The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-09-24
Fair Play for the Administration

Gradually as the public regains that
equilibrium which was disturbed for
a time by its sudden introduction to
the horrors of war it is reaching a
correct appreciation of the difficulties
against which the administration at
Washington had to contend in organ
izing and conducting this swiftly sue
cessful campaign. The first tendency
was to blame Secretary Alger and,
through him. the president for every
delinquency. oversight, neglect or mis-
take in the management of each sep
arate camp, transport and hospital; but
it is becoming clear as inquiry into
these matters goes deeper into the facts
that a large part of the outcry against
Alger has been undeserved and unjust
that It should have been directed in
the first place against the camp COM
mandants and staff subordinates who,
in the face of army needs and perils.
instead of taking hold to remedy de-
fects and to insure quick honoring of
acquisitions and the like, spent their
time in log-rolling against each other
and in lodging responsibility; and in
the second place, against the past
apathy OF public opinion toward the
needs of our military arm.
No secretary Of war having before
him the stupendous problem that con-
fronted General Alger at the begin
ming of hostilities, when the machin-
cry of caring for $4,000 regulars who
had not in thirty years been mobilized
either in divisions or in corps had
suddenly to be expanded to ten times
its normal dimensions and spread out
over field of military operations that
extended 10000 miles from San Juan
on the East to Manila on the West,
could rightly have been expected per.
sonally and simultaneously to be in
every detail of their administration.
He had necessarily to rely for his in
formation as to the condition of these
army centers upon the representations
made to him by subordinates: and II
is becoming palmer day by day that
many of these .subordinates, whether
from false sense of duty or an equal
facts as they were but suppressed
both facts and complaints, or in other
words deceived the officials at Wash
ington respecting many things which
had those officials known. they would
have spared no resource in remedying
But back of all this and wholly an
terror to the immediate conduct OF
he
certain causes of mischief for which
not Alger, not Mckinley, not the Off.
GERS of the line or staff but the Ameri.
can people as a whole are to blame
and If popular, clamor were in the
slightest degree just, for every brick
It throws at the head of the war de.
partment 1t would throw a brick house
at itself. We have said that not ir
thirty years has our little regular
army ever had a manoeuvre calling to-
gether at one place a division or q
corps. This is true. but the fault 1.
not Alger's neither Is II the fault
of the generals who have been in com,
mand. Each and all of these have re,
peatedly petitioned congress to pro
vide means for annual encampments
which, like the brigade and division
encampments Of our National Guard
teach not only the men Of the line how
to move in mass but also the officer,
OF the staff and the generals how Il
take care Of large camps of mobiliza
tion and drill. But congress, respond
ing to popular parsimony, has uni
formly ignored these representations
with the result that when the mobili
zation had to take place in excitement
and rush, nobody knew his proper
duty or place and things became for q
time inextricably confused.
Here We have the foundation faul