The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-10-02
After Santiago.

@ERHAPs 1T would be unjust to
say in advance that the inquiry
into the affairs of the war de-
partnient viii begin and end in a white
washing operation. That 10 be sure.
seems to be well-defned anticipation
respecting h commission. yet II
may even be that for the mo-
ment. public opinion, stung by
h pitiful stories Of suffering that
have been told on trustworthy author
fly, is prejudiced in advance against the
commission's work. One weakness in
the commission Is that most Of the men
OF national fame whose good offices
h president invited refused to serve.
Those who are serving may be pretty
good men or even excellent men: evil
IDENTIFY the public is not disposed to
think too highly OF them in the aggre-
gate.
Meanwhile. there's no mistaking the
drift OF popular o~pinion-it becomes
steadily and unerringly stronger
against Secretary Alger. New testi-
mony against him is constantly coming
out. and criticism is extending TO the
men whom. for political reasons or on
grounds of unwarranted favoritism.
Secretary Alger put al the front.
The men thus criticised betray by
their action the fact that they feel this
prodding of the press and Of public
opinion. General Shafter is one OF those
who are fretting under II. Probably
you noticed In yesterday mornings dis
patches h extracts from a letter
which General shafter has recently
written TO the postmaster at Nashville.
In this letter Shafter resents the criti-
cisms of the yellow newspapers" and
denounces as lies many Of the STRIFE
lures hat have reached the public.
Doubtless all Of the commanders in our
recent war have good grounds for COM
plant against the yellow journals.
There is not a more intolerable nui-
sance on earth than the reporter in his
yellow field. The trouble Is that men
endure him instead OF knocking him
down every time he shows up. There
were men OF sterling worth doing re-
porters' work In the camps OF the war,
but h yellow reporters were often
sively In e~vidence-the Santiago woods
were full Of them. Nevertheless. the
truth remains that the information
that chiefly has prejudiced American
citizens against Aiger. and even
against Skaters campaign. is not the
information the yellow page has fur
nished. The unlimited truth tells n
woeful tale, this country's public is
learning IL; and. more and more. the
Aleer n his coterie-including shat
ter. we are sorry 10 say.
There isn't a more idle occupation in
The world than the fghting-over OF bat
ties the echo OF whose real musketry is
heard no more. Yet men constantly
engage in that work. Fifty years after
Napoleon was dead and buried. young
Sng socially as students at German
universities. would drift into quarrels
over the relative merits of Wellington
and Butcher. at the battle of Waterloo,
sometimes carrying their silly contro-
versy TO the point Of personal encoun-
ter. How many times since 1864. In
newspaper or magazine OF club room.
has the battle of Gettysburg been
fought over!
II will be the same with shafter at
Santiago. Here again. Of course. a
newspapers opinion car settle moth
ting. Yet the indisputable facts stand
that Cervera saved the day for us at
eactiasc. acting under orders TO sail