Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-01-05
AlGER REEVES THE
ARMY BEEF DISPUTE
Ex-Secretary Of War Defends tagan
and Himself in a Magazine
Article.
BITTER ATTACK ON GEN. NILES
Declares All Ills Charges Were G~roundles,
and That lie Hounded "A Gallant
Onicer Into Dissracc-Criu-
ciscs Cong -ess.


New York, Dec. 31.-The North
American Review. In It's next ksue,
will contain an article on 1.-THE Food
of the Army During the Spanish War"
oy former Secretary of War Russell
A. Alger. The article says. In part:
The commission a~ppointei by the
president. at my request. to investi-
gate the conduct OF the war depart
ment in the war with Spain. common
ly known as tle war investigating, or
the Dodge commission, met on the
24th OF September. 1898. On the 2lst
Of December the major general COM
handing the army of the United
States appeared before the commits
sion, then sitting In Washington, and
made his statements with respect to
the canned, fresh II rcfl 6 Grated beef
furnished to the army DUNG the
General Miles refused TO be sworn or
affirm as the other 495 witnesses had
been, declaring In substance that he
would make his statement without be-
ing sworn, and was responsible for
what he said,
While the commission had been sit
ting nearly three months the charges
with respect to canned and refrigerat-
ed beef were now made for the first
time"
General Alger then quotes what Gen
eral Miles said on the witness stand,
and continues:
Not content with the. grave and
scanGalo charges, thus made public
for the first time before the war in
vestigating commission, General Miles
permitted himself to be interviewed on
the following day at Cincinnati, o.,
when he made similar charges.
The allegations that unsuitable
food, not a part Of the legal ration,
had been furnished to the army under
pretense of an experiment and that re-
frigerated beef treated with poisonous
chemicals had been and was being
supplied to our army OF 275, 700 men,
were indeed serious. implying, as they
did, crimina incompetence on the part
OF the commissary department.. IL not
willful neglig c and dishonesty.
Praises Eagan.
Upon Commissary General Charles
p. Eagan h charges fell with the
suddenness n sharpness of a blow
from an assassin's knife out OF the
dark. The charges of General Miles,
made SO publicly and so positively, and
the manner In which they were for
the first time made known, seemed to
General Eagan, I'm his nervous condi-
ton, the more magnifed and horrible.
Upon hearing theIl, he pitifully ex-
claimed: General Miles has crucifed
me upon a cross OF falsehood and mis-
representation
General Eagan had already been
Examined by the war investigating
committee when General Miles hear
ing occurred, but when the testimony
of the latter appeared in the news
papers, General Eagan Immediately
requested a ~Iehearing.
General Eagan read LIS reply TO the
war investigation commission from a
carefully prepared typewriter manu-
script.
dashed to the quick by the allesa-
lions contained in General Miles testi-
mony and In his subsequent Interview,
which appeared on December % in "A
New York newspaper, his Indignation
exceeded the limits of his s~elf-control,
and I'm his efforts TO deny the charges
made, his language become vituper-
ative, e~Xtravagant and highly improp-
or. | believe that had General EaSan's
health not been seriously impaired by
overwork M anxiety. the two objec-
tionable paraEraphs-of 200 words out
of an aggregate Of 1000 words con-
tanned in his reply-wou!d never have
been written or uttered. Even yet, d.
vested OF Its offensive adjectives in the
lNo DdIdkI dDilS ItltIlsd W, III lOpty
to General Miles remains u~nanswerable
In it's logic and introvertible In It's facts.
Alger Didn't Inspire 1t.
THE allegation that / had inspired or
had any knowledge OF Genera Eagan's
intended attack upon the statement of
General Miles is absolutely untrue. Had
General Eagan submitted his manu-
script to me, he woulu undoubtedly at
this writing still be In full possession
OF the rank and privileges OF the office
OF commissary general OF the United
States army. As IL was, even the self
prejudicial and Incorporate presenta-
ton made by General Eagan convinced
the commission that there was no foun-
dationin actforth charges and insin-
uations deduCibie from the terms "pre-
tense and experiment and 'embalmed
beef
The language OF General Eagon
could not be overlooked. He was tried
by courtmartial for conduct unbecom-
Ing an Officer and q gentle
a and for conduct 10 the
prejudice OF good order ami military
discipline: or three paragraphs OF the
specifications he was found guilty and
recommended to be discharged from the
service. The sentence of the court,
however, was committed to suspension
from rank and duty for six years, until
his retirement.
The suspension of General Eagan
from the functions OF his office until
his retirement, stripped the service OF
an one n able officer. His court
martial was not the outcome of Gen
eral Miles charges, but the result of
Incorporate and rnmilitary language,
conceived in an indignation parGca-
able, perhaps, In its excess, but unps -
donable In its mode of expression
Miles NV York Interview.
General Miles again. on the 31s. OF
March, 1899, in New York city, pub
llshed additional cha, gcs. This inter-
View, which appeared on the morning of
February ], General Miles was called
upon to deny under oath. and, as he
was unabel to do so, part OF his state
mcnts In 1t were used by the court OF
inquiry as q basis for Investigation"
General Alger then treats General
Miles allegations specifically and in
detail. With respect to his charge that
canned roast beef was not a part of the
army ration and (by in%ference) had
been issued to the army by the sccre-
tary OF war and h commissary gem
eral without authority Of law, and his
allegation that refrigerated beef was
"embalmod beef which had been ar
tifcially progerved By injecting chemi-
calls into 1t, General Alger avs
General Miles should have known
that neither the secretary Of war nor
the commissary general could legally
alter or ado to the ration OF the army.