Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1898-09-09

AS much as everyone must deplOre the
amount Of sickness among u victorious
troops, 1t is n fact, nevertheless, that the
percentage Of deaths from disease for the
number Of men enrolled is far less than
It wa in the civil war. The records Of
the Union army show a mortality list Of
IL per cent of the entire force, or 313.OOO
In all. OF these 93,443 were killed in
battle OF died subsequently Of wounds;
1926 died of disease, the cause Of death
In h remaining cases being for the most
part unknown. The hospital records show
that 6,049,64S cases were treated during
the civil war, the mortality list being as
follows:
Gunshot winds. ss. 049 Remtnt. fever. 1855
Diarrhea ......3 ~ intrmtnt. fver: 4'le4
Typhoid ......2o.s3e lungs .......l007l
Typho-malarlal Smallpox 900. 1908
fever ........ $500 Measles ...... 6.177
During the war 2S5 PAS men were dis
charged for disability, classified as fol-
lows: Gunshot wounds, $4,000; consump-
ton, 2O,0O5; d%iarrhoea. 16,4S7; debility,
5000; rheumatism. 1868; heart dis
ease, 1O,197. The heavy mortality which
must have resulted in these cases is not
included in the mortality records Of the
war. The army which fought the civil
war had no such climatic conditions to
contend with as our present army had in
Cuba. Neither did the armies of the civil
war have to be transported in %troopships,
hastily gathered and fitted up in an emcr-
gency. A crowded ship in the temperate
climate of the North Atlantic is not a
sanitary habitation by n means, and in
Cuban waters it is a prolific breeder of
%pestilentiai diseases.
Before Congress has proceeded far with
It's investigation of the War Department
and the part it played in the conduct Of
the war the unpleasant fact will be re-
vealed that Congress itself is the pri-
mary source of the trouble and Of the
inability of the war Office to properly crap
pie with the war situation as found dur
Ing the last five or six months. Congress
is not wholly to blame because the War
Department is not up to date and because
many of the officials are SO welded to old
style red tape methods and to old-time
regulations that they cannot break away,
but it is largely responsible. 1t will have
to take much of the blame upon itself for
conditions which at the present time are
found to be intolerable. If Congress will
take this lesson to itself and liberalize
the methods in vogue and the spirit in
control of the War and Navy Depart
nlents the agitation will not have been in
vain.
Admiral Schlcy has a happy gift Of re-
Numbering names and faces and incidents
connected with casua! meetings with peo-
p
XSYa14Apts
forgotten. hasG lMvIGe6
many years of his life in Washington and
at one time or another has met thousands
of its citizens. Everybody knew him by
sight, but until the last few days nobody
had any idea Of the number of people he
knew by name.
Plans for the investigation Of tile man
agement Of the war are developing in the
War Department. Before leaving on his
versation with Secretary Alger concern
ing the question of determining RESPONSE
bility for Encouragement, and 1t is the in
W uVpOlAl u OO0EU VI lu4UlEys Ills
will be composed Of a representative from
each department Of the line and staff of
the army and will be presided over by
either the judge advocate general or the
Inspector general. Before such a board
every officer from Gen. Miles down will
appear for examination.
In defense Of the ~bureaucrats of the
vEvna n4-cA-..-A
the regular army it is urged that they
have been educated to a strict construc-
ton of the rules and regulations of the
department and of the army and trained
to fear to take unusual responsibilities,
particularly where money is involved.
=
1.-THE President and Mrs. Mckinley
were as happy as two children going to a
picnic" said n White House attache, re-
calling the scene of their vacation leave
taking.