The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1899-05-12
CE||lNlSURE FOR THREE,
Miles, Eagan and Maus Criticized
BY Court 81 Inquiry.
synopsis Of the Report-Charge That
RefrigeratedB Reef Was Treated by.
Chemicals Not Established
Some Other Features.

/ Ae1T18eF0ted Beef Was Treated by
Chemicals Not Estn blished-
Some. Other Features.
Washington. May sS.-By direction of the
president, who approves the findings, Act
ng Secretary Of War Meiklejohn has made
oublc the report and findings Of the mill
laryt.c court appointed to investigate the
charges made by Maj. Gen. Miles, COM
mandlng the army. that the beef supplied
10 the army during the war with Spain
was unit for the use OF the troops.
Its Bindings.
The most, important features Of the re-
port are: The finding that the generals
allegations that the refrigerated beef was
| treated with chemicals were not estab-
1shed: that his allegations concerning the
canned fresh or canned roast beef were
sustained as to its unsuitability for food
| as used on the transports and as a long
continued field ration: censure of Gen.
Miles for error" in failing to promptly
notlIy the secretary of war when he first
FORMED the opinion that the food was un-
nt; censure of the commissary general
lthen Gen: Eagan) for the too extensive
| purchases OF the canned beef as an I'M
tried ration censure of Col. Maus, Of Gen.
Miles staff; the finding that the packers
were not at fault and that the meats sup
pNed 10 the army were of the same quality
as those supplied to the trade generally,
and the recommendation that no further
proceedings be taken in the premises.
- Oppose Further Proceedings.
The conclusion of the. court adverse to
further. proceedings based upon the
charges is as follows: 1T has been devel-
oped in the course of the inquiry, as recited
IN this report, that in some instances some
| individuals tailed to perform the full meas
ure Of duty or to observe the prophecies
which dignity high military command, but
| the court Is of the opinion that the mere
statement in the official report of the facts
| developed meets the ends of discipline, and
| that the interests of the service will be best
subserved If further proceedings be not
| taken" 81
Criticism Of Miles.
| Commenting upon Gen. Miles testimony
that he had first formed the opinion last
August that the refrigerated beef had been
processed, the court remarks: "Whatever
| the date upon which he formed a belief, or
a reasonable suspicion, that the health of
| the troops was being impaired by the use
| OF deleter1ous food, it was his bounden
duty, in the opinion of the court, instantly
| to take the most effective measures with
| In his control to ascertain the actual fact
be found. 1t would have been practicable
to obtain samples of the beef then being
supplied to the army by contractors and
| to have submitted these samples to chem
ical examination, which would have re-
| suited In the detection of the presence or
absence of boric and salicylic acids or any
other chemical; agent that may have been
used as preservative agent. Yet no such
| precaution as that suggested was taken
by the major general commanding at that
time or at any subsequent time, so far as
has been learned by the court
/ Rebuke@ for Eagan.
| The report places the quantity of canned
| hpef n1roha sod for the nv he
| commissary department at 6,S47,1H pounds,
| including $4,000 pounds which was brought
| from Liverpool and other English ports.
This amount is characterized as excessive,
and the commissary general (Gen. Eagan)
| is severely criticised in several parts of
| the document on this score.
| Other Conclusions.
Replying specifically to other questions
set out by the president, the court says:
That the canned beef was described as
fresh" because it was not sailed, but that
the meat was not old or stale.
That the refrigerated beef furnished the
army was mot doctored or treated with
| any other agency than cold air."
That the meat purchased for the army
was the meat of commerce.; that "both
kinds-refrigerated and canned-were such
| as are well known in both hemispheres as
commercial articles, of which there is and
| has been very large consumption not only
by the trade generally, but by the United
States navy and by the armies and navtes
| of Europe
That no reports of unfitness or unsuita-
bility of the beef sent from the United
States were forwarded to the war depart
! ment by any general officer serving in Cuba
or Porto Rico while the field operations
were in progress, nor were any such reports
| received until more than a month after hos
tilities ceased.
That, barring some defects in methods OF
inspecting the beef on it's delivery to the
subsistence department, the deterioration
fault of no one.
Miles, Charges.
The charges of Gen. Miles, as made in
| newspaper interviews, as well as those
| made before the war Investigating commits
sion are referred to at length, among them
being the interview with the general sent
out from the New York office of the Asso-
ciated Press on the 31st of January, in
| which Gen. Miles was quoted as saying that
he had Overwhelming evidence that the
| beef was treated with chemicals to preserve
| it and that he had aff1davits from men who
saw the beef undergoing the embalming
process" The court notes the denial which
Gen. Miles made of this part of the CONVEX.
| sation as 1t was printed in the New York
| Herald, but prints the charge as part OF
the allegations, saying on this point: 1.-The
| testimony of both Mr.. Reid and Mr.. Berry
| of the New York Times, agree in the verify
of the interview as reported by the former
| and this is found in the Herald clipping.
| The court does not therefore ignore this
| paragraph but treats it as part of the al
legations which are under Investigation"
| Several pages of the report are devoted
| to the consideration Of the allegation made
by Gen. Miles that the refrigerated beef
was treated with preservatives, but the
statement is made upon the threshold OF
this question that but little testimony was
submitted by him in support of this con-
| tention.' The inference drawn by the
court from the absence of such testimony
is adverse to the existence of the practice
alleged to prevail by the major general
| commanding. -
Approved by the President.
The report closes with the following state
| ment: 1.-THE court with deep sense of the
| responsibilities devolving upon it has Ia
bored zealously to bring out the truth and
| believes that it has fully covered all the