The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-27
900 pounds OF rice and other supplies
at a cost Of $306,320.
General Davis EXPLAINS,

General Davis Explains.
A reply to the foregoing portion Of the
report has been prepared by Judge 2Advo-
cate General Davis in letter to the Sec
retary of war. in which he says:
The meAdents which are set forth IN
the inclosed special report have been made
the subject of special investigations: In
some instances these have been conducted
by courts-ma artial, and their findings and
sentences have been duly promulgated in
orders; in others the inquiries have been
intrusted to inspectors or to officers des-
ignated for that purpose by the commands !
Ing general in the Philippines. Where
administrative action has been called for,
as a result of such investiga tions, it has
been taken by the proper military com
mander. If the parties continued within
his jurisdiction; in other cases the mat
ter has been submitted to the department
with a view to a resort to such punt
tive remedial orders as were deemed ap-
propriate. and these representations have
resulted in a number of court martial
trials. AS to some phases Of these in
quir1es, the Investigations are not COM
plete. and reference Of the papers to the
Philippine islands or officers who are now
serving In the United States has been
necessary. Whether the necessity for fur
ther administrative action, in addition to
that already taken, will be disclosed as
be determined when inspection reports are
received at the department. y
General Davis explains that the inquiries
are especially difficult because the Incl
dents complained Of were not made known
at the time, and volunteer officers and
soldiers named have been discharged.
He discusses at length the distribution
of rice in the provinces Of Batangas and
Cavite, which Is a matter that has been
considered in the department.. 1t is ex-
planned that In order to restore civil or
der and to provision the people in the
concentration camps, it was determined
by General Bell that purchases of rice
should be made by the subsistence depart
ment, the latter to be reimbursed by the
military government. Upon this point
General Davis says: - -
The measures reSorted to were die
tated by military necessity; they were un-
dertaken with the approval Of the local
military commander and were calculated
to meet an emergency Of impending fam
inc In such way as to relieve actual
distress without pauperizing the native
population and without casting the bur
den of their support upon the insular
treasury when public order had been re-
stored and the provinces relegated to civil
control. AS the distress increased after
the military occupation had terminated
and the demand for relief continued with
out substantial abatement, the balance OF
profits accruing from the sales Of rice
by the military government was trans
ferred to the insular treasury and applied
by the civil government to the relief of
the widespread distress occasioned by the
prevalence of cholera and famine in the
provinces of southern and southeastern
Luzon." ..,'
Beef on the Hoof.
General Miles strongly recommended
that beef on the hoof be supplied to the
| troops in the Philippines. This portion OF
! his report was referred to General J. F.
Weston, comnlissary general, who in MAX
lin my judgment it is not a feasible OF
economical plan and there should be nc
departure from the present system of sup
plying frozen beef i
General Weston says his office has never
| received any complaint about frozen beef
but on the contrary, uniform commenda-
| tions. General Weston adds:
| Native beef is out of the question even
if it were possible to procure it and there
would be danger in using it besides it be-
| ing poor, stringy and tough, but the rim
| derpest practically destroyed the native
cattle. The experiment of bringing In
cattle was tried, and as stated by Colonel
| Woodruff, was an absolute failure"
General Weston sums UP the objections
| in the plan In the following:
L 1.-The supply Of cattle on the hoof for the
military Service: in the Philippines is not
tprac ticable, would involve enormous eS-
pense, and entail useless loss Of animal
life, and would serve no useful purpose
either of administration economy, OF
health. At least SO per cent of the cattle
| would not survive the trip, so that the
government would not only lose half oi
the cargo, but would actually pay freight
on what was lost
STUART ROBSON IS ILL.,