The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-21
TROOPS IN CUBA AT LAST.

By this time, it is hoped, the trans
ports which left Tampa are debarking
troops in Cuba. Only $1,000 men were
taken. For almost two months $4,000
men have been ready. Not raw SOL
diers, unequipped and poorly dis
ciplined, but regular army soldiers, as
well drilled and equipped, and as brave
and as accustomed to the Spanish style
of fighting as any soldiers of any ma
ton.
For three weeks the government Of
ficials have been allowing the word to
go out that the transports will sail
tomorrow" and thus. ''at petty pace
from day to day." the war crept on.
For two weeks Admiral Sampson has
been calling for 10000 men that he
might not lose the advantages gained
at Santiago as the war department had
permitted at Porto Rico and Mataa-
zas.
Tired Of waiting while a vantage
point was slowly slipping from his
grasp, the admiral landed a few ma
rires on the shore of Guantanamo bay.
Unused to the Indian tactics employed
by Spaniards, they acquitted them
selves with credit. Aided by insurgents,
they drove the Spanish guerillas back
from the coast, and secured a foothold
for the army.
They had to fight every hour almost,
but the transports were coming, and
they determined to hold out a little
longer. Then the transports were re-
called to Tampa, owing to some new
tangle of red tape, or fresh outbreak
of incomDetency in the war depart
mect. ard for a week the brave ma
rires were left fighting against super
ior numbers, suffering more from AL
gers neglect than from SPANS army.
And so we are glad to know that the
transports have had ample time, if they
were not recalled again, to reach the
bay Of Guantanamo and relieve the
little band of heroes who had to lead
the way before the administration
would utilize the forces and means at
its disposal.
Sampson was not afraid to land 600
marines in Cuba, but some one, with
a penchant for conjuring up ghosts and
bugaboos, has been afraid to land our
army of 25,000 who were ready in one
week from the declaration of war;
Plenty of explanations for this have
been offered, but no reasonable excuse.
Even the New York Commercial Ad-
vertiser, goldbug to the core and Re-
publican from away back, has begun
to show its disgust at the way things
are being done. 1t says:
The delay in starting the expedition
from Tampa is something entirely diff
ferent from the inevitable delay in
forming, drilling and equipping an
army out of the raw material of civ
ilians and militia. This expedition is
composed almost wholly of regular
troops. The few volunteers in it seem
to have been left behind at the last
moment. There was no question of or
ganizing, seasoning or drilling.
Further on it says that the regular
army ought to have been ready for
work when war broke out, as the
navy was. There is all excuse for delay
in putting volunteers in the field. There
is no excuse for failure to have regulars
on the spot where they were needed,
fully equipped, as soon as their work
was ready for them. The war depart
ment has failed to do what it could
The Commercial Advertiser, Hanna
Mckinley organ as it is, cannot be
called ''carping critic" or a copper
head opponent of the administration.
1t is simply Disguised follower, an
embarrassed adherent. 1t has stood as
much as it could, and has made as
many excuses as anybody. But it's
sick