The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-02-17
WAR INVESTIGATION
The Commission Presents It's Re.
port to President Mckinley.
STATEMENT OF ONE OF ITS MEMBERS
over Five Hundred Witnesses Said to Have
Been Examined-strictureso on Gen.
Miles course with Reference
to the Beef Issue.


Washington, Feb. lO.-The report of
the war investigating commission is
in the hands of the president and the
commission is dissolved All of the
members of the commission, including
the secretary, Mr. Weightman, and
the recorder, Co.. Davis, met by APP
pointment at the white house at 4:i5
o'clock yesterday afternoon and were
at once shown into the cabinet room,
where they were received by the pres
ident. Gen. Dodge, the chairman of
the commission, presented the report,
and President McKinley in receiving
it congratulated the commissioners on
the compile elton of their task.
Seated around the cabinet table, the
embers went over their work in a
general way and, at the request of the
president, read portions of their re-
port which covered certain points in
which he had expressed an interest.
The conference lasted ABOUT = hours,
and as the commss oners were about
to leave the president stated that he
was satisfied that each member had
done his whole duty. He himself had
rendered them every assistance possi-
bic and said that they would bear wit
ness that he had not sought to intlu-
ence them in any manner or in the
slightest degree.
In speaking of the report yesterday
to a reporter prominent member of
the commission said:
The report does not whitewash. It criticises,
but not persons or things not warranted by the
evidence before us We started out with the
assumption that the conduct OF the was all
right and thon we went ahead to hear and call
witnesses who said 1t was not. The report
represents the honest oninion Of every member
OF the commission We were unanimous in
adopting it, 1 say this, and am OF the oppo-
site political faith and don't expect and don't
want anything from the administration
| know that every line of the report represents
my Individual view and II any member tried
harder than did 10 ret ~ and out all the facts.
/ nave yet 70 see MN Incre was no suppress
sion or concealment and no point brought out
/ in the evidence was evaded or CLOSED over.
! We never met before hearing n witness and
| agreed not to examine him or touch upon GER
| tain matters that might turn out unfavorably.
| Everything that u man knew or thought he
| knew was the subject of inquiry, and am sat-
isfed that when the country gets our report in
| full there will be no complaint either as to our
methods or results.
! We have questioned more than 800 witnesses,
! and the majority of them had some complaint
| that they wanted to relate. In no instance can
| II be proved that we have omitted to call any
! witness who has been brought to our attention
as having important facts to disclose. But had
! W. desired to "whitewash" the administration
| we could have had . 90 witnesses who could
| truthfully testify that the conduct OF the war
| was all right OF course there were some evils,
| but but they were to be expected. The soldiers
! In the civil war never had hospitals or medical
| attendance rs good as was given them in the
/ war with Spain, and their army ration then
] was not as eatlble aS IL is now. The men who
/ complained the most Of the food we found
/ were very generally the mlitamen from the
/ interior states, who had been allowed - per
/ head for subsistence stores while they were In
state camps. When they went into the active
/ lghting they expected the same sort Of thing
/ In questioning these mon nearly all confessed
! to Us that they had always received the army
rations They had no ritht to expect more 1
could tell some very funny stories to Illustrate
this There were many complaints brought to
us that on their face, were foolish and false,
but we went to every trouble and expense to
inquire into every genuine charge.
The report of the commission may
be in the hands of the president sew
eral days before being given official
promulgation, to enable full consider
alton of the document. 1t consists of
between go, 900 and 90, 900 words. The
references to Gen. Miles, commanding
the army, are devoted mainly TO
structures on his course with reference
TO the beef issue as covered in his
testimony. In this connection "A main
point made, it is understood, is as to
Gen. Miles failure to take prompt ac-
tion in reporting on the beef, and, in
stead, waiting a long period before
communicating the facts to the de-
partment, and, meantime, with the
information he gave in possession and
his judgment on the beef supplies
made up, permitting beef he so vigor'
ously condemned to be issued to the
army.