The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-09-09


where it holds possession and the au- !
thority of Spain in Cuba must be rec .
ognized where its flag still waves.
OFFICERS PROMOTED.
The president has made the following
promotions for distinguished services !
at Santiago:
To he major generals of volunteers :
Brigadier General William NJ. Ludlow +!
and Erigadier General s. S. Sumer.
To be brigadier generals-COlonel /
Richard COmba, Fifth infantry. and /
Lieutenant Colonel Joseph T. Haskell. |
Seventeenth infantry.
THE GOVERNMENTS INTENTIONS
TOWARD THE ARMY.
Secretary Alger is putting his af-
fairs in shape to admit of his absence
from Washington on tour of inspec-
ton OF the army camps throughout the
country. He will leave tomorrow eve
ninf, going first to Campo Meade,
Pennsylvania, and thence to Detroit.
Now that the active war operations
have closed, the secretary feels free to
express certain views entertained by
the president and himself respecting
the plans for the treatment Of the sol
diers and touching the persons upon
whom responsibilities should be placed
for some of the matters of complaint.
In this connection he says:
THE regiments that have been or
dered mustered out will be mustered
out. The regiments that have been
designated by the president to remain
in the service will have to remain. AS
soon as we have mustered out 100, ,0OO
more or less, we shall reOrganize the
army, every brigade, division and
corps, and put them into comfortable
camps until such of them as are need
ed are Withdrawn for service in Cuba
Porto Rico and the Philippines. In
these camps, with experience of the
past to guide us, sanitary conditions
will be strictly enforced. The men
composing the army will be treated as
soldiers They will be shown every
possible consideration and their health
will be preserved. The officers COM
manding regiments and companies will
be held strictly accountable for the
sanitary conditions of the camps. They
are the ones who should be held re-
sponsible. During the war many of
these officers disregarded the specific
instructions that had been given look
ing to the proper care of their men.
Now it is time for them to take this
work upon themselves, and, with the
knowledge that they are to remain in
service, they will be expected to devote
their best energies to the work. Where
men are incompetent to discharge these
duties, they must give way to cOmpe
tent men, for again / wish to make it
clear that these company and regimen
tai officers are to be held to account
for the welfare Of their men.
ARMY RATIONS GOOD ENOUGH.
Now a word as to the feeding of
these troops. The army ration is all
that is necessary for a soldier. 1 hope
that there will be less food given to
from O
dainties crafty the taste of the men,
but they are of no real help and only
tend to breed dissatisfaction where
they do not actually destroy the health
Of the men. The army ration today, as
it has been, and as it will be in the fu-
ture, is a sound, healthy diet.
The principal difficulty we have
had to contend with is the recklessness
of youth. In the vigor of sound health
the young men who went to make up
our army could not be induced to take
proper care of themselves.
when a regiment is designated to be
mustered out, no further appeals will
! De allowed to influence the department
to change its programme. That order
is going to be strictly observed until
the president decides that he can make
further reduction in the army. When
such reduction is made there will be
, no discrimination in releasing the
troops. 1T is not possible to maintain
the exact ratio, because to do so would
be TO divide regiments, but the pur-
! pose will be to treat all states fairly
and as near alike as possible
The great complaint of the soldiers
is homesickness and a great deal of
this has been caused by the inconsid-
crate publications in the sensa ational
newspapers. Some of it is also charge
able to the fact that the men entered
the army with the expectation that
their services would be very short Ev-
cry experienced officer knows that
great many men died of homesickness
Following the depression that ensues
upon hOmesickneSS come other maladieS
to which the homesick soldier falls an
easy victim and it is impossible to
check their course. Now to my mind
the American people should try to
| brace up these men: to encourage them
and cause them to remember that they
are soldiers and are expected to meet
a soldiers duties. The people of this
country should not be given the i'm
preston that they have sent into the
army lot of boys unfit to stand the
: unavoidable VicisSitudes of camp life
Some of the complaints that have been
published are calculated to make the
American army appear in a poor light
to the eyes of the American people and
also to those Of the nations of the
world"