The National tribune., 1902-10-16

men to be carried loose in the haversack
with the crackers and eaten raw would be
the best possible addition to the ration that
could be made.
E. This matter of rations for campaigns
has received great deal Of attention and
experiment from our army authorities, but
to little practical purpose, If they have
resulted in nothing better than the use of
canned meats tomatoes and beans direct
from the grocery shelves, in quantities
entirely impracticable for issue to Indi-
viduals. These things might be put up
in smaller tins, enough for one individual
in each, at least.
1t may be said that the Commissary
Department was not prepared for war
and had to buy what it could get on short
notice. That is true enough. 1t was not
prepared, and the war has been going on
for four years and it is not prepared yet
This matter of feeding the troops in the
field has an important bearing upon their
efficiency. 1t has been said an army trav-
els upon its stomach, but when its stom-
ach is fastened to OK carts and ratlons
in heavy and impracticable packages. its
progress must necessarily be very slow.
With this kind of equipment it is diff
cult task to catch Filipinos who carry
few handfuls of rice on their backs for
rations.
SUPPLIES OF NEAT FOR THE ARMY.
This lack of preparation has bearing
upon the 'embalmed beef scandal attend
ing the feeding of the army in Cuba, a
matter little understood by the general
public and one hopeless of explanation to
those who have their minds already made
up, or who judge by impressions rather
than by facts. Had the Commissary
known how TO feed the army there would
have been no question of permitting some
person to make an experiment with a
preserving process for fresh meat. This
experiment was private one and not con-
Quoted by the CommisSary Department,
but it was enough to furnish smoke for
a scandal. and it was worked for all it
was worth. l am satisfied the Depart
ment supplied the army in Cuba with
good fresh meat, as it did the army in the
Philippines, but that loss Of time between
| the cold storage ship and the company
mess permitted much of it to become taint-
ed, process requiring but a few hours in
the tropics. / have seen good meat and
bad meat off the same piece and within
few. hours.
As for the canned roast beef, so-called,
which is in fact canned boiled beef, it is
not fit for food at all in quantity. l mean
day after day. The supply sent over with
us was fresh from the factory and was
the regular commercial pack, none having
by that time been packed on army con
tract. 1t consisted of the poorer portions
| in fve-pound tin cans and the cans cook
ed in steam, and a prime Roast Beef"
label put on them. 1t was claimed that
before canning this stuff had been depriv-
ed of much of its nutriment to make beef
| extract or canned soups, but of this l do
not know. ] know that it is stringy stuff
with a strong flavor that cannot be en-
| dured for more than two or three days.
1t was first issued to us on the voyage,
| when our fresh meat was all spoiled by
| insufficient refrigeration, and there was
| 40 complaint for a few days when the
slumgulliOn" was made of this instead
| If the fresh meat; but after that the men
,ould not endure it. ! ate it several meals
| and then my palate rebelied, yet it was
| as good as at the first meal 1t was when
| heir appetites refused longer to be tickled
| with this meat that the men began to
| eclare it was "rotten." / have heard
men say it 'was crawling with maggots,"
| when there was not, / will venture to say
| 4 single can found with maggots in it.
have inspected a great many cans, my
| luty as mess officer on board ship and as
| the head OF my company mess requiring
ne to do so, and | never saw a bad can
| If canned roast beef. 1t would not be
unnatural if there was occasionally a
| swell head" as imperfectly sealed cans
IRE called. Such are found in salmon
| md all canned foods in the best of trade.
| never saw one. Yet | have heard the
men talk as positively about this meat be-
| ing rotten and putrid and all that sort
| If talk as did the soldier witnesses in the
| investigation, and / could have supplied
| he investigating committee at Washing
| on with just as strong testimony from
he army in the Philippines as it got from
| Cuba, and would not have believed a word
| If it.
My opinion of the responsibility of the
nen in the ranks in such matters is not
-ery high. / do not mean that the men
IRE liars, but in every company there are
wo or three who trench closely ON the line
md give utterance to all sorts of reckless
| emarks. Such men as this would have
made good witnesses in the embalmed beef
Investigation, and of this kind | am sat
SIZED were most Of the witnesses who
ave testimony to the rottenness and pu-
ridity of canned beef. The fact is that
his meat is net a suitable ration, because
IS favor turns ones palate against it
lfter eating it two or three times This
s enough to condemn it as an army ration.
i The fault of the Commissary Department
is that it did not discover this before the