Evening star., 1899-03-18
BEEF INVESTIGATION
Its Progress is Eagerly Watched by
Army Officers Here.
A TALK With ONE OF THEM
Gen. Eagan's Statement to a
Contractor.
sEvENTY-TWO-HOUR CLAUSE

The progress of the army beef investiga-
ton in the west Is eagerly watched by the
army officers on duty in this city. Partic-
ular satisfaction is derived by the partisans
of Gen. Miles from the testimony at Chi
cago that Gen. Eagan himself directed the
purchase of the canned roast beef from the
Chicago Gamers, and from the statements
of regular army officers that they had OBJ
served defunct maggots in cans opened be
fore their eyes.
Il don't know what the court of inquiry
thinks of the evidence so far admitted"
said prominent army officer to The Star
today, but l think the people of the coun-
try are satisfied that the,truth of every one
Of Gen. Miles allega ations has been more
than proved. Th9 testimony ought to be
sufficient to demonstrate that the refriSe-
rated beef was an experiment that was ex-
pensiye to the treasury, well as to the
health Of the army. 1t has been shown that
there is no such thing as canned roast beef
and that the stuff called by that name was
nothing more or less than canned boiled
and bleached beef mixed.
Cattle on the HoOf.
Just at this time / happen to know that
beef on the hoof is being used with the
army in Cuba; how extensively l am not
prepared to say. In this connection the
facts are that in May and June last num-
ber of contractors proposed to the commits
sary department to furnish beef the
hOOf in Cuba and Porto Rico. the same
every other army had been. One of these
men had already been to Cuba and the
other island and had studied the conditions
that prevailed
He found that the people of Cuba and
the Spanish troops as well. had been sup
piled by the cattle raised in Cuba by the
cattle shipped there from New Orleans
"In Porto Rico ii was learned by him that
a million and a half of the natives were
fed by the cattle of the island imported
from Cuba the United States. In aGdi-
tiOn to all this, it is very well known that
cattle are and have been exported from
Porto Rico along with the other products
of the island. And of Cuba it is equally
true thatf cattle are imported from the
United States and South America regular
ly. Why, it can be proved by the records
of the treasury that during the period of
the war with Spain there were exported
from the Atlantic and gulf ports of this
country the enormous number of 114nD
head Of cattle. and every one of them could
have been sent to the troops fighting for
the flag.
Il know the statement has been made on
the other side of this controversy that the
American cattle. like the soldiers, would
have suffered from the unfamiliar climate
and have fevers and other sickness as a
result. II has been alleged that but few of
such exported cattle would be fit for
slaughter. and that even these would be
likely to endarSsr the lives of The men. |
either because of ignorance or untruth: 1
will go further and say eithar through ig-
nOrance or fraud or corruption. The proof
IS the number of cattle exported to the
west Indies in the regular course of trace
year IN ard year out.
Gen. Engnn's Statement.
Now. what happened when the commits
sary general was informed of all these
facts by the contractor who sought to sell
the government beef on the hoof and who
as prepared to deliver it to the army both
In Cuba and in Porto Rico? The commits
sary general himself Informed the man
that ne had TO give the contract to Swift
q Co Mark this: that he had to give the
contract To the western firm.
In turn. the contractor told the COM
misSary genera that refrigerated beef
could not BE- used in Cuba unless it was
artincially-I won't say chemically-pre-
served He was informed that a way had
been found by the Chicago contractors to
preserve II so that il would keep for
seyenty-two hours. Now it appears. the
Chicago people say they never meant their
beef would keep that length of time al
though Eagan on the stand swore that
such was the understanding
Ihere can be no juggling in this matter
a. any future time, because in January last
there was printed everywhere the letters
that passed between the inventor of a beef
process and the ccmn1issary generals office
The last letter was dated May % and in
II occurs this statement:
This department is not engaging any
one with methods TO cure meats II it
purchases meat it will be from some one
who Will furnish meat and guarantee its
good condition on arrival and for seventy
two hours thereafter. OF who will slaughter
and deliver as required, wherever the
troops may be
50 II VIII be seen way back in Nav last
the comlnissary department was glibIy talk
Ing or the seventy-two hour clause and |
believe, the contracts were then executed
Inc statement in that letter as to the
slaughter and delivery was a trick or blind
pure and simple They never intended to
send beef on the hOof, as that implies al
though they could not help knowing from
what mad been told them by the contrac-
tors that 1t was the only way possible by
which meat fit to eat could be fed to the