The news & observer., 1900-12-29

of General Miles made so publicly and so
positively and the manner in which they
were for the first time made known, SEEM
ed to General Eagan in his nervous con-
dition, the more magnified and horrible.
General Eagan Immediately requested a
re-hearing from the commission. Lashed
TO the quick by the allegations contained
in General Miles testimony and in a
subsequent interview given December 23rd
in = New York newspaper. General Ea-
gan's indignation exceeded the limit OF
his self-control and in his efforts to deny
the charges made. his language became
vituperative, extravagant and highly inn
proper. | believe that had General
Eagan's health not been seriously i'm
paired by overwork and anxiety, the two
Objectionable paragraphs-of 300 words,
out of an aggregate of 10000 words con-
tanned in his reply-would never have been
written or uttered. Even yet divested of
it's offensive adjectives in the two para
graphs referred to. his reply to General
Miles remains unanswerable in its logic
and inconvertible in its facts. The allie
cation that | had inspired or had any
knowledge of General Eagan's intended
attack upon the statement of General
Miles is absolutely untrue. He did not
make known to me the nature of his pro-
posed answer to the charges. Neither
did he consult me in the matter. Had
General Eagan submitted his manuscript
to me- he would undoubtedly at this writ
ing still be in full possession of the rank
and privileges of the office of Commits
sary General of the United States army.
AS it was. even the self-preiudicial and
Incorporate presentation made by Gen
eral Eagan convinced the commission that
there was no foundation in fact for the
charges and insinuations deducible from
the terms 'pretense of experiment and
'embalmed beef
GAS soon as / learned of General
Eagans statement before the commission
sent for him. / informed him OF my
surprise and modification at his conduct.
You had no right / continued, to make
use of such unbridled language at time
and under circumstances which assured
ly result in assoeiating the Presidents s
name and my own with such a disgrace
full episode
''The language of General EagGn could
not be overlooked"
of General Eagan by the court, and says
the court martial was the result of the
language Eagan used, not of General
Miles charges.
General Miles," the article continued
seemed to be pleased with the notoriety
which his startling statements before the
commission and in his subsequent news
paper interview gave him. for again on
the 31st of March. 1899. in New York
city, he published additional charges.
This interview, General Miles was unable
to deny under oath, and part of his state
ments in it were used by the court OF
inquiry as a basis for investigation.
The ex-Secretary continues:
"If General Miles did not know that
canned fresh beeef was part of the army
ration, then he displayed an ignorance in
an important matter of his profession
that is to say the least, most remarkable;
If he did know that canned fresh beef was
recognized part of the ration then his
allegation to the contrary is so much
more reprehensible.
The allegations of General Miles that
canned fresh beef was not a 0art of the
army ration. and that it was issued as
the 'pretense of an experiment were not
only contrary to fact, but were made alb
solutely without particle of evidence or
excuse. If General Miles really believed
his serious charges, his conduct is all the
more blameworthy, in that he apparent
ly made no effort 10 assure himself of
their truthfulness, nor to report them to
the Secretary of War before publicly ut
tering them.
MILES NOT HONEST"
"If we are to believe written evidence
to the contrary, it does not appear that
General Miles was even honest in making
his dilatory charges that the canned beef
was issued as the pretense of an expert
ment, and that it was not part of the
ration. On the 17th of June. 1898. his
most confidential staff officer signed a
letter by direction of the Major General
the army, instructing the
depot commissary at Tampa to furnish
General Nuncz 1864 pounds of canned
roast beef, to be issued from the 'subsist-
ence stores of the army. If we are to
accept the reading CT this letter as cor
rect. it proves that General Miles knew
that canned fresh beef was part OF the
that he knew there was a
quantity OF IL at dHlDu loI ISSUE W liie
troops, and shat he so far approved OF
it's use as TO direct that the ration be
furnished in large quantities to our allies.
1T was never intended by the Commits
sary Department that canned roast beef
should be used other than as an erler-
gency or travel ration.
The article points out the legal war
rant and use here and abroad of canned
beef, and says the only fault found with
the ration was that it was unpalatable
when served without additional cooking
and without vegetable and condiments. He
says both the court of inquiry and war
found that there was no
foundation for the charge that canned
beef was not part of the ration, or that
it had been furnished as the pretense of
experiment, or it was the pulp from boiled
beef. In the haste under which the San
tiago expedition left Tampa, proper, pro-
vision for cooking the food of the men
on the transport seems to have been eth
er neglected or impossible, an account of
the lack of time General Miles arrived
at Tampa on June 1st, as the special
of the War Department
to overlook and assist in the preparation
and embarkatiOn of the Santiago exped-