The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1899-02-14
WORK FINISHED.
Report of the War Investigating Com.
missiOners in Presidents Hands.
1t Critlcses, hut Not Persons or Things
Not Warranted by the Evidence Laid
Before Them-The Report WasI
Unanimously Adopted.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1O.-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 Coz. Davis, met by appoint
ment at the white house at 4:15 o'clock
Thursday afternoon and were at once
shown into the cabinet room. where
they were received by the president.
Gen. Dodge, the chairman of the COM
mission, presented the report, and. in
receiving it, congratulated the commits
sioners on the completion of their task.
Seated around the cabinet table, the
mem bers went over their work in a
general way, and at the request of the
president read portions of their report
which covered certain points in which
| he had expressed an interest. The
| conference lasted about an hour and
| half and as the commissioners were
| about to leave the president stated
that he was satisfied that each mem
| Der had done his whole duty. He him
self had rendered them every assist
ance possible and said that they would
| bear witness that he had not sought to-
influence them in any manner or in the
slightest degree.
In speaking of the report Thursday
to Star reporter prominent member
Of the commission said:
THE report does not whitewaSh. 1t
criticises, but not persons or things
which are not warranted by the evil
dence before us. We started out
with the assumption that the conduct
of the war was all right, and then we
went ahead to hear and call witnes ses
who said it was not. The report rep
resents the honest opinion of every
member of the commission. We were
unanimous in adopting it. [ say this,
and 1 am of the opposite political faith
and don't expect and don't want any
thing from the administration.
Il know that every line of the re-
port represents my individual view
and if any member tried harder than
L did to get at and out all the facts l
have yet to see him. There was no
suppression or cOncealment and no
point brought out in the evidence was
evaded or CLOSED over. We never met
before hearing a witness and agreed
not to examine him or to touch upon
certain matters that might turn out
unfavorably. Everything that man
knew or thought he knew was the sub
iect of inquiry and 1 am satisfied
when the country gets our report in
full that there will be no complaint
either as to our methods or results.
The president never saw line Of
our report before he received it of
icially, not a single word. Nor, in
Iced, has he ever talked with any OF
;he commission about it.
| ''He has never in any way by word
Or action or messengers evinced wish
20 have us develop anything but the
ruth or even touched upon the matter
# our work.
I'VE have questioned more than SOC
witnesses and the majority of them
lad some complaint that they wanted
o relate. In no instance can it 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 we desired
20 'whitewash' the administration we
could have had 5000 witnesses who
could truthfully testify that the con-
duct of the war was all right.
''Of course there were some evils, but
hey were to be expected. The sol
Tiers in the civil war never had hos
oitals or medical attendance as good
Us was given them in the war with
Spain. And their army ration then
was not as catable as it is now. The
men who complained most of the food
We found were very generally the mill
;iamen from the interiors of states and
who had been allowed 50 per head for
subsistence stores while they were in
| state camps when Ihey "CHC lHtO IHe
active fight they expected the same
sort of thing.
In questioning these men nearly al
confessed to us that they had always
received the army ration. They had
40 right to expect any more. l could
. sell some very funny stories to illus
trate this.
There were many complaints
brought to US that on their face were
foolish and false, but we went to every
trouble and expense 10 inquire into
their charges"
pon 60, Rr,u.d