The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-13
THAT HE SHOULD BE DEGRADED
DRUMMED OUT OF THE SERVICE AND
SENT TO STATES PRISON,
That He Has Forfeited the Respect of
BootbIacks should Snub Him.

WASHINGTON, JAN 12-Commissary
General Charles p Eagan to-day reappeared
before the war investigation committee to
answer to charges of Gen. Nelson a. Miles
concerning the coInmlssary supplies fur
nished tho army during the recent war
General Eagan's statement furnished the
sensation of the war commissions history,
and was regarded by old army officers as
one of the most remarkable attacks ever
made in the history of the service. General
Eagan's statement to the committee was
bitter personal attack upon General Miles,
so entirely unqualified both as to scope and
language that the war committee on hear
ing its conclusion ordered a brief executive
session, after which the doors were re-
opened, the witness was recalled and busi-
ness resumed in the regular way.
The subject in controversy was General
AIiles's already famous 'embalmed' beef
testimony and the letters and documents
supporting it. General Miles had charged
that the canned and refrigerated meats sent
to the army in Cuba and Porto Rico were
unfit for use that they were preserved by
the use of chemicals, and that they had
"been bought and sent to the army under
pretense of an experiment"
This reflected upon both the ability and
honesty of the commissary department, had
angered General Eagan and caused him to
request to be recalled TO reply to General
Mles's charges. That Il.s statements con-
cerning the commanding general was not
the result of a sudden nVtburst OF passion
was clearly shown by the fact that General
Eagan read his remarks from a carefully
prepared typewriter copy Not the least
remarkable phase of General Eagan's state
ment was the language in which it was
couched There was scarcely phrase that
would not have been characterized as SEN
sational in ordinary official utterance.
General Eagan after the hearing was over
refused to say whether he had any further
move in prospect in forcing an issue be-
tween himself and General Miles II have
said all l intend to say for the present." he
replied, "and if any one wants to bring the
matter to a court-martial I am ready for
that. too. as 1 have already stated before
the commission"
MAY IGNORE THE EXCORIATION.
AS soon as the nature of General Eagan's
statements became known attention was di-
rected to army headquarters to ascertain
what move would be made by General
Miles: The latter, through Colonel Michler,
his chief aid, beyond saying that he had
stood for the soldiers, declined to make any
statement saying that now was not the
time for talk, and that before taking any
action it would be only proper and neces-
sary to wait until he had had an oppor-
tunity to receive through the regular cham
nels and to consider the testimony fur
nished by General Eagan. lie would not
talk about couPt-martial. Altogether the
intimation conveyed was that General Miles
would act with deliberation if he decided to
take any action at all; and there was a
faint suggestion that he might decide to
ignore the statement altogether. OF course
a decision to that effect on the part of Gen.
Miles would terminate the incident. But
should he decide to take notice Of the at
tack the next step would be for him to pre-
fer charges with the President against the
eommissary general These might be based
on several technical grounds. such, for in
stance, as conduct tending to the destruction
of good order and discipline. 1t would be
for the President to pass on the demand.
and he might adopt one of three courses
refuse it. grant it or instead order a court
OF inquiry. In this latter case the body
would have the power to go into the ques-
ton of Veracity which has been raised and
In fact, the conduct of both generals would
be practically under examination.
In the course of his testimony to-day
General Eagan denounced in the most SEN
sational terms his (AIies) scandals ubels
and malicious falsehoods." General Eagan
said: General Miles was asked by your
committee how timed fresh beef became a
part of the army ration. Ills answer is:
You had better ask the secretary of war
or the commissTy general. 1 think they
can tell you. know it was sent to the
army as food. ard the pretense is that it
in saying that this food was sent to the
army as "a pretense for experiment says
that which implies corruption, which ninety
nine out of every one hundred people will
understand to mean corruption, because II
vas "a pretense of experiment. he says, not
cyan giving credit TO me for furnishing it
as an experiment, but that / furnished it
under the 'pretense of an experiment. This
is a serious charge and should not be made
by any man lightly nor without ample evil
dence to support 1t Taking the statement
IN the sense that it was probably intended.
the sense that will be accepted by the coun-
try at large, the sense that already the
press almost wholly of the United States
has accepted it-indCed. some of that press.
because Of it, called for my dismissal from
the army and my -martiai-I answer
that il was not furnished under the pretense
OF experiment nor even as an experiment.
and when General Miles charges that it
was furnished as pretense of experiment
he lies in his throat, he lies in his heart. he
lies in every hair Of his head and every pore
of his body; he lies wilfuly, deliberately.
Intentionally and maliciously II his state
ment Is true that this was furnished under
'pretense Of an experiment then I should
be drummed out of the army and incar-
eeratcd in states prison. If this statement