The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-25
CSURClA OF IRE
HOI.Y EDfA<HDG


those which were found at Santiago, !
yes. But there is not the slightest rea-
son why there should have been a large
death rate among the troops
at points Of mobilization i'm the United
States, when every resource was at
hand and all modern knowledge avail
able, If only the government had chos-
en- TO use the latter. Every year IN Eu-
rome hundreds Of thousands Of men are
modified for maneuVers. just as they
would be in real war; they 20 into great
camps march in all sorts of weather,
and are exposed TO just the same hard-
ships as they would have to ~encounte
when hostilities existed. No epldemlcs
occur, n there is almost no loss OF
life, because they know how TO man
age those things over there. At the
present time the British General Kitch-
ener is marching 10000 men across
Egypt. one of the most unhealthy coun-
tries in the world, and at last report
not a man in his command was sick.
Under proper conditions large num-
bers of men ought TO be healthier In
a camp than in a city, because they
live a more natural life, have a strict
regime. and enjoy plenty of fresh air.
Yet our soldiers " been dying IKE
flies, chiefly because reasonable meas
ures were not taken to protect them
against disease. A secondary, though
very important, cause of the trouble
was improper food. The staple of their
diet was beans and a poor quality OF
fat pork, called 'sowbelly.' In old
times beans and sowbelly were given
to soldiers because they represented a
highly condensed nutriment and would
remain good indefinitely in any ell
mate. But that was before the days
of the wonderful improvements in pre-
pairing foods and putting them up for
--..-N -,nEnarfatfnn Raw hear ms
are the hardest vegetable on earth to
cook, and inexperienced volunteers
cannot prepare them properly. why
should not the beans nave been fur
nished ready cooked in cans? 1t takes
something like 10 hours TO boil raw
beans: the troops were obliged TO do
this. though il was declared by the war
department that they could not be MADE
to boil the water for drinking! Like
wise. why furnish sowbelly when good
meat in ans could be obtained for a
little more money? The lowest Grimm
ais in the prisons of this country have
been better fed during the last three
months than our soldiers. Is this be-
cause the American people are not
willing to provide good food for their
lighting men? Well, hardly. The peo-
pie want their soldiers to have the best
of everything. but the trouble has lain
in the conservatism and traditional
economy of the war department.
Think Of the a~bsurdity of 10000 men
boiling raw beans for suppe IN a
camp. procuring fuel for the operation
and requiring eight or 10 hours TO &C
complish il, when the same vegetable
ready cooked and in a condition health
fuI for eating could be obtained IN IN
limited quantities from the canneries.
Such rations viii sustain life in a stront
man, but they fail to be sustaining IN
minute he is sick or wounded. becom'
ing repulsive and disgusting to him, al
they would 10 any unwell person. Thel
are strong foods for strong
Why were milk and butter not fur
nished to the soldiers as 4 part Of thei