The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-05
ROOSEVELT RAISES A HOWL.
WANTS THE ARMY AT SANTIAGO
BROUGHT HOME.

at Present. But Is Sure to Become
Severe Later on-HaIT the Armv
VIII Die If Kept There.
Copyright 1898, by the Associated Press
Santiago. de Cuba. Aug. 3. $50 p. m.--
delayed IN transmission)-Sum by
Cen. Shafler. meeting was held this
morning, and In the presence Of every
commanding and medical officer Of the
Fifth Army Corps.
Gen. Shafter read the cable message
from Secretary Alger ordering him, at
the recommendation of Surgeon General
sternberg to move the army into the in
terror to San Luis, where It is healthier
AS q result Of the conference Gen. Shaf-
ter win insist upon the immediate with
drawal of the army North within two
weeks.
As explanation OF the situation the
| following letter from Col. Theodore
Roosevelt, commanding the First Volun-
teer Cavalry, to Gen. Shafter, was hand
! ed to a correspondent here of the Assocl-
ated Press for publications:
Mai Gen. Shafter-Sir In the meeting
| of general and medical officers called by
you at the palace this morning we were
all, as you know, unanimous In our views
of what should be done with the army.
| To keep us here, in the opinion OF every
ooer commanding division or a brigade.
will simply involve the destruction Of
thousands.
There Is no possible reason for not
shipping practically the entire command
North at once.
yellow fever cases are very few in the
cavalry division
81 command one of two brigades. and
not one true case of yellow fever has oc-
CURED IN this division except among tho
men sent to the hospital at siboney
where they have contracted it.
"But In this division there have been
| 1850 cases OF malarial fever. Not man
has died from It, but the whole command
is so weakened and shattered as to be
ripe for dying like rotten sheep when a
real yellow fever epidemic, instead of a
fake epidemic like the present, strikes us.
as 1t is bound TO do If we stay here at the
| hight Of the siclSly season. August and
the beginning Of September.
| Quarantining against malarial fever Is
like quarantlning against the toothache
! IAN Of us are certain as soon as the
authorities at Washington fully appre-
ciate the conditions of the army, to be
sent home.
IF we are kept here II will, in all hu-
man probability. mean appalling disaster,
for the surgeons estimate that over one
half OF the army, If kept here during Il Q
| siclxly season will die
"This Is not only terrible from a stand
point Of individual lives, but means ruin
from the standpoint Of military efficiency
of the flower of the American army. for
the great bulk of the regulars are with
! you.
"The sick list, large though 1t is, af-
fords but a faint index Of the debitation
| OF the army, not 10 per cent Of which is
! dt for active work.
"Six weeks on the north Maine coast,
| for instance, or elsewhere where the yell
| low fever germ cannot possibly propa-
/ gate would make all as fit as fighting
| cocks able as we are eager, to take
| leading pert in the great campaign against
| Havana In the faA. even IL We are not
| allowed to try Porto Rico
1--WE can be moved north, II moved at
once, with absolute safety to the coun-
| try, although, OF course, It would nave
| been infinitely better If we had been mov-
ed north or to Porto Rico two weeks ago.
"If there is any object IN keeping US
here we would face yellow fever with as
| much indifference as we faced bullets, bue
| there Is no object in IL.
| 1.-The four immune regiments ordered
| here are sufficient to garrison the city
| and surrounding towns and there Is ab-
| solutely nothing for us to do here ana
there has not been since the city surrend-
| cred.
1T Is impossible TO move into the inter-
| rior. Every shifting of camp doubles the
| sick rate in It's present weakened condl-
| ton and, anyhow. the interior is rather
worse than the coast, as / have found Dy
actual reconnaissance.
"Our present camps are as heaitny az
any camps at this end of the island can be.
II write only because l cannot see our
men who have fought so bravely and who
have endured extreme hardships and dam
ger SO uneomplainingly go TO destruction
without striving, so far as hes IN me, y
avert doom as fearful as II Is unneees-
sary and undeserved. Yours respectfully,
Theodore Roosevelt,
Colonel Commanding First Brigade.
After Col Roosevelt had taken the IN
itiative all the American general officers
united IN a round robin" addressed 70
Gen. shafter, which reads as follows;
1--WE. the undersigned officers, commanding
division and brgades of the army of oc-
cupation, are unanimous IN the opinion
that this army should be taken out OF
Cuba az once and sent TO some northern
point on the sea coast Of the United States;
II can be done witilout danger to the peo~
pie of the United States
yellow fever Is not epidemic al present,
but the army is disabled by malarial trou-
bles. and Is in a condition TO be destroyed
by an epidemic of yellow fever, which iJ
sure to come in the near future.
1--WE know from the report Of competent
officers and personal observation that the
army is unable 70 move into the interior,
and that there are no facilities for suci
"a move Sc attempted and that il could
not b., attempted till too late. Moreover.
the hest medical authorities Of the island
saw that with our present equipment we
could not live IN the interior during the
rainy season without loss from malarlal
fever which Is almost as deadly as yell
low fever This army must move at once
or perish.
be aaraLN rl1rL-al at