Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-04-25
GEN. MILES'S CASE.
REPRESENTATIONS OF TT BEFORE THE
BEEF COURT.
MAJOR LEES CLOSING ADDRESS,
Claim That the Charges with Re-
spect to .he Quality OF the
Army Reef suppty Have Been
Abundanfly Sustained.

closing address to the court this AFTER
noon. He presented q long argument
which reviewed the causes that led to the
beef investigation. analysed the mass OF
testimony adduced. and closed by claim
ing that the charges with regard to the
quality of the beef supply had been abun-
dainty sustained. Preiacing his areu-
| ment, Major Lee said:
Il may be permitted TO remark that
have not appeared nor do l appear IN any
technical sense as the counsel or inc
| maior-general commanding the army
| IL as has been. and let us hope eIrone-
| ously. maintained by some tnat the III
| oulry under the order conVehihg 'iIS
| court was as much for the purpose OF IN
| yestigating implied accusation or linpuld-
| ton against the Encouragement COM
manding for entertaining the complaints
| and concentrations Of his officers and
| soldiers as 10 proper food as 10 llNeau
| gate their merits then the role OF cOuh-
sci might be appropriate, but the CORE
| snondCnce between Inc court ana the
| maior-general commanding shows quite
| clearly the extent TO which he has Deeh
represented before this court, the purpose
| being TO present and elicit evidence per-
| tinent TO the inquiry His allegations are
| nothing more. nothing less. than the
complaints brought to his Official KNOW
edge by the officers and men OF the army
who participated in active service during
| the recent war.
MILESS INQUIRY IMPERATIVE.
Major Lee said the major-general com
| manding the army was Obliged Dy ms
position 10 institute searching lhqu'l
| INTO the allegations concerning the foou
| L.
| that .'superb little army Whlch ehiDai ~
| from Tampa last June for the INVASION vi
| Cuba and won impershable reno"h'
adding that in less than nine weeks the
remaining part of it was returned 10 tie
/ United States "a pitiahle wreck III DoNs
and mind .h.. a,v
one article Of food was to Diame' pul
! said he THE Overwhelming evidence OF,
we believe. not less than % per cent o.
the officers. and fully 80 per cent OF the
men. shows without reasonable aouDt
mar the so-called canned roast beer, as
q meat ration. was all that ii should not
have been, and nothing that IL should
have been for the American soiuler "no
for humanltv's sake was perilling his ne
in q torrid cline IN the interest OF an OPP
pressed people. a..
1--WE neither allese nor charge lhat
there was any intent or design Oh ~
part of any officer Of the army 10 furhlsh
a bad or unfit ration, but the evidence
the unimpeachable evidence-of regiment
and company commanders, representing
practically every soldier there, shows
that an irreparable mistake had been
made: that some one had bllndered, anu
the soldier became the sufferer.
no PROPER TEST OF BEEF.
He contended that the canned roast
beef had been adopted as ration win
out adequate or proper test the soIe 'eaS
being a single case sent TO Tampa anu
cooked with vegetables and condiments.
Major Lee declared that some OF 'he
inspections were so perfunctoIy that Gun
ned meats were accepted ION the reputa-
ton of the packing frms. -,n.,,
"Since when" he asked, have gigantic
corporations and trusts become exempt
from that close scrutiny that would be
applied to a dealer of moderate means
He then took up the question Oh re-
frigerated beef and said:
Here again. as in the case Of the So
called canned roast beef. was undertaken
another experiment. new and novel IN
the extreme-the attempting to supply an
army in the field, in a torTid cline, win
REFRIGERATED beef. The methods winch
in all previous wars. had been tested ana
proved efficient, were discarded for this
hitherto untried experiment
THE "EMBALMING" PROCESS.
Major Lee quoted testimony TO the effect
that General Eagan had said: Armour
e. co. and Swift & Co. had control OF
preserving process
This transpired before the opening OF
bids on June lst and showed clearly that
the preserving process was then under
favorable consideration.
Major Lee dwelt at length upon the ques-
ton as 10 whether preservatlves had been
used on the beef. and quoted at length
from the testimony bearing upon that
point. particularly that Of ID. ". II. DAILY,
contending that il was established beyond
all doubt. by competent ana reliable tes-
timony. that the beef furnished the troops
in Florida had been subjected TO some
process 10 insure its keeping for the specl-
fed contract time. lie then said:
1T must be clear that, as secret chem
ical process was used with meat delivered
to troops at that point similar use would
no doubt be made Of such process at
other points. or for all shipments where
IL might be deemed necessary as preser-
vatiye Of the refrigerated beef"
CREDIBILITY OF WITNESSES.
Referring to the credibility Of the wit
nesses, Major Lee said:
Returning for moment TO the sub
ject Of crediblity of the witnesses, we
deem it proper TO say, but in no offensive
sense. that of all witnesses where self
interest stands out conspicuously, the
ffty-one interested in the meat industry
are pre-eminent. Their readiness, zeal.
and volubiity when on the stand; their
eagerness to PALATE, explain, and deny
any and every criticism or fault found
.srI Lrf f. n a.
of the most remarkable testimony ever
given before a court. Pardon me for
saying it. but much. IL not all, OF such !
testimony is Ike much of the roast beef |
complained of-sOmewnat overlooked"
THE SUMMING UP.
In summing up his case Major Lee |
made the following claims:
1T was possible and practicable 10 have |
had at all times herds of cattle at every |
camp in the United States 10 meet AL 1
eXigencies Of the service as they might
arise.
AT no time during the war was there
any emergency calling for food supplies
by other than the safe methods of proved
experience.
ut was perfectly practicable to have
landed beef cattle with the armies in
both Porto Rico and Cuba.
There was no necessity for departure
from the army travel ration, which had
been found perfectly satisfactory.
Instead of supplying the troops during
this war as other armies have been sup
piled with wholesome food of which
there was an ineXhaustible supply in the
there was gathered up all the
canned goods. much OF which had been
stored IN the warehouses Of the Bait
more and Ohio railroad. I'm other places.
and In foreign storehouses. and labelled |
ri,.,a rnncf h.Df y Nahan fh.r.l ,.aa NO. |