The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-08

Washington, Sept. 7-Secretary AL
ger is now putting his affairs in shape
to admit of his absence from Washing
ton on tour of inspection Of the army
camps throughout the country. He will
leave tomorrow evening, going first to
Camp Meade, Pa, and thence to De-
troit.
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 of the treatment of the SOL
d:ers and touching the persons upon
whom responsibilities should be placed
for some of the matters of complaint
In this connection he says: The regl-
ments that have been ordered mus
tered out will be mustered out. The
regiments that have been designated
by the president to remain in the SerV-
ice will have to remain. As soon as
we have mustered out $1,000, more or
less, we shall reorganize the army
every brigade, division and cOrps-and
put them into comfortable camps un-
til such of them as are needed are
withdrawn for service in Cuba, Porto
Rico and the Philippines. In these
camps, with the experience OF the past
to guide us, sanitary conditions Will
be strictly enforced. The men COM
posing the army will be treated as SOL
diers. They will be shown every pos
sible consideration, and their health
will be preserved. The officers COM
mapding 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 the men. Now
it is time for them to take this work
upon themselves, and with the knowl-
edge that they are to remain in serV-
ice, 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 COM
petent men, for again / wish to make
it clear that these company and regi-
mental officers are to be held to ac-
count for the welfare of their men
The great complaint of the SOL
diers is homesickness, and a great deal
of this has been caused by the incOn-
siderate publications in the sectional
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.
Every experienced officer knows that
a great many died of hOmesickncss.
Following the depression which ensues
upon homeSickneSS come other mala-
dies, to which the homesick soldier
falls an easy victim, and it is impoS-
sble to check their course. Now, to
my mind. the American people should
try to brace them up, 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
impression that they have sent into
the army lot of boys, unfit to with
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
The secretary gave assurance of his
purpose to carry out strictly the de-
ciSion he had announced, to hold field
officers responsible for the condition of
their men in the case of Private Hugh
ParrOtt, who was supposed to have
periShed in his tent at Montauk Point,
lacking medical attendance. This was
the case to which Representative GroS-
venOr had directed the attention of the
war department. The secretary, sew
eral days ago, called upon the COM
officer at Camp Wikoff for a
report on the subject, and today he
sent a peremptory order to General
Shafter to create a court of inquiry
to investigate the case; or, if the facts
warranted it, TO shorten the proceed
ingS by ordering a cOurtmartial at once
for the officer responsible for Parrott's
lack of attention.