Omaha daily bee., 1899-02-21
NILES BRINGS HIS CHARGES


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mitted in my reports. You will observe it
contains a number Of my declinations to
name officers or my authorities and refusals
to answer. II must, therefore be incorrect
! in its representation"
! He then commented upon the general
slight inaccuracy of newspaper interviews,
owing to the dependency OF writer's upon
their memories. Hardly day in six months
had passed that an interviewer had not APP
piled and because OF the Kindness Of the
press to the army, and especially the en-
listed men, he had endeavored to give them
such Information as he thought wise and
safe, but never, he said, with a view to
prejudicing any one against any person or
department. Finally General Miles said he
did not think the journal interview repre-
sented correctly what was said, because its
contents should be taken in connection with
all that was said, his silence upon some
points and speech upon others.
General Miles said his use Of the phrase
"pretense of experiment" In speaking of
army beef was unfortunate, He disclaimed
intending any inference of fraud, and said
he should have said the refrigerated beef
issue was ION the theory Of an experiment"
and "a very costly one"
Hcrald's journalistic Methods.
Being asked about an interview from the
New York Herald of February 1, General
Miles said: II have letter from the
gentleman, who, l understand, wrote this, in
which he says he is willing to swear that l
declined to be interviewed and that think
ing something had been given out, he had
proceeded to write what he knew were the
facts
He then pointed out that the interview
was erroneous, in that where 1t represented
him to have said that he had overwhelming
evidence that the refrigerated beef was
treated with chemicals the fact was that
his only evidence was what was contained in
the reports of officers and statements Of
men who claimed that the beef had the
odor of an embalmed body, that they had
seen fluid injected into beef and other in
dications of chemical treatment. He de-
clared the interview an erroneous presenta-
tion of what he could possibly have said.
Colonel Davis recurring to the statement
of General Miles before the War In
vestigatng commission, asked him what
his idea as to the beef supply
for the army was when the war broke
out. Replying, General Miles said that while
his attention was occupied with weightier
matters of mobilization and equipment of
troops, he felt that the usage of 100 years
would be followed and cattle herds would be
shipped to the army in the tropics and killed
there, just as they were during the civil
war in the south, in Arizona, Texas and in
Mexico, where 1t was so hot that soldier
could not sit upon the rocks. He UNDER
stood Cuba and Porto Rico were excellent
grass countries; cattle could be shipped
and kept in prime condition. He reviewed
his action in cabling the department to send
no more refrigerated beef to Porto Rico
while he was there, finding it possible to
use beef on the hoof.
Troops Still Eat Packed Beef.
General Miles said that he understood
that our troops in Porto Rico were still
being supplied with a form of refrigerator
beef although the country was as good a
grass country as any in the world and the
cattle there were plenty and the Spanish
troops drew all their meat supply from this
source.
Colonel Davis asked If General Miles
knew whether Porto Rico exported any
cattle. Witness said it did to the number
of several thousand and they were fine
cattle. Still he understood that our troops
were not only receiving refrigerated beef
at the coast but 1t was being sent into the
interior The situation now, he said, was
different from that during the war. Now
lHeTe were iCe liidCuiueS Ou SuoIe. lueu
there was not ice enough for the hospitals.
Recurring to the expedency of feeding the
troops hoof beef in Porto Rico, General Miles
said he was much in favor of it. He said
native beef killed at night could be very
we'll fed the men the next day.
"Do you think" continued Colonel Davis
that the native beef would keep we'll
as the refrigerated beef in the absence of
cooling apparatus on shore?"
II am quite sure it would, unless the re-
frigerated beef was chemically treated with
If it was treated so as to
keep for seventy-two hours after coming
out of the coolers, CT course it had the ad-
of the native beef-so far as keeping
goes"
Asked how long he was in Porto Rico be-
fore he advised the department against
sending more refrigerator beef, General
Miles said he had learned of the large sup
ply Of native cattle soon after landing, and
advised the War department the next day |
after getting ashore.
Canned Reef is Condemned.
Referring to the canned roast beef as dis |
tinguished from the refrigerator beef, Colo |
mel Davis read a portion OF General Miles |
war commission testimony condemning 1t in |
severe terms. General Miles said the canned |
roast beef was issued to volunteers and regu- |
lar troops alike on the transports and in |
Cuba till the arrival Of the refrigerator |
beef. 1t was fully tested by both the regu- |
lars and volunteers.
The first complaint of it, General Miles |
said he had heard at Tampa from some OF |
the Rough Riders from San Antonio, but he
paid little attention to it at the time, not |
fully that there had been any
change from the standard ration. He again
heard OF 1t aboard the Yale, when the men
declared they could not eat it and he ordered
the inspector to inquire into 1t. Again he
heard of 1t in the trenches at Santiago, but
he was still largely occupied with the cam
paign and he thought nothing more of the
than he would of hearing that
some man was kicking about his coffee or of
his hard tack.
What finally drew his attention seriously
20 the matter were the reports of officers that
the whole Fifth corps was weak and pres
rated. This was In August, when the ques-
tion of parade through New York was
broached. General Bates at that time re-
ported that only about one-fifth OF the men
at Montauk Point were in condition to
march through New York General Miles
said this seemed to him remarkable, as
here was no yellow fever at the Point and
he thought the men certainly ought to be
over their malaria, He therefore ordered
IN inquiry into the beef about which there
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