The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-09-01
Secretary of War Speaks
in His Defense.
THE BLAKE ATTACHES 70 CAMP OFFICERS.
That is the Position of the Sec
retary With Regard to the
Complaints
MADE CONCERNING EXISTING CONDITIONS.

WASHINGTON, ID. c., Aug. 20.-Sec-
retary of War Alger, in an interview,
defends the administration of his
department, and places the blame for
the condition of camps on the should
ers of the officers in charge of those
camps.
Secretary Alger says that neither
he, the surgeon general, the quarter
master general nor the cOmmissory
general should be held responsible.
and that it is an outrage to blame
them. He declares they have filled
every requisitiOn that has been made
and every necessity or luxury that has
been asked for. The secretary hopes
that Congress will investigate all the
charges made
Secretary Alger was indignant at
the charges made against him. say
ing: I'VE have an army of $50, 900 in
the field, scattered from Manila to
Porto Rico, and yet the press of the
country appears to think that the
Secretary of War should locate every
camp and dig every sink for the men.
1t is ridiculous. 1t is true that every
paper relating to this army passes
over my desk. | do not think that |
am incapacitated for work or that |
am unable to transact a large proper
tion of the business that comes before
me for attention.
Il have labored night and day to
secure the welfare and to provide for
the comfort of our soldiers. That has
been my first care, and no secretary
has ever issued more direct or more
imperative orders with this end in
view than |. There has not been a
request made that has not been com
piled with; there has not been a ne
cessity called for that has not been
furnished. But the Secretary of War
could not be everywhere to see that
his orders are carried out. The press
and public seem to have overlooked
the fact that every camp that has
been established-and this applies to
Santiago as well-has been under the
command of an officer of the Regular
Army.
"That at Tampa was in charge of
General Coppinger, Regular Army
man. That at Chickamauga, where
there has been the most sickness, was
in charge of General Brooke, Regu-
lar Army officer. And when General
Brooke was relieved he was succeeded
by General Wade, and Wade was
succeeded by General Breckinridge-
both of the Regular Army. Camp
Alger was in charge of General Gra-
ham. The camp at Jacksonville was
in charge of General Fitzhugh Lee,
who is a graduate of West Point, and
has turned out to be the best corps
commander we have. He has kept
his command in better shape than
any of the othersn
"Will an investigation be ordered
to fix the responsibility for the mis-
management of the camps?n the Sec
retary was asked.
THAT is something | have not
decided upon yet, was the reply. Il
shall have to consult the President
about that.
'Some people fare disposed to hold
the Surgeon General personally re-
sponsible. They forget that the
medical officers in the camps do not
report directly to the Surgeon Gen
eral. They report to the commanding
officer of the camp and he is supposed
to report to me. If the medical Off
GERS ever made reports as to the lack
of supplies or the regularly increasing
sickness among the men | never
heard of it until the newspaper re-
ports began telling it. Then | sent
special board of medical officers to
inquire into the situation
"Who is responsible, Mr.. Secretary,
for ordering the advance on Santiago
before supplies had been landed?"
General Shafter; and the country
owes large debt of gratitude to him
for having done so. If he had not
ordered the advance we would have
been there yet, dying in the trenches
before the city.
General Sumner, General Wheeler,
General Younglall told me personally
that the only thing that saved our
army and won the day was General
Skaters insistence upon making the
advance while our men were strong