The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-09-02
The War and Its Exposures.

anything like compare Ill criminal Diun-
der and inefliciency, with the Washington
management of this insignificant war
with Spain. The source of all blame
appears to center on Secretary Alger, who
appears to have made of his department
a highway Of nepotisin and political fav-
oritisn, over which his political friends
and relatives marched into places of fat
salaries. These aids and appointees of
Alger appear to be lot of incompetent
dudes who care as little for the soldiers
welfare as they cared to master the duties
of their posts.
The protest of Roosevelt, followed by
the round-robin of the Generals OF the
Santiago army, raiset. such an indignant
outcry from the whole country against
Alper and Shafter, that a hasty effort was
made to get the army away from that
pest hole. This movement, however,
only served to punctuate more emphat-
ically the criminal incompetency and
reckless unconcern of the military depart
ment at Washington. No provision was
made for the sick soldiers at Montauk
Point, and their condition was but little
changed from what it had been at San
tiapo. The same tainted bacon and
musty hard tack which were sent to Cuba
were shipped back to feed the sick SOL
diers at their northern camp, i'll place of
being dumped into the Gulf. Sick and
we'll were left to absolutely starve within
word from Alger or the President, if
Alger and his incompetents failed to act
Immediately, would in few hours have
supplied the camp with every necessity
for sick as we'll as the soldiers in health.
Philanthropic women and men rushed in
to supply this objectionable neglect OF
the war department as far as possible,
and such flaming indignant protest was
sent up from the whole country at the
unparalleled outrage, that the Secretary
in sheer disnay went to the camps and
issued Burroughs" to the men to go home
to their friends where they could be
nursed and properly cared for. This is
tantamount to disbanding the army i'll all
Informal manner, in place of mastering
them out, which ceremony is to be gone
through with at some future time. The
misery, sickness, death and all manner of
hardships caused by the criminal neglect,
ignorance and incoinpetency of the war
department under Secretary Alger is ten
times greater than all the injury inflicted
or caused by the Spanish.
Such disgrace is unparalleled in the
military history Of the country. The four
wears war of the rebellion with two mil
lion men in the field, had nothing to
compare with this horrible exhibit of
Alger and his neaphte aids
Behind all this stands Mckinley who i'll
reality is the center of the blame. He can,
offer no reasonable excuse for appointing
and retaining such man as Alger. But
like Hanna the report is that Alger had a
mortgage on Mckinley and circumstances
give color to the charge. The goldbug
Mckinley press report that the most
cordial relations exist between Secretary
Alger and the President" Even these
gold papers, the satraps of the admins
tration, were cowed by the flame of in
dignation at the treatment the brave
boys in the field were receiving by Wash
ington neglect. These administration
organs were forced TO make mild protests,
and they went about it like walking
among eggs, i'll the most gingerly man.
ner, accompanied by all sorts of palliative
excuses they could mnster up.
In the midst of all this excitement and
angry outcry, not word is uttered by
Mr.. Mckinley, who is balancing like a
man OH tight rope, saying little and
taking no responsibility. His goldbug
papers are industriously coaching and
grooming him for the Republican candi-
date in 1900 and attempting to humbug
the public with the assumption that Mr..
Mckinley is the repository of great wis
dom and craftsmanship.
When English journals, which are now
toadying the United States, publish
laudatory paragraph of Mckinley wisdom,
it is eagerly snapped up and reproduced
by the gold press of this country, in their
efforts to bamboozle the people into the
belief that Mr. Kinley is great man.
This attempt has every symptom of failure
however. Mr.. Mckinley waits to hear
what everybody else has to say before
making known his opinion on the most
trifling subject connected with questions
growing out of the war.
Mr. Mckinley is anything else than
leader but a most persistent follower.
The only question demanding leadership
in a President growing out of this war
was the Philippines, and this Mr.. McKin-
ley lodged, and that constitutional weak
ness in the chief magistrate may cause
this country infinite trouble in the future
1t is worthy of notice that only about
90, 900 troops all told have been called
into actual service in Cuba, Porto Rico
and the Philippines; 100000 volunteers
were called out, which added to $4,000
regular army troops created an army Of
nearly $50, 900. There was never any
thing i'll sight-except incompetency and
fear on the part of the administration
which called for such an army. 100, 600
would haye been more than sufficient
This number could have been cared for
reasonably well, even by Alger and his
incompetent aids, it is probable, but the
monstrous bluuder of calling 2I6, 600 vol
unteers under the circumstances was
apparent from the very beginning. 1t