Evening star., 1899-02-01
MILES STANDS BY HIS GUNS
Reiterates His Charge That Army Was
Furnished Bad Beef.
Says He Now Has Additional Evidence
to Substantiate His Original
Assertion.

In an interview WIN Il f1erdlu Tepol tei
in New York last night Gen. Miles gave
some additional details as to his position
In the controversy regarding the beef fur
nished the army during the campaigns In
Cuba and Porto Rico He said:
"On the 20th of last September 1 issued
an order to regimental commanders order
ing them to report to me concerning the
beef which had been issued to their men.
AT the time when I went before the war
investigating committee had only received
reports from fourteen of the commanders.
Now 1 have thirty reports They all tell
the same story. The evidence proving the
truth of the statements which 1 made is
abundant and overwhelming.
I'm addition to the reports of the regi-
mental commanders | have a great mass
OF evidence. consisting of communications.
affidavits, &c, from officers, soldiers and
civilians. Every part of the country has
contributed to the mass of correspondence
which / have received In reference to the
beef served to our soldiers, and the evil
dence is all cOrrohorative of what l have
said The great publicity which the press
has given to the matter has brought all
the correspondence of which l speak upon
me.
Saw the "EmbalminG" Process.
81 have overwhelming evidence that the
embaImed beef was treated with chemicals
in order to preserve it. l have afhdavits
from men who saw the beef undergoing
the treatment or embalming process.
Now, to the canned roast beef, that
was different from the embamed beef. The
canned roast beef was the beef after the
extract had been boiled out of 1t. You have
seen the advertiser ents Beef extract, one
pound contains the substance of from four
to- five pounds of prime beef Well, this is
the beef after the extract has been taken
from it They put this beef pulp up In
cans and label it canned roast beef The
soldiers report that the canned beef was
nauseating. If swallowed it could not be
kept on the stomach.
Never before in the history of our wars
has the army been refused fresh beef, de-
livered on foot. Under Sherman. Grant
and Sheridan cattle were delivered at the
front and were driven along with the army,
to be slaughtered from day to day, at the
points where fresh beef was needed for
food.
The embalmed beef for our army in this
Spanish war, and said to be an expert
meut was never heard of before in any
war or any country.
Used When supply Cannot he Kept.
The ordinary beef sold for home con-
sumption is not always SO treated, except
when the packing house finds 4 larger sup
ply on hand than can be kept.
loaded and saturated with chemi"als-va-
rIous acids which made them sick, filed
the mems systems with poison uniting
them for fighting or campaign work. Those
who were in camp relieved of the hard
ships and exposures of marching under the
tropical sun suffered even more than the
men In the field.
Il have no interests to serve, but the
army and my country. When | found that
1t was the chemicals in the beef that had
made the soldiers sick then l ordered an
investigation and reports to be sent In. So
widespread Is the evil that all the reports
are not yet in. They are coming every day
They are overwhelmingly of the same char
acter-all showing that the beef had been
embamed or was otherwise made unfit for
men or dogs.
Half a million pounds of this beef came
in one ship TO Porto Rico The soldiers
were fifty miles away in the mountains
The beef was so bad that it would have
ashore from the ship So it had to be
thrown overheard. What else could be
done with 1t? Nothing alive could eat it."
Calls Their Offer Bluff.
General" said the reporter, you are
quoted as having said that if the men who
supplied the beef would deposit a thousand
dollars is such way that it could be made
to pay the cost of the proceedings, yon
would furnish absolute proof of your as
sertions. What tribunal had you in mind? Z?
To whom would you furnish this proof?"
/ made that statement in response to the
offer of the beef men TO pay $1UJ. 900 for evi-
dence of the truth of my allegations against
their products. l looked on their offer as a
bluff. and took that way of answering it.
l have no particular tribunal in mind I
have the greatest abundance Of evidence to
support the charges 1 made and do not
think that any part of the 81 900 need be
spent in more investigation"
Having made this fight for the soldiers,
general, do you intend to go further in the
same direction and attack abuses in the
hospital service, transportation, ordnance,
&C."
I must positively decline to make any
statement in regard to that matter"