Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-09-24
GIN. SHAFTER TALKS.
Says His Speech at Constantine Was Mis-
quoted.
ssOxtltSs POWDER IS EFFECTIVE.
scandal. OF the Camps" Due 10 IacSperi-
ence --wiii RtdIe,t - J,ls
when Retired.

New York. sept. sL-Gen. w. r.
shafter. who arrived last nlght from
Michigan. said In an interview with a
representative OF the Press;
MY remarks about the volunteers In
a speech nj Constantine. have been mis-
quoted. l was speaking At q reunion
Of the Nineteenth regiment went TO
The front with Il thlriy-nvo years ago
II happened that some Michigan volun-
teera got mixed up In the Santiago
light ! merely said that they had not
bccn intended for active fighting that
day They had been sent on toward
Aguadorua to make folnt. They got
Into the cut and a shell was aent Into
IN m. killing nnd wounding some.
They had no business In the cut. and
regulars would not have been caught
there. The volunteers were all right az
hanuago, handicapped ~ they were.
They had black powder rifles, for one
thing, and they had not learned what
comes only from the iongcW drilling.
and what constitutes the ldail soldifr--
that u IA 10 stand with other men with
out knowing H."
1t has ben said that there were 90
600 krag- JurHvnrena In the arsenal dur
ing tho Santiago campaign that were
never issued" said the reporter.
We'll. ! am not the head OF the
ordnance department. but the increased
number Of companies raised the reFu.
lar army BY 5000 men. AMI these had
/ 10 set krara Immediately. aH they were
expected 90 do the bulk uf The nrhtlug.
How many OF the small stock uf KrlEs
were lcft after the 5000 were equipped.
I cannot say.
mo one who has not seen Il can know
I the effectiveness OF tlpc fmokcirss pow
/ der guns. our batteries had black pow.
/ der. the spaniards fmokoiesa
zone day. the ION ur nth u July. I
was standing In the trenches trying to
make uut with my glaar.s the location
Of spanish battery, oar battery was
several hundred yards iu uur lrft. We
could hear the shells leave the spanish
guns AMI pass over us. We tried tn lu-
catp the guns by following the sound.
but Il was impossible. Later We found
that u was moro than a mile away.
behind a fringe u bushes. Just thick
enough 90 hide the movements ~ tho
men. ~ natDuishcd me. and uthcr vcier-
ans who saw the work OF smokclcaa
powder"
The scandals OF the camps" struck
Gen. shafter a. the natural product Of
ineNptrncc among the Holdiefny
There has been gross cafclossneHa on
the part ~ new mon IN samttry mat
tcrH." he said. You cannot make them
understand the necessity " carr. Thoy
resent being talked Of by their officers
FOR not picking up cigar stumpa, fruit
psellnrs ana such trivial things In tho
/ Civil War We often started out with a
/ thousand men. and In rlN months lost
Ave hundred ~ them through sickness"
what has bofailen thu men who re-
lieyed me ~ snnnago7 They had no
such conflict with inclement weather aa
We had. They have had plenty ~ food
and complete tcuinEc, but thy have
1850 sick oun Of 5000, 50 don't think
We ala 70 badly"
A. 10 hls coming % New York 10 take
charge ~ the Department OF the East,
! Gen. Shaftrr said u DO NJ know
whore / VIII 80 finally. ! have eN-
prcursd a wish TO so 20 the pacinc
coast. khcro I expect 10 live whoa
cnast. whore I expect % NV when
not object 20 taking the Department NJ
the East for several months, an Osn.
Merritt's return. Ny wife u glm W.
mont. and I han from Michigan, ana q
stay ~ a short time In New York would
rlye me n chance - meet many persons
l have long wiahc0 10 SEQ, ana whom
may never arln have occasion 90 meet,
what do think ~ the territorial cN-
panaionf Well. I don't think my Views
arr OF much Importance, but they arc
very brief Hold on 20 an we rot We
had 10 work hard n got u; let's kecf
n. We are rising Into the position ~ a
leader among nations and We must ac-
cept the responsibilities that come from
that leadership"
G,n. ahaftor said h. would 20 a. once
20 Muntauk Point 10 take command
there.