The Portland daily press., 1900-12-29

its existence, but 1npardonab lie In Its
mode OF expression.
General Miles seemed to be pleased
with the notoriety which his startling
statements gave him, for he published
additional charges. This interview,
which appeared on the morning of Feb
rusry first, General Miles was
CALLED UPON no DENY
under oath and as he was unable to do
so, part of his statements in 1t were used
by the court of inquiry as a basis for in
vestigasion. 1t is proposed to treat Gen
eral Miles allegations specifically and In
detail. His charges with respect to
canned roast beef were, that 1t WAS not a
part OF the army ration and (by infer
enee), had been Issued to the army by
the Secretary OF War and the ocmmiaSAry
general without authority OF law; and
that 1t was the meat residue-a beef pulp
which was left after this extract had been
taken from it. With respect to refriger-
ated beef, he alleged that 1t was tenn
balmed beef' which had be en- artihcially
preserved by injecting chemicals into It.;
that he had overwhelming evidence that
the "embalmed beef" was treated with
chemicals to preserve it; and that the re-
frIgerated beef would not have been
"good in any country in the stomach of
any mar"
he also said, generally, that bacon was
not considered a suitable ration for the
tropics and that the beef furnished the
army was the cause or much sickness ana
distress; that 1t was largely responsible
for the sickness In the army and that he
had medical authority for this statement.
General Miles should have known that
neither the Secretary OF War nor the COM
missary general could legally alter or
add to the ration of the army. The ra-
tion is fixed by law, ana it's oomponents
can be changed only by the President of
the United Statss. II General Miles did
not know that canned fresh beef was a
part OF the army ration, then he
DISPLAYED AN IGNORANCE
in an important matter OF his profession,
II he did not know that canned fresh
beef WAS a recognized part of the ration,
Until MS nAtD8ntAO2- W thc SOheASAy 80 81
much more repre- nensible.
The allegations of General Miles, that
canned fresh beef was not part of the
army ration and that it was issued as the
'pretense OF an experiment" were not
only contrary to fact but were made ah-
solutely without particle of evidence or
excuse.
60 HaI autdanna In
the contrary, it does not appear that
General Miles was even honest In making
his diiatory charges that the tinnsd beef
was issued as the pretenoe of an expert
mens and that 1t was not part Of tn 9
ration. On the seventeenth OF June, 1898,
his mostzconfidential staff officers signed
letter by Correction OF the major gensr-
al commanding the army" instruoting
the depot commissary at Tampa to fur
nish to Gensral Nunsz, 1854 pounds of
canned roast beef, to be issued from the
Subsistence stores OF the army
1t was never INTENDED by the commits
sary department thai canned beef should
be used other an as an emergency or
travel ration. General Eagan s predecess-
ors in office had, twenty years before the
Spanish American war highly recon-
meIded its use and 1t ha1 been officially
included in regular ration. Canned fresh
bssf has, ever since the civil war, been a
pa rt Of the regular navy ration.
Fresh canned bsef was preferred over
corned canned beef, because of the fact
that the salt in the latter produced thirst
"a decided objection in a tropical coun-
try; but the timed beef should have been
used only when cooked with vegetables
and properly seasoned. The only fault
found with the ration was that 1t was
unpa'a.abie when served without addi-
tional cooking and without vegetables