Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-08-19
Incompetence and Nepotism.

Incompetence and Nepotism.
The patience and forbearance that
the American people en-
able them to remain silent In the
presence of grievances that sorely
afflict them and to condone offences
however great when the committal of
Them was unintentional. But the
pcompetency that has been exhibited
BY the War Department during the
past ninety days is more than human
nature is calculated to bear and not
utter either criticism or protest. The
appalling and unnecessary sickness
and death caused by the selection OF
sites for camping grounds
and the insufficient supply Of whole-
some water and food, with the lack
of proper sanitary conditions, are too
serious to be passed by without re-
buke and criticism when no excuse
exists for such state of affairs except
incompetence on the part of the
officials of the government charged
with the responsibility of proper pro-
vision of the army.
The Second Army Corps had to
abandon Camp Alger to escape from
a typhoid epidemic that had already
overtaxed the hospital facilities avail
able at Fort Myer and other places.
To avoid the prostration of the
entire corps those who had not yet
succumbed to disease were removed
last week to new camping ground
near Manassas, Va. When the army
was started on the march to the new
camp the commissary wagons were
left behind, and did not overtake the
army until the following morning,
thus leaving the soldiers full days
march under hot Virginia sun, at
the close OF which they were forced
to pitch their tents and await the
coming of the morning before the
arrival Of the commissary wagons,
going twenty -four hours without
food. What excuse can be given for
delaying the commissary wagons in
this instance? The unhealthy con-
ditions of the former camp had so
weakened the soldiers that many of
them fell sick by the wayside, and
were unable to continue the march.
At Santiago the flower of the army
was with undue haste and without
due preparation hurried into battle,
an infantry with inferior equipment
were made to charge uphill, with ex-
posed ranks, against the fire of an
enemy with superior equipment from
behind breast works, instead of wait
ing until the artillery could be
landed and their guns properly
placed to she'll the enemy and drive
them from behind their breastworks
into the open. This seemed unneces-
sary and cruel, but when at the close
of the engagement it was found that
no adequate arrangements had been
made to care for the wounded and
dying. the incompetence of the com.
handing officer became painfully
apparent. Later, when disease was
rapidly prostrating the army at
Santiago, the sick and wounded were
crowded into hospital ships that were
not supplied with pure water, whole
some food, or an adequate supply of
medicine. For this no excuse but
that of Incompetence can be given.
The Incompetence that has been
manifested from the beginning Of the
war is in a very large degree charge
able to the weakness OF the admins
tration in yielding to the demands of
politicians, especially Senators and
members of Congress, to have their
sons and other relatives appointed as
staff officers and to other responsible
positions for which they possessed no
qualifications whatever. Nepotism
has held high carnival, and the effici-
ency of the military service has been
grossly impaired thereby.
Our criticism is directed against
the vicious policy of favoritism
adopted by the administration,
instead OF selecting men to fill all
positions of responsibility having
higher claims to consideration than
political influence. Our brave soldiers
deserved better things at the hands
of the government, and now that
peace is assured the time for criti-
cism has arrived. Attention is called
to the subject in order that public
may SO crystalline and assert itself as
to make a repetition of the favorite-
ism and consequent incompetence
that we have experienced in this war
impossible again, at least during the
present generation Silver Knight
Watchman.
Brooklyn, N. Y, Dec. 10, 1895.
MEssRs. ELY BROS. II have used
Ely's Cream Balm number of wears