The age-herald., 1900-12-29
Severely Scores the Govern-
 ment's Court of Inquiry
CHARGES WITHOUT FOUNDATION
General AIser Then sarcasticaIIy Re- fers to Pomotion of Miles to Lieu.
 tenant-GeneraI and the Failure
 to Promote General shafter.

New York, December 2S.-The North American Review in it's next issue viii contain an article on "The food of tle army during the Spanish war" by former Secretary of War R. A. Alger General Alger defends General Eagan and attacks General Miles, though he says General Ea, gan's language concerning General Miles was highly improper" He rehearses at great length the history of the Miles Eagan army beef affair." and continues:
 General Miles charges with respect to canned roast beef were, that 1t was not part of the army ration and (by inference) had been issued to the army by the secre- tary of war and the commissary general without authority of law, and that 1t was the meat residue-a beef pulp which was left after the extract had been taken from 1t. With respect to refrigerated beef-he alleges that it was 'embalmed beef which had been artifcially preserved by lnjectA ing chemicals into it; that he had overt whelming evidence that the embalmed beef was treated with chemicals to pre- serve it, and that the refrigerated beef would not be good in any country in the stomach of any mann
 General Miles should have known that neither the secretary of war nor the com- mssary general could legally alter or add to the ration of the army. The ration is fixed by law and it's components can be changed only by the President.
 If we are to believe written eVidencG 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 experi- ment and that 1t was not a part of the ration. On the 17th of June, 1898, his most confidential staff officer signed a letter by direction of the major general commando ing the army instructing the depot com- missary at Tampa to furnish to General Nunez 10,644 pounds of canned roast beef, to be issued from the subsistence stores of the army"
 Used as Emergency.
 Tt was never intended by the commis- sary department that canned beef should be issued other than as an emergency or travel ration. Canned fresh beef Is a part Of the regular navy ration-hve hundred thousand pounds of this food having been Used annually in our navy before the wal with Spain. For years large quantities of canned beef have been shipped to the Eua ropean armies; moreover, the present com, missary general, then Col. J. F. Weston. in letter to General Feagan, under date of March "A, 1S98 favors it's use"
 General Alger recites the investigation of the beef matter the part of the govern- ment, and continues:
 What did these tribunals find? That there was no foundation for the charge that canned fresh beef was not a part of tho ration, or that had been furnished as the pretense of experiment, nor that it was the pulp from beef.
 Besides finding that fresh canned beeG was unsuitable when not cooked with veg- af nf iYfta tif~4r aIc ad the opinion that the purchase of seven milA lion rations by the commissary general dur. ing the first two months of war with Spain was colossal error for which there Is no paiation.'
 "The ration was not perishable article. and I do not think that the expression. colossal error,' as applied to the purchase was warranted The War Department s now sending to the Philippines 16O0OO ra- tions of canned fresh beef month for a force less than 70,000."
 As to Refrigerated Beef |
 As to refrigerated beef, General Alge1 says the recessed beef at Tampa exhibited by MT. Powell, was brought to Tampa by the inventor of the method by which 1t waa treated on his own responsibility and at hid own expense The inventor requested and received permission to put two quarters oI his own beef on one of the transports ft spoiled when at sea few days later and was thrown overheard. None of it was ever issued to the troops
 In conclusion, ex-Secretary Ager says:
 "The charges of General Miles, twica proven false, in spirit and substance, ar9 the more heinous in their effect because of the false impression they produced about the food furnished the army. Yet, the pres- ent Congress promoted General Miles to Heutentnt-general, and has thus far failed to give to General Shafter the rank Qf major general to retire upon In his old ag8. and this, after his magnificent campaign at Santiago, as we'll as his former distirt.