The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-26
ALGER |NSPECTS
CAMP CUBA L|BRE
Greatly Pleased With Its
Condition.
PRAISE FOR GENERAL LEE
GOOD HEALTH OF THE MEN DUE
TO HIS ORDERS.
Secretary Of War Says History Will
Pass Upon the Merits or De-
merits Of His Admin
istration.
PRAISE FOR GENERAL LEE
GOOD HEALTH OF THE MEN DUE
TO HIS ORDERS.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

Secretary Alger and party, consisting
of General Sternberg, surgeon general;
General Ludington, quartermaster gen
eral, and others, spent the day in jack
sonville visiting the camp of the Sew
enth Army Corps. The distinguished
party was met at the station by Gen
eraI Lee and a company of citizens.
General Alger proceeded at once to the
camp of the First Division and during
the day inspected the three division
hospitals, going through every ward.
He shook hands and spoke encourag-
ingly to the sick men. In one case,
where a discharge was asked for by a
sick man, his name was taken, ana the
Secretary said that it would be attend
ed to.
The regiments of the three divisions
were reviewed, that of the Third Divis-
ion after dark, with the light OF the
moon hid behind a hazy sky. AT the
conclusion of his labors Secretary Alger
said in response to question:
IT am highly delighted with all l
have seen and am very agreeably sur
prised at the conditions that l find ex-
listing in Camp Cuba Libre."
AS Jacksonville is considered to have
the best and healthiest camp in the
country his statement means much.
A luncheon was rendered to the Sec
rotary and party at noon, and In re-
Spouse to a toast, drunk standing, he
said:
l have visited Jacksonville once or
twice before but never with the same in
tereSt as to-day. l have listened with
pleasure, but with no surprise to the reso-
buttons that have been presented as TO
how the citizens have got along with
General Lee. Any one can get along with
him that will let him have his own way.
! have known him pretty well and you
here 1 am glad that the soldiers nave
been orderly and, of course, that has
been due to General Lee. The health OF
this camp has been better than that OF
any other in the country. twenty-five
per cent of that has been due to the city
of Jacksonville and seventy-tlve per cent
course, tn subordinate officers, do not
count applause and loud laughter)
Sickness is largely the fault of COM
manders-division, regimenta1 ana COM
pany commanders.
General Lee is not looking very well
and have granted him special leave
of absence.
The organization and equipment of an
army of 900 men carrying on war
in two continents in the space OF three
months has been a tremendous under
ably assisted in this undertaking by the
surgeon general and the quartermasters
department., They have, been crltlelSeu.
but not to the extent the secretary OF
War has been, yet 1 know. the work they
have accomplished has been little snort
of miraculous When this war began tne
clothing that the men nave worn was on
the backs of animals. There was no am
munition no transportation; there was
nothing beyond the War Department put
a great, rich nation, burning with patriot
ism Almost in a night an army was
organized and equipped that paralyzed
the nation with which we had to deal,
and has awakened the admiration or the
world have no ap9n a W W fsA to i Iet
the record of the campaign stand and
speak for itself.
United States Senator Morgan SAID 70
me before he left for the Hawaiian ISL
an 1 u,a bas rever saen nor will II
see again the mobilization OF such an
army and the accomplishing with 1t OF
what has been done with this one IN such
a short period.
It matters not what may become of me.
I may be buried in oblivion or in the
grave, but the unbiased historian will
give the world the imaprtial record of
what has been accomplished, and the rec
the greatness of this nation and o. it's
boundless resources. We are great ma
ton. we don't have to uepend on any
other nation on eartn, ana our resources
all We should have standing army
large enough for our needs. We should
have great navy lnal We may take our
place among the leading nations of the
world.
When this war began issued an order
that the North and South should be brig
AIDED together They have been united
and it is proved that the sectional lines
of the North and the South no longer ex-
list; and thank God that l have lived to
try. l thank you, General Lee, for the
welcome and the hospitality of to-day,
and I hope for the continued prosperity
of this city and this nation. Great and
continued applause.)
Surgeon General Sternberg, in an in
terview, said that he did not think that
he should be held responsible for the
mistakes of all the officers under him,
and yet he had been criticized for all
that had happened. He said that every
reouisition that had come to his office
for supplies had been promptly filed,
and that he knew of but one item that
had been cut out of a requisition, and
that was for chewing gum. His depart
ment had been ready to meet every de-
mand, and If the supplies wanted had
not been asked for 1t was not his fault.
Regarding female nurses, he said that
his position had been misunderstood.
He had been in favor Of them from the
start and did not know it would be pos
sible to get along without them.
AS to the hospital here, he was highly
pleased, and found the sick being well
cared for In contrast to other camps,
the purity of the water supply was un-
questionable. He had made inquiries
at random and had not heard a single
complaint during the entire day.