The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-13
EaEnn Blamed for Using violent Lam
ported, UnswOrn Charges.
Mr.. HILLS CURRENCY BILL
EFFORT WILL BE MADE TO PASS II
IN THE HOUSE THIS SESSION.
Peace Treaty Debated by the Senate
in Executive Session, but NO
Action Taken.
Special to the 1ndIanapoIis Journal.

Special to the indianapolis Journal.
| WASHINGTON, Jan. 12.-The contrO-
versy concerning the meat supplied the army
in Cuba and Porto Rico by the commissary
department, precipitated by the testimony
of General Miles before the war investiga-
| ton commission reached an acute stage to-
! day when Commissary General Eagan testi-
| fed before the commission. His testimony
| was in reply to that of the commanding gem
eral CT the army and directly traversed it.
| 1t reached the height of sensationalism when
! EaGan deliberately pronounced Miles liar
and declared that he wanted to TO- &c the lie
| back into Miles's throat. Army circles
are intensely excited over the situation,
while the feeling throughout the War De-
partment is at white heat A prominent
army officer, in speaking of the matter to
your correspondent, said that Eagan had
forced Miless hand and that it was now the
! latters turn to defend himself, if he could.
| General Miles, said this officer, "cannot
afford to rest quietly under General Eagans
| terrible denunciations. Whatever we may
think of Eagan's violent language however
| much we may regret the phase the matter
has assumed, it is perfectly palpable that the
next step must be court of inquiry to as
| certain which of these two high army Off
cials is at fault, and which, if not both,
should be court-martialed. The affair has
taken on the form of public disgrace and
| it is due to the American people, as we'll as
to the army general and To the N1&aosfs1 ms
volved in particular, that the offender or
| offenders should be officially made known
and dealt with as the circumstances of the
case demand
| This ofiapr nvrracenc tba Taalipcr T1rnyyai1-
ing in military circles and in the War De-
partment 1t may be assumed with safe
| ty that the President himself, regretful as
he must be that the necessity has arisen
/ for such action will now take a hand in
the controversy and direct the holding of
court of inquiry General Miles is blamed
on all sides for the recklessness of his state
ments before the commission involving
| they do Commissary General Eagan and
| other fellow officers, as well as reputable
| business men and vast commercial and in
| dustriaI interests. If he cannot prove his
charges, and the opinion is growing that he
cannot he has got himself in a very bad
box. To clear his own skirts he must prove
that Commissary General Eagan, or some
| body else and it does not seem that there
can be anybody else who is guilty of send
ing chemically prepared meat, or to use his
|
Cuba and Porto Rico for the use of the
soldiers. regular and volunteer, in the field,
under the ''pretense of an experiment" If
he is unable to substantiate his charges, he
will condemn himself
MILES'S GREAT ERROR.
One noticeable feature Of the matter dwelt
on by Commissary General Eagan is that
| General Miles, when he appeared to give
| his testimony, declined to be sworn. There
| ne made a great error. Eagan, on the other
| hand, was particular to have the oath adj
ministered to him before he proceeded to
read his long and carefully prepared state
ment. The very fact that he committed his
testimony to writing before going before the
| commission and that he then read it from
the manuscript, shows the deadly purpose
he had in view. He did not call Miles a
| liar in hot blood or in q moment of excite
ment, but after days of deliberaton, and
after he had written the word down and
| knew how it looked, as well as how it sound
| ed. His denunciation, though hot as if it en-
anated from fiery furnace, was yet made
| in cold blood with cool head, and as de-
! liberately as though he had been delivering
a command to private in the ranks in
stead of denouncing with the bitterest word
in the English vocabulary the commanding
general OF the army. General Eagan is
blamed for using this violent language es-
! pecially as it was used at a time when the
| man he denounced was not present and in a
| place whero he could speak freely under
protection, for by the Presidents order APP
| pointing the commission witnesses testify
ing before it are TO be held harmless else
where for what they say there There are
those who think that if Eagan wanted to
call Miles a liar he should have done so to
| his face and not under the protection of
the commission. Those who feel this way,
| however, do not approve Miles's course in
raising the controversy. They like all 9TH
ers, hold that he acted most unwisely in
making the charges he did, especially, as is
now evident, when he did not have the full
est and most minutely detailed evidence to
support his charges. He ought to have
known that Eagan would not rest supinely
under them, and if he did not know it be-
fore he certainly knows it now.
A court of inquiry in the army fills much
the same place there that grand jury does
in civil life. 1t ascertains ii there is cause
for the trial by court-martial of any one in
the military establishment and its report
that there is such cause leads to the filing of
specific charges and specifications which, in
military courts, serve the purpose that an
indictment does in a civil court-it puts the
alleged offender on his trial. In any other
army than ours. with the exception, perhaps
of the British the testimony of Eagan
would have led TO pistols for two and coffee
for one at daylight, with no postponement
on account of the weather. We order those
things differently. A court-martiaI instead
OF duel, viii decide the controversy. IN
the meantime foreign armies and govern
ments are enjoying themselves at our ex-