The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-01-14
THE EAGAN-M1LEs INCIDENT.

OOmIulSSaTy GeneTal EdSdH has ndOe
an exhibition of himself in his abuse
of General Miles. If all were true
which the Commissary General charges.
he cannot be justified under any code
Of ethics in the use before an official
body, or anywhere else, of such abus-
i've, scurrillous and vulgar language OF
assault, as he gave voice to before the
War Investigating Commission. 1t
would have been sufficient for General
Eagan to have characterized General
Miles statement concerning the canned
beef as untrue, and to have challenged
the commanding General to proof of
his charges.
But General Eagan goes beyond this,
and in heated terms and with evident
passion, commits himself to dramatic
TRADE in denouncing General Miles as
"liar." and demanding his expulsion
from the society of decent people. But
it is worthy of notice that this denun-
citation is all based upon the alleged
statement of General Miles as reported
in flash journal of the yellowest and
most unreliable order, namely, the
Journal Of New York. It was in
that paper. according to General
Eagan, that General Miles stated that
the beef complained of was sent to the
islands on pretense of an experiment
and that, with the refusal of General
Miles to enter into denial and wrangle
with q sensational journal, forms the
entire basis for General Eagan's ex-
traordinary TRADE, which is disgrace
ful to the army and tends to break
down the standards of army ethics.
It will be remembered that General
Miles statements. for which he is re-
sponsible, were made before the Inves-
tigating Commission. That they were
supported before that body by numer-
Gus official reports from officers of
commands addressed to General Miles.
declaring the beef unfit and stating
that large quantities of it had been
condemned and thrown away. But
even if the statement denounced by
General Eagan was made in other
places than the columns of a flash
journal. his vituperative assault is in
defensible.
1t matters less whether General Miles
stated what Eagan quotes against
him than it does that an officer at
headquarters should make such an as
sault as Eagan has directed against
the commanding General Indeed, it
matters less whether General Miles
was mistaken or exaggerated than
that such an exhibition should have
been made by Eagan before the COM
mission. The dramatic incident will
make our army a laughing stock among
army men of other nations. Such an
incident in France or Germany would
have resulted in duels within twenty
four hours. With less emotional and
tempestuous Americans such affairs
are more likely to end where they be-
gin. in words.
But it remains that General Eagan
by his violence and slang, his abuse
and vituperation, has hopelessly weak
ened whatever cause Of grievance he
may have had against General Miles
On the other hand, the commanding
General has made his statement before
the Investigating Commission with de-
liberation, without passion or evident
prejudice, and he has sustained his
testimony by the official reports ct his
subordinate officers Before such for
LITIGATION General Eagan's vituperation
will avail nothing.
The whole incident emphasizes what
the Record Union" has all along con-
tended, namely, that we need the
General stair" system in this country.
1t would take army control out of
civilian hands and remove political
chieane from army management; it
would commit all questions of Quitting
an army to body of highly trained,
tried and approved military men. 1t
would keep in existence body of army
officers all the time, who would make
the study of providing for the army,
gathering information concerning all
things and facts regarding army main
tenance and armament, military roads,
arms. equipments, transportation, for
tifications, harbors, streams and estu-
aries navigable by war craft; food
preparations and their store, cost, fit
ness and vital energy, and all other
things and matters relating to the sup
port, equipment and care Of an army
in peace, or it's movement and care in
wan
Since the foregoing was sent to COM
position, news Is at hand that the War
Investigating Commission has passed
resolutions rebuking General Eagan,
and that it is probable the court-mar-
tialing of that officer will follow. Be-
yond expressing his Indignation GEN.
eral Miles Is reported as uncommunica-
tive, though 1t is intimated that he may
proceed against General Eagan in the
civil courts. We discredit this story.
It would be unbecoming the command
ing General to take such a course He
can trust to public Judgment to vindi
cate him when all the facts are
known. II these revelations do not sus-
tain him, we shall be much surprised.
Rostands authorship Of "Cyrano de.
Bergerac" is disputed by Chicago man
who has brought suit to establish hin