The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1884-08-27
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER

The truth about the Greely suIG erers coming
to Eght-A terrible Blunder sOHelohere-
Loss Of the TdlLdpOSa Our ridiculous
Nary War bet5oeeR France and China.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 1884.
To the Editor OF The Morristown Gazette:
The terrible, sickenih 2 truths in
regard to the Greedy Attic expedi>
ton are at last coming in, and they
make the blacklist page of our his
tory yet ehronicled 1t is Gow Off
cially announced that the flesh of
six Of the dead was stripped from
the bones and eaten by their starry
ing comrades. Those in charge OF
the relief expedition made a terrible
mistake when they first denied the
story and attempted to conceal the
awful facts; their motives may have
been good, but the public was enti-
tied to the true story. Their at
tempted deception was color to the
still more horrible rumor that some
of the victims were sacrificed by
their stronger comrades. The whole
tale will now come out before court
Of inquiry, with all of its fearful
particulars, and We will learn wheA
ther private Henry was shot as al
legged for stealing food, or to make
food for his companions. American
soldiers or sailors have never before
been guilty of cannibalism, but these
poor wretehcs, in the last stages of
starvation are not to be blamed. In
such awful periods the animal is
stronger than the moral nature, and
self representation is the first law. If
it prove, however, that all this suf-
fering and misery was brought
about by the incompetency or blum
dering of the officials here in Wash
ton, who planned the expedition,
and who ordered the stores for the
party to be placed in inaccessible
places, as charged, then for them no
punishment can be too swift and Sc
we're.
The sinking last woek of one of
the vessels of our navy, in Long
Island Sound, by a coal schooner,
would be laughable had not the less
Of four lives made it q tragedy. The
TallapOsa was looked upon as one
of the few decent boats owned by
the Government, yet she sunk in
five minutes after the collision while
the other private boat was practi- |
cally unhurt. There was undoubts |
edly gross negligence somewhere,
for IL was a bright clear night, and !
the lookout gave notice Of the APP
preaching stranger while yet two |
miles away. 1t looks as ifI
our war ships are only safe |
when tied up at some navy~
yard, out of commission. Few eff
US have forgotten the loss of the
Oneida, in Japan waters, run down
by junk, and carrying with her
more than fifty men; then there
was the Huron, ordered to leave a
safe anchorage and put to sea in the
teeth of fierce storm, in which she
sank with her full crew
only a little while ago, and
the Gantic was cut IN
twain by pleasure yacht,
and now another added to
the list from laundering incompe-
tency. Perhaps the fault lies at
from whence we are com
PEELED to take all our officers. The
graduates of that aristocratic school
are fully at home on a ball floor,
but lost on a quarter deck. Why
cant we take our sailors from the
merchant marine, the only true
school, and the one that has graduH
ated all our naval heroes from Paul
Jones to Faragut. .-L.r
The war which the cable Just
brings news of being opened be-
tween France and China is likely
10 very much affect this country.
Our trade with the flowery Empire
is large and very rapidly growing,
and her. hostility towards European
power is likely to greatly augment,
it. Besides munitions of war the
celestials will need food, blankets,
shoes and all the accoutrements of
a modern army, for in military af-
fairs ut least they are up to the
times. The natural highway to
that empire is via San Francisco
and the Pacific ocean, and great
part of the needed supplies will go
that way. If other powers do not
there can be but one re-
suit, the gallic rooster will soon
crow in that yard as il has in AL
giers and Tonquin. FEB.