The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-08-19
The Santiago Tragedy.

Departments, to which the feeding and
nursing of these brave fellows was intrust-
ed. There are times when silence is a sin,
aud we feel that to remain quiet i'll the
presence of shameful and fatal malad-
ministration that has added to the nat
lily have been avoided is TO do a positive
wrong to the heroes of Guantanamo, Ell
Caney, and San Juan.
The wretched bungling which has
marked every phase of the Santiago CAM
paign in the Medical and Subsistence De.
partments is bad enough, Heaven knows,
i'll itself, but when the Secretary of War
deliberately proceeds, for reasons best
known to himself, to whitewash the de-
partment, he not only betrays callous
indifference TO the army whose suferings
have been aggravated by the enexcusable
incompetence of his subordinates, but he
deliberately insults the American people
as a whole A more ill-timed statement
than this apology" or one in worse bad
taste considering the time, circumstances
and MIR. Ayers responsible position) we
do not remember to have heard or read
in the half century of the existence ofthis
journal
The people of this country have acquir
| ed a reputation for remarkable patience
and long suffering; and we think that
| L 4 c,,c1,
degree as the present. 1t was hard for our
citizens to surrender the very flower of
our young men from their homes to be
dispatched on fatal campaign i'll one OF
the most pestiential climates of the
world. But the surrender was made with
the loyal response which marks truly
patriotic people. All that they asked, the
least that they expected, was that the
men who had volunteered so freely should
receive at the hands Of the country every
possible safeguard and support that is
known to modern science. The American
people never doubted for moment that
its army would get the best of food, the
best of transportation, and the best of
nursing and medical care in the field. In
this expectation they were fully justified.
They had voted lavishly funds to carry
on the war, they had given the admins
tration free hand, i'll fact, in the matter
of expenditure, and they had every rea-
son to expect that all that the govern
ment of wealthy powerful, and resource
full nation could do to soften the rigors of
war would be done.
AS matter of fact, they have seen our
army of invasion subjected to inconven-
fence, hardship, and positive sufferings
for which there is not the slightest eX-
cuse and which were entirely due to the
amazing incompetency Of the medical and
subsistence departments. Everything, in
deed, was favorable, highly favorable, to
the successful landing of troops and sup
plies and the keeping open of communi-
cation. We had the complete command
of the sea and abundance of ships for
transportation; the campaign was being
carried on at our very doors, and the field
of battle lay but few miles from the
point of debarkation. Yet as matter of
fact, our troops had to go through the
fierce fighting at Santiago in half starv
ed condition, and what food they secured
was often of the vilest description. The
wounded at the front, thanks to the lack
of ambulances, had to drag themselves
painfully many miles to the rear, only to
find hospital that was without tents,
medicine, bandages, ice, and many of even
the simplest necessities for "frst aid"
No 'whtewash" can obscure these facts
which first came i'll the press dispatches,
and are now daily being corroborated by
private letters from our unfortunate SOL
diers themselves.
Our army triumphed; but in the hour
of victory the dreaded fever made its APP
pearance, spreading so rapidly that the
victims were soon numbered by the thous-
and. The first duty Of tie Secretary of
War, one would have thought, was to
place the army, or the greater part of it,
on transports, and remove it to its native
northern home, But no. The political de-
mands of the hour had other calls upon
the transports, TO satisfy which, they were
hurried home i'll order to carry an army
of 500 men to a so called invasion of
Porto Rico. This pleasure trip was organ
lied, it seems, in compliance with certain
political demands, the righteousness of
which appears to have commended them
to the secretary's good military Judgment.
Meanwhile the sick, wounded, and dying
troops were to be dispatched to the inter
ior of Cuba until the conclusion of the
Porto Rico junketing trip would set free
the transports to bring home what was
left of the Santiago army
Our beloved country isjust now passing
through a crisis which, in its profound
importance, can only be likened to the
throes Of the revolution which gave the
country birth or the terrific struggle of
the civil war. The demand of the Anieri-
can people at such time is that its high
officials shall be distinguished by the pur-
est and most unquestioned patriotism. 1t
has nothing but scathing rebuke for such
questionable politics as are evidenced in
the recent publication of the partial con-
tents of private letter, in the hope of
working political injury to soldier citi-
zen whose cDIeud;d Qualities bo,,o