Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1898-09-22
Truth as to Army Mortality.

What the people desire i'll regard to
the condition of the troops is exact in
formation. They are well aware that
sensational stories are contrived to
infame public sentiment. The basis
of the exageration is partisan. 1t is
impossible to dispute the results OF the
war, since they amount to a brilliant
success. President Mckinley stands
too well to be selected as q target. The
democratic policy is to attack the
administration somewhere. After the
point is chosen the game is to concen-
trate the venom and make great noise
in directing it at the mark. 1t is
charged by the democratic press that
the sick i'll the army have been syste-
matically neglected and the soldiers on
duty deprived of proper supply of
food. These statements, be it remem-
bered, follow Il war of complete and
extraordinary victory. Since this is
beyond denial, the democrats scheme
is 10 besmirch the means by which it
was won. Two months hence IL new
congress is to be elected and the demo-
Gratis must discredit the administration,
no matter how, or they are lost. They
have always voted against doing any
thing to improve the regular troops,
but insist that nothing short of perfec-
ton must happen in an army of 225, 900
suddenly called to the field.
A report like that from General
| Boynton OH the condition of the camps
at Chickamauga is especially welcome
to the people. 1t deals with exact
details and figures. Since the first
occupation of the Chickamauga site by
the volunteers ABOUT $4,000 men have
been stationed there. The total death
list in camp of this immense force up
to August %, was 1893. These figures
are official. The death rate per annum
at Camp Thomas has been 792 per
1000. The death rate at st. Louis in
1896, the data of the last official report
was 1895 per 1000. According to
Phisterer's statistical record of the
civil war the aggregate number of men
enlisted reduced to a three years stand.
ard was 2,32O,272. During the war by
the same authority there were 1925
deaths in the union army from disease
All average of 79 per 1000 for the three
years, or of 26.3 per 1000 per annum.
AT Camp Thomas the soldiers have
been more than twice as safe from dis
ease as is the population of a large eity
The average loss for each regiment is
lower than is usual in such a host OF
men. Gen. B0yntOn makes favorable
showing rs the condition of the hos
pitfalls. Every hospital there is better
equipped than any known in the civil
war. There were a few filthy regi
mental camps, whose Colonies ough
to be called to account. These officers
seem to have been too incompetent tt
know how a camp should be kept Of
too lazy to see that they were properly
cleaned up daily.
Every soldiers history in the service
is carefully preserved, and there is ne
difficulty in ascertaining the mortalit,
in each camp. From vague stories thu
public had been led to believe tha
thousands at Chlckamauga had dice
or were in dying condition. But thu
official figures do not differ from those
of the best camps, where $1,000 mel
assembled and where the most of then
remained for months. The mortalit,
lists of the various corps are published
daily. There the truth will be found
Something quite different is spread
abroad OH the pages of democratic
papers. They deal in CHASTITY rhetoric
for political effect. They minimize o.
omit favorable news from the arm!
and catch at every exageration tha
drifts about. Their purpose is not L
benefit the, soldiers but to tear dowI
a Cabinet and blacken an administra
tion.-St. Louis Globe Democrat.