Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1899-02-15
WAR BOARD REPORTS
"Embalmed" Army Beef Charges
Held To Be Untrue.
GEN. MILES DERELICT OF DUTY.

UGNs mALES DEnELlCl Or DO1 Is
Criticism Expressed or Implied Is Freely
Given In the Finding Of the Commission
General Administration OF the War
Department Lacking In That Complete
Grasp of the Situation Necessary Camp
wikoff and the Other Camps.
Washington. Feb. 13.-President Nc
Kinley has made public the report of
the war Investigation commission. 1t
bears out in all important particulars
the forecasts heretofore published in
these dispatches. Criticism is distrib-
uted as indicated In those forecasts, but
in most instances the commission has
been content to call attention to mat
tiers that went wrong and to leave 1t to
the president to locate the responsible
ity IL he sees fit to do so. This Is no.
ticeably true with regard to the many
references in the report to the lack Of
system in the transportation of troops
and supplies both by land and sea.
Miles Freely Criticised.
The report deals with Secretary AL
ger very leniently. His administration
Of the war department Is dismissed by
the commission with the statement that
there was lacking in the general ad-
ministration of the war department
during the continuance of the war with
Spain that complete grasp OF the situa-
ton which was essential to the highest
efficiency and discipline Of the army"
1t is found that there was no inten-
tional neglect of duty on Secretary AL
gers part nor any attempt to serve per-
sonal interests. The charges that he
was pecuniarily interested in transact
tons of the war department are found
to be baseless. Criticism of General
Miles. expressed or implied, runs
through the entire report. 1t is brought
out in the beginning that there was
friction between the commanding gen.
eral on the one side and the president
and the secretary of war on the other.
and in this connection 1t is noteworthy
that synopsis of the report brings
out strongly the fact that the president
gives his special approval to this feat
ure of the report.
That synopsis. after reviewing the
routine Introduction, says:
Perhaps the most significant utter
ance in the whole document. so far as
concerns the discipline and efficiency of
the army, comes next"
Danger I'm Divided Power.
Then follows in the synopsis an ex-
tract from the report commenting
on the divided authority and RESPONSE
hifty for the war department. for
which. in the interest of the service q
remedy. IL possible, should be applied"
The commission then goes on to cite
the statute bearing on the duties of
the commanding general. and quotes
with approval Lieutenant General
Schofields statement before the house
committee on military affairs. in which
he favors doing away with the Office
Of commanding general and instead pro-
Wiling q generai-in-chief. who should
be chief OF star to the president. The
plainly having General
Miles in mind. urges that the president
should have the same power Of selection
of his general-in-chief as he has in his
secretary OF war. and says: Neither
the president nor the secretary Of war
should have in command Of the army an
off1cer who IL not working in harmony
with him."
No Chemicals In Army Beef
Attention is called to the fact that
General Miles declined to obey the or
ders Of the secretary OF war to inspect
certain camps. saying II was his place
to order Inspections. The most severe
criticism OF the major general COM
manding is for his alleged failure to
ID ~ he ortv~~ oat
to DR.. Days suspicion that the refrig-
Grated beef was chemically treated or at
cpce to order an investigation himself.
and DR.. DAILY Is also severely criticised
for having. 'as It appears, concealed
the knowledge Of the commission of a
crime affecting men under his charge
whom as an officer and a physician he
vas bound to protect"
Much space is devoted to the refrig-
Grated and canned meats. and as has
been certain from the beginning, the
commission finds that all the refriger-
ated beef issued to the army was sound
and wholesome and not chemically
treated. and that the canned meat was
generally Of good quality. was prop
erly prepared and contained no deleter.
ious substance.
Findings ON Camp Thomas.
Under the head of camps much atten-
ton is given to Camp Thomas. Chick
anauga. which was the subject OF such
general criticism during the war. and
the difficulties which had to be contend
ed with are discussed. Without men
tjcning Major General John r. Brooke.
who commanded the camp most Of the
time, by name. the commission says:
Making due allowance for the stated
causes OF insanitation the responsibility
for the failure to materially lessen the
evils which existed must rest upon the
several commanders and chief medical
officers Of the camp and corps"
Upon General Miles Is placed the re-
sponsibility for the selection Of the
camp at Miami. Fla. which proved In
all respects unsuitable. and the glowing
Endorsement which General Miles gave
TO this site il quoted by the commits
sion.
Faults ut Montauk Point
Camp Wikoff. the commission con-
cludes. was an ideal place for the iso-
lation of troops who had been exposed
to or had had yellow fever and
for the recuperation of those who
had suffered from malaria. The faults
that existed at that camp are excused
on the ground that the time for prepar-
alton was too short and the camp was
occupied long before 1t was ready. In
that part of the report devoted to the
quartermaster generals department
~aearapra Ia voada m tho Cop FRS ct xr,ith