Evening journal., 1898-10-08
THE ARMY INQUIRY
General Greene, Colonel Lee
and Major Hersey Testify.
COMPLAINTS GREATLY EXAGGERATED
Army AbundRntIy Supplied with
Food-Impntiencc OF the Soldiers.
TrOubIe In Transportation De-
parsment - Saloons Blamed.
WASHINGTON, oct. s.-Three !

WASHINGTON oct. s.--Three wit
nesses were before the war investi-
gating commission yesterday-General
Greene whoparticipated ia the battle at
Manila; Colonel Lee chief quartermas-
ter at Camp Thomas. and Major Hersey.
who was for a time In command of the
Roosevelt Rough Riders. Each gave
testimony covering his experiences, and
while each one admitted the possibility
of individual cases of suffering and dis
comfort. all said that in the vast major
ity Of cases complaints were exagger-
ated, II not without foundation. They
agreed in saying that no army was ever
30 abundantly and luXuri0usly supplied
rs was the American army IN the Span
ish war
Colonel Lee dwelt upon the great diff
culties of supplying an army of $4,000
men. They were impatient as rule,
and seemed TO expect to be able to turn
4 faucet and get everything they want
ed upon the spur Of the moment. The
hospital and ambulance corps had been
fully fitted out with everything, includ-
ing floors He had not furnished water
boilers as promptly as at first demanded
because the commanding officer had not
given the order. He ordered them later
and many of them were not used
"They seemed to want them before they
got them and not to want them after
they came" said the colonel.
There were some articles of which
they were never able to get a sufficient
supply-army trousers, for instance.
He remembered one case in which
there appeared likely to be a clash in
the making OF contracts with the rail-
roads for the transportation of troops
in which men who were his juniors In
the Washington headquarters were
manfesting a disposition to interfere
with him by prescribing conditions with
which it was impossible to comply. He
had protested in sharp and vigorous
language, and thereafter there was no
trouble as the Washington Office reced-
ed from it's position. General McCoolS
asked for the names Of those who had
interfered and insisted upon having
them After hesitatlng somewhat
Colonel Lee said the difficulty arose in
the transportation branch of the de-
qartment in charge of Colonels Hecker
and Bird.
Pressed to enter into particulars,
Colonel Lee said that his contention
was that he should be allowed TO make
all the rates. He found that the pas
senger rates had been made at Wash
ington, and, while these were very low,
he found when he came to getting
freight rates they were too high. He
had felt that he could give better re-
suits If allowed to make both lines of
contracts, as with one rate already
made the government would be in the
power of the railroad it had contract
ed for this right, and it was conceded
to him.
Colonel Lee said the officials of the
railroad lines with which he had trans
acted business had been exceptionally
considerate and prompt in meeting all
demands upon them, and he said these
qualities had been so marked that he
had commended them especially in his
official report. He did not believe that
any actual suffering had arisen on ac-
count of the inefficiency of officers. He
thought on the other hand, the suffer-
ing had been caused by the failure of
the men to control themselves. He
thought the beer drinking in the camp
and the whisky drinking outside had
much TO do in causing distress and dis
ease
"The contiguity Of Chattanooga, with
It's saloons and the freedom with which
the selling of pies and cakes and beer
in the camp was permitted, was" he
said, "a far more prolific cause of dis
ease to my mind than the sleeping Of
the mon on the ground or any other
cause that has been suggested"
In conclusion Colonel Lee said he
believed that the department should
have credit for what it had done and
not be blamed for what it had not
done, and he thought the accomplish
ments of the past five months were
simply marvellous.