Evening star., 1899-02-04
Awaiting Report of the War Com-
mission.
EFFORTS TO STOP THE PROCEEDINGS
Discussion by Friends and Critics
of Gen. Miles.
SCOPE OF INVESTIGATION

| over the beet supplies today beyond the
confirmation Of the report that the Presi-
dent has finally decided to make It the sub
ject of an official inquiry by a military tri-
| bunal.
The commission to investigate the con-
| duct of the war is devoting all of its ener-
| gfes to closing up its report. The rough
| draft is practically now complete. and fair
| copies are being made of the document so
! far as 1t is ready. 1t is the expectation
| that ii Will be signed by the commission
| Monday, and will be promptly placed in the
| hands Of the President. The latter will it
| is. believed. make the document public. but
| not until he has had opportunity to care
! fully consider it himself, as this report Will
| serve as a basis for the inquiry the Presi-
| dent has determined to order into tho
| charges made by Gen. Miles and into the
| conduct of that officer himself.
Efforts to Drop the Affair.
This projected inquiry is the subject OF a
good deal of quiet discussion among the
friends of the two elements into which the
military service is divided and has devel-
oped no little aeerbity OF temper on the
part of some Of the officers whenever the
matter is referred to. There is not want
ing the usual peacenaking element which
is still striving To have the whole contro-
versy dropped just where IL stands but
even though their appeal is backed by the
solid fact that the army a whole is suf-
tertng. there is no indication that their
efforts will prevail to prevent the issue
from being made up and a military inquiry
from being had.
What Gen. Miles Friends Say.
1t is pointed out by friends of Gen Niles
in the department that in the first place
he had done nothing Of which official cogni-
zance could be taken looking to a military
trial Of any sort. The ground of all the court
martial rumors has been the several inter-
views of Gen. Miles given to the press.
The authenticity Of several Of these inter-
views Cen. Miles emphatically denies. In
those which he admits to be accurate his
friends say, he has not criticised the ad-
ministration, and has merely stated his
! belief that contractors had imposed
wholesome meat upon the government.
According to his friends his testimony be-
| fc'a the war investigating commission was
| brought out in the regular course of e&-
animation and was based upon proofs which
he had been accommodating of what he con-
! sidered Illegal practices on the part OF con-
| tractors.
Gen. Miles Alleged Delay.
In defense of what has been termed un-
due delay on the part of Gen. Miles in
making these facts public, it is pointed out
that the very fact that any of this tes-
| timony had been made public had de-
feated the contamination of the investIga-
tlOn now III pfOBftSs, anu that. II Ptfl'
Miles had been left unhampered in his in
vestigation, he would have been able in
due time to present full proofs of all the
charges he had to make.
As to the Fumor of his being relieved
from his command in Washington and sent
to a department, 1t is argued that THIS
would be generally recognized as severe
punishment and degradation such as Woufd
never be inflicted upon any officer without
the formality Of military trial.
Scope of the Inquiry.
The purpose OF the President to terminate
the unsatisfactory state Of affairs that has
existed for some time as the result OF the
numerous charges and countercharges and
interviews respecting the character Of the
army beef by instituting formal inquiry
into these matters and endeaNoring TO
place the responsibility where 1t belongs.
was made known yesterday. This inquiry
will not be undertaken before the commits
sion to investigate the conduct OF the war
has made its report to the President The
scope of this new inquiry has not been de-
fined, but it certainly will embrace the al
legations made by General Miles as 10 the
character of the army supplies, ana VIII
involve that officer to the extent thaf ne
must make these charges good, and to that
degree Will be on trial himself Should the
charges be found well established a heavy
responsibility would be placed upon the
packers and persons concerned in the meat
inspection and perhaps others; should they
fall unsupported, General Miles may be
Obliged to answer to a court-martial for re-
Aecting upon the character Of other officers.
Two Ways Open.
There are two methods by which such an
investigation may be conducted, according
to established military usage. The first is
by the appointment of court Of inquiry;
and the second by the appointment Of
what is known as an officers or inspection
board. In the -ormer case II would be
necessary to name some officer who Is TO be
the subject of the investigation. In the lat
ter the board is charged simply TO inquire
into a state of facts, or alleged facts, with
out reference to any particular person, and
to place responsibility, If possible, for any
thing of which complaint is made.
Their findings may serve as the basis Tor
a court-martial quite as effectually as the
findings of court of inquiry and has some
advantages in that ii does not begin with
the presumption of a court of inquiry.
Where a court of inquiry is ordered Ii is
said there is conveyed distinct reflection
upon the officer named. Because OF this,
when the Navy Department requested the
War Department to order court OF inquiry
to investigate the circumstances attending
the killing of number Of Spanish prisoners
on board the Harvard, the latter instead or .
dered an inspection board, considering that
the ordering Of the court of inquiry might
be looked upon as predecision against our
troops.
Such officers boards are frequently order
ed to fix responsibility for the loss or dam
age of stores, and several of them have
the loss of meats notably in the case Of .
that shipped 10 Porto Rico and returned TO
Montauk Point. Like a court OF inquiry,
these boards return statements of facts de-
veloped by them upon which the superior
authorities can act
1t is not possible at present to learn in
which direction the President leans, but he
has been in conference on the subject with
the Secretary of War and the Attorney
General, and the matter has been discuss
ed in the cabinet to some extent. AS before
stated however, no further action is to bS
taken on either plan until the report Of the
war investigating commission is submitted.
The Question mt Issue.
General Miles questioned last night
regarding the reported statements that he
had denied the accuracy of the interview
concerning beef furnished to the army
which was published while on his recent
visit to New York He courteously declined
to be drawn into any discussion of that or
of other newspaper statements appertainins.