The news & observer., 1900-12-29
MILES ATTACKED
BY GENERAL ALGER
Embalmed Beef ReSurreCted
to be Crowded Over.
THEARMY FOOD WAS GOOD
This Was Proven But Irreparable
Damage Was Done.
NILES ALLEGATIONS RUINED EAGAN
And False Impression Has Been Created as to
the Food Furnished the Army Which
May Never be Removed
Winds Up Alger.
THEARMY FOOD WAS GOOD
This Was Proven But Irreparable
Damage Was Done.
NILES ALLEGATIONS RUINED EAGAN
Winds Up Alger.
(By the Associated press.)

New York Dec. 2S.-The North
American Review in its next issue will
contain an article on ''The Food of the
Army During the Spanish War; by
former Secretary of War, Russell A.
Alger. The articles cites the creation
of the War Investigation Commission,
and says:
''On the 21st day of December, 1898,
the major general commanding the
army of the United States appeared be-
fore the commission, then sitting in
Washington, and made his statements
with respect to the canned fresh and
refrigerated beef furnished to the
army during the war. The article
says:
s''General Miles refused to be sworn
or affirmed, as every other of the 495
witnesses had been done, declaring
in substance that he would make his
statements without being sworn and
was responsible for what he said.
although the commission had been
sitting nearly three months, the
charges with respect to canned and re-
frigerated beef were now made for
the first time, and stranger and more
still, during all these months, with
this pretended knowledge of facts,
which, if they existed, should have
been made known to the Secretary
of War, for the protection of the army,
General Miles never mentioned the
subject, nor did / ever hear a rumor
of chemically treated beef being pur-
chased for the army until the gener-
,1,r "a
commission. In answer to inquiries
as to how the canned beef became a
part of the army ration, General Miles
said:
You had better ask the Secretary of
War or the Commissary General. think
they can tell you l know it was sent
to the army as food. and the pretense is
that it was sent as an experiment y
There was sent to Porto Rico 337 tons of
what is known as. or called refrigerated
beef, which you might call embalmed
beef. Now, if you want to as
certain the cost to the Government of
this so-called refrigerated beef-embalm-
ed beef--take the original cost
| Go not know what may have been in
iected into It, The under
standing is that this is a secret process of
they are still sending the stuff down there.
/ don't know. If was furnish
ed for any expedition in this country or
any other. with such sthtr. would pro-
hiDit the men from taking it,
| do not think that beef such as was sent
to Cuba and Porto Rico would be good in
any country in the stomach of any man.
They could get some bacon, but
fho
You ask about food? In my
Judgment that was one OF the serious
causes Of so much sickness and distress
on the part of orr troops
mot content with these grave and
scandalous charges thus made public for
the first time before the War Investiga-
ting Commission, General Miles permit
ted himself to be interviewed on the fol-
lowing day at Cincinnati. Ohio, when he
made similar charges
THE allegations that unsuitable food
not a part of the legal rations, had been
furnished to the army under Dretense of
an experiment, and that refrigerated
beef, treated with poisonous chemicals,
had been and was being supplied to our
army of 275,000 men, were indeed seri-
Gus, implying as they did, criminal in
competency on the part OF the ComEnlS-
sary Department, wilful negligence and
dishonesty.
A BLOW TO EAGAN.
upon Commissary General Charles P.
Eagan the charges fell with the sudden
ness and SHARPNESS of a blow from an
assassins knife out of the dark. Gen.
eral Eagan had been an officer of the
regular army for thirty-six years. No
other supply bureau of the army had ex-
celled the Commissary Department in
promptness, efficiency and successful ad-
ministration during the war. The charges