against the beef, but also to prevent a
thorough investigation of the charges. 1t is
now known that former large meat pack
CT warned Secretary Alger before the War
with Spain that the canned beef was dan
gerous ana would lead to an unparalleled
horror ii it should be fed to the army.
This gentleman was Mr.. Clarke Marshall
the inventor OF the canning process, one
Of whose statements has been published
in The Times. That the AIger Relief
Commission was disposed TO endeavor to
refute General Miles testimony rather
than to expose the truth about the pois-
oning OF our soldiers was shown by the
Indignation OF Mr.. DENLY over the injury
! 10 the meat industry and not over the
outrage of supplying poisonous rations 10
the army. The kilograms OF the agent of
the Chicago packers here, G. j. Brine,
have been obtained. and it is affirmed
that they prove that Mr.. Denby suggested
efforts TO discredit DR.. DAILY, one of the
witnesses before The Commission. This is
the sort of immunity the Algerians
Cffer.
The beef scandal is assuming vast pro-
portions. Agent Brine's eagerness 10 pre-
vent searching enquiry is most signif-
cant In a telegram to the packers he as
serts that the department is satisfied
with the explanation" Then follows an
attack on DIR. DAILY and the information
that Evans, Swift's man." had gone to
Pittsburg 10 collect something against the
standing of that officer Now is the criti
cal time for us" he says. If there were
nothing crooked there could be no criti-
cal time for the packers, and il is clear
enough that the desire for something
against the witness was The only hope of
preventing the Eagan court from
going deep into the business. Brine wires:
"Court-martial Of f. hes commenced with
closed doors at present. My authority here
says will last week. which, if true. indi-
Gates investigation will cover more than
actual charges made" This is what makes
the time critical. In previous tele-
gram Brine said he had a long talk with
E, who is very grateful for assurances
and / am sure he is perfectly satisfied
to date" This is full of meat, and sug-
gests a great deal. e. thinks the testi-
mony already given Overwhelmingly fav-
orable. and navy not probable to be called
up at all. There. gentlemen of the court,
is pointer that may prove of enormous
value.
g
What the Alger Relief Commission will re-
port is obvious enough. in spite of the
overwhelming and conclusive testimony of
no less than threescore witnesses-many of
them regular army officers, who cannot be
discredited. The efforts that the packers.
the War Department. and the Algerians
are shown to have made and to be making
TO hush up the scandal and to prevent an
honest enquiry that will reveal all the
facts, suggest that there is far more in
this business than anybody has yet charg-
ed. They have called off Inspector Cen
eral Breckenridge, who was making an in
yestigation, and sent him out of the coun-
try on a three years tour; they have tried
to induce the President to remove General
Miles, who is still gathering proof of the
truth of his statements; they have begun
a personal war on Dr. DAILY, and the AL
ger Commission has failed to call the hun
dreds, even thousands, of trustworthy Of
ficers and men who will bear out every
thing that has been said against the meat
supplied TO the army. The Alger Commits
sioners pretended to believe no chemicals
were ever used in canning beef, and it has
not included in its records the report of
Chemist Wiley, of the Department of Agri-
culture. showing that acids are so used and
sometimes develop ptomaines that are ia
tai to life. There are twenty regimental
commanders with the army in Porto Rico
who examined the beef and confirm the
Miles charges, yet they have never been
called upon to testify.
The stencil of the scandal rivals that of
the beef. II the Eagan court does not go
into the matter and call on naval officers,
also. Congress must act to save the Ad-
ministration from utter damnation. The
country will not allow the meat men to
unite with officers of the Government in
an effort TO defeat an honest investiga-
tion of what has assumed the nature of a
crime-the feeding of poisoned meat to our
soldiers for the profit of the packers and
probably of others. The light must be
turned on and it will be bad for the Ad-