Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-01-05
ALGER REEVES THE
ARMY BEEF DISPUTE
- 6
Ex-Secretary Of War Defends tagan
and Himself in a Magazn
Article.
BITTER ATTACK ON GEN. NILES
Declares All Ills Charges Were Grcundiess
and That lie Hounded n Gallant
Onice- Into DisErace-Criti-
ciscs Cong -ess.

ohheSs INFO DhsBEhsc-NHuF
ciscs Cons -ess.
New York, Dec. 31.-The North
American Review, in It's mex Issue,
will contain an article on THE Food
of the Army During the spanish War
oy former Secretary Of War Russell
A. Aiger. The article says. in part:
THE cdfnTnission appointed 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 the war investigating, or
the Dodge commission, met on the
24th of September, 1898. On the 2lst
of December the major general conf
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 and refT'g Grated beef
| furnished to the Amy duIing the war.
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 10 canned and refrigerat-
ed beef were now made for the first
time"
General Alger then quotes what Cen
eral Miles said on the witness stand,
and continues:
mot content with thei grave and
scanGalous 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 al 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 hat re-
f~rigerated beef treated with poisonous
chemicals had been n was being
supplied to our army OF 275y000 men,
were indeed serious, implying, as they
did. criminal Incompetence on the part
OF the commissary department., II not
willful neglig ence and dishonesty.
Praises Eagan.
Upon Commissary General Charles
p. Eagan the charges fell with the
suddenness and sharpness OF a blow
from an assassin's knife out of the
dark. The charges OF General Miles.
"A so publicly and so positively, and
tine in which they were for
the HTSl llIHe IHdue hIlOND, SeCIleu 10
General Eagan, I'm his nervous condi-
ton, the more magnihed and horrible.
Upon hearing thc.,!, he pitifully ex-
claimed: General Miles has cruciied
me upon a cross of falsehood and mis-
representation
General Eagan had already beer
examined by the war investigating
committee when General Miles hear
ing occurred, blu when the testimony
~ Tho lnftnr ~ rod In tho nuy
papers. General Eagan Immediately
requested a r~ehearing.
General Eagan read Lis reply to the
wal investigation commission from a
carefully prepared typewriter manu-
script.
dashed to the quick by the allega-
lions contained In General Miles testl-
mony and In his subsrquent interview,
which appeared On december % In a
New York newspaper, his indignation
exceeded the limits Of his ~self-control,
and in his efforts to deny the charges
made. his language become Nituper-
alive, e~xtravagant and highly improp-
er. | believe that had General Eagan's
health not been seriously impaired by
overwork and anxiety. the two objec-
tionablc paragraphs-ot zoo words Out
of an aggregate OF 1000 words con-
tanned in his reply-would have,
DttH NIllltll vi utltItl. bNtll yCN, vi
vested of it's offensive adjectives I'm the
two paragraphs referred to, his reply
to General Niles remairs unanswerable
in it's logic and introvertible In Its facts.
Alger Didn't Inspire II. =.
THE allegation that ! had inspired or
had any knowledge OF General Eagan's
intended attack upon the statement OF
General Miles is absolutely untrue. Had
General Eagan submitted his manu-
script to me, he woulG, 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 II Was, even the self
p~rejudicial and Incorporate prescnta-
ton made by General Eagan convinced
the commission that there was no foun-
dationin fact for the charges and insfn-
uations deducible from the terms ''pre-
tense and experiment and 'embalmed
beef
The language Of General Eagan
could not be overlooked. He was tried
by Courtmartial for conduct unbecom-
Ing an officer and a gentle
and for conduct TO the
prejudice of good order and military
discipline; on three paragraphs Of the
specifications he was found guilty and
to be discharged from the
~ iAS vi NllC ipul ~
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
honest and able officer. His court
was not the outcome of GEN
eral Niles charges. but the result OF
Incorporate and rnmilitary language,
conceived in ar indignation paroc A.
able, perhaps, iE. it's excess, but unp, r.
donable In its mode of expression
Miles NV York Interview.
General Miles again. on the Bis: OF
1899, in New York city, pub
Iishcd additional cha ges. This inter-
view, which appeared on the morning of
February /, General Miles was called
to deny under oath. and. as he
was unabel to do so. part OF his state !
ments in II were used by the court OF
as a 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 inference) had
issued to the army by the score
tary OF war and the commlssary gem ;
aral without authority Of law, and his
allegation hat refrigerated beef was ,
'embalmed beef" which had been ar
tihcially preserved By injecting chemi-
Gals into IT, General Alger says:
General Miles should have known
hat neither the secretary OF war nor
he commissary general could legally
alter or add to the ration of the army. |