The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1899-04-15
LATE REPENTANCE.

LATE REPENTANCE.
There is every indication that the
Mckinley administration would like
to unload Alger. The beef investiga-
tions have proven so much rottenness
that it has become evident that those
who were directly connected with the
letting of contracts for supplying the
army with beef must at least be CEN
sured. The Philadelphia Press whose
editor and proprietor. Charles Emory
Smith, is member of President Ne
Kinley's cabinet, says that the evil
dence "has abundantly substantiated
the charges of rotten meat rations
originally made. There is oyerwhelm-
ing proof that the canned beef ration
was unfit for use, and that the refriger-
ated beef was served in condition,
which made it unfit for use and danger
ous to health. There was nohwere in
the staff department. or in the war de-
partment, of which it was a part, the
vigilance or efficiency needed to deal
with the discovery that unit meat had
been bought, that meat in tin cans
which would have been fit in tine
temperate zone was unfit for the
tropics, or that the quarternaster' 8 ar
rangements for transporting rations
were inadequate and perilous to
health. Governor Roosevelt, of New
YORK, said: ''The beef we had at
Santiago was absolutely unfit for
human food; and I cannot emphasize
that statement too strenuously." Con-
cerning the "em oalmed beef" Cover
nor Roosevelt said:
81 was told to put it in the shade be-
cause it was chemically treated 10 last
In the tropics. It lasted one day, and
got so offensive that it had to be
thrown overheard. Since coming
back to the United States have been
led to understand that it was an ex-
pertinent"
To this the Portland Oregonian adds:
"The evidence before the board of
inquiry has shown that it was General
Eagan himself who was responsible
for the issue of the so-calied canned
roast beef to the army. The evidence
is overwhelming that this so-called
canned beef ration was unfit for use
and dan gerous to health. The testi-
mony before the board of inquiry as
shown that there is no such thing as
canned roast beef; that it is only can
ned boiled beef; that only an inferior
order of cattle is used in its manufac-
ture. This so-called canned roast
beef was bought on Generals Eagan's
order, and shipped to the army with
out inspection. The canned beef re.
jected by the British government was
bought by General Eagan ana shipped
to the army without inspection. The
late commissary-geueral asserted that
under the contract the beef was to
be good for u hours after landing
from a steamer The Swift company
ray the time was but "a hours. Hence
appears that while the war depart
Ment was reckoning on refrigerated
beef good to eat for 72 hours after
landing, the packing company was
sending out beef good for only one
third that time.
1T begins to appear that not only
General Miles is cafe from censure.
but that General Alger will go as sec.
retary of war before many months
have elapsed. The president is a
shrewd. calculating politician, and he
is shrewd enough to see that on the
heels OF this beef inquiry the Mckinley
political kite cannot afford to have
Alger for its tarnished tail in 1900.
Alger will go; not at once, perhaps,
but the beef inquiry is go completely
establishing the truth of General Miles
charges that Alger will have to go
No president could afford
to go through national campaign for
burdened with the infamy
of Alger."
1t is very evident that Mckinley has
appointing Alger to a place
in his cabinet, and that he would have
the memory of both Alger and Eagan
blotted from his memory. But his re-
morse at having made the mistake of
such men in Office after he
knew them to oe Incompetent and dis
honest, comes like an eleventh hour
repentance-too late to save him. AL
though the president may dismiss
Alger, it will not clear his skirts of
having appointed him to such an i'm.
portant position and having retained
him months after everybody in the
nation was convinced of his incom-
potency, nor will it remove the stigma
of having rewarded Egan for his in
fanny after court martial had found
him guilty of grave offense. The
of both Alger and Egan will
remain fresh in the memory of the
people should President Mckinley as
pire to be reelected. They are tied so
firmly to the tail of his political kite
that the retiring OF the secretary |
Of war at this late date will avsil
little. There was a time when the |
president could have unloade5 Alger |
and it would have been a credit to
him, but that time is past. He was, in |
,he first place, responsible for Alger's |
,nnoi ntment. he was responsible for |
mis- acts of inefficiency during the war
With Spain; he was responsible for
keeping him in Office while soldiers
we're losing their lives because of his
hence it is now too late
or him TO wash his hands of all those
nisdeeis by requesting Alger to re.
'ign.
PRACTICAL EDUCAT1ON.
A writer in the kindergarten Maya