The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-26
IN CAMP CUBA L|BRE
Secretary Alger Tells What He
Knows About War.
VISITING SICK SOLDIERS
He Has No Apology to Make for What
Has Been Done-Let the Record
OF the Campaign Speak
for Itself

Alger and party. consisting of General
Sternberg, surgeon general: General
Ludington, quartermaster general. and
others spent the day in visiting the
camp of the 9TH army corps. The dis
tinguished party was met at the sta
tion by General Lee and a committee
of citizens. General Alger proceeded
at once to the camp of the first division.
and during the day inspected the three
division hospitals, going through every
J ward. He shook hands and spoke en-
couraging words to the sick men, and
in one instance a discharge was asked
for by sick man. His name was
| taken and the secretary said that IL
| would be attended to. The regiments
| of the three divisions were reviewed,
that of the third division being after
| dark, with the light of the moon hid
behind a hazy sky.
At the conclusion of his labors, Sec
retary Alger said in response to a
question:: II am highly delighted with
all l have seen and am very agreeably
surprised at the conditions that I find
existing in Camp Cuba Libre." AS
Jacksonville is considered to have the
best and healthiest camp in the coun-
try, his statement means much
A luncheon was rendered to the sec
retary and party at noon, and in re-
sponse to toast, drunk standing, he
said: Il have visited Jacksonville once
or twice before, but never with the
same interest as to-day. / have list
ened with pleasure, but with no sur
prise, to the resolutions that have been
read as to how the citizens of Jackson
Vile have got along with General Lee
Any one can get along with him that
will let him have his own way. 1 know
him nrptfV we'll and
sagacious in letting him run things
here. l am glad the soldiers have been
orderly and, of course. that has been
due to General Lee. The health of this
camp has been better than that of any
other in the country Twenty-Five per
cent of that has been due to the city of
Jacksonville and 75 per cent has been
due to General Lee, for, of course the
subordinate officers don't count. Gap
plause and loud laughter.) Sickness is
largely the fault of commanders, divis-
ion, regimental and company COM
manders. General Lee is not looking
very well and 1 have granted him a
short absence.
THE organization and equipment of
an army of 250, 900 men, carrying on a
war in two continents in the space |
of three months. has been a tremendous |
undertaking. The secretary of war has |
been ably assisted in this undertaking |
by the surgeon general and the quar- |
termaster's department. They have |
been criticised, but not to the extent |
the secretary of war has been, yet 7 |
know the work they have accomplished /
has been little short of miraculous.
when this war began, the clothing
that the men have worn was on the
backs of animals. There was no am
no transportation: there was
nothing beyond the war department
but a great, rich nation, burning with
ya1 frl lHf fFGna IN,,n H.
was organized and equipped that par
alyzed the nation with which we had to
deal, and has awakened the admiration
of the world. ] have no apology to
make for what has been done / am
willing to let the record of the cam
paign stand and speak for itself
Senator Morgan said to me before
he left for the Hawaiian islands: The
world has never seen, nor will it see
again, the mobilization of such an army
and the accomplishing with il of what
has been done with this one in such a
short period 1t matters not what
may become OF me. / may be buried
In oblivion. or in the grave, but the
unbiased historian will give the world
the impartial record of what has been |
and the record will stand |
forever as monument to the great
hess Of this nation and of it's boundless
resources. We are a great nation We |
ion on earth, and our resources are |
such that we can be independent of |
III. we should have a standing army |
'nough for our needs. We should have
/ great navy that we may take our
'lace among the leading nations of the !,
world. /,
when this war began 1 issued an or
Ter that the North and South should
'e brigaded together. They have been |
United and II is proved that the sec
ional lines of the North and of the
'outh no longer exist, and thank God
hat l have lived TO see the day when
re have a united country / thank YOU. 7
ieneral Lee. for the welcome and the
ospitality of to-day, and / hope for
he continued prosperity of this city =.
nd this nation" (Great and continued =
pplause) =
Surgeon General Sternberg. in an in
srview, said that he did not think he .
hould be held responsible for the mis- =
axes OF all the officers under him, and =
ct he had been criticised for all that | !,
ad happened. He said that every
aquisition that had come to his office
'r supplies had been promptly filled.
nd that he did not know of but one
hing that had been cut from a reuuisi- 81
on. and that was for chewing gum. | g
lis department had been ready TO meet &
very demand and if the supplies | tC
anted had not been asked for, il was ! g
0t his fault. Regarding female nurses. b
: said that his position had been mis- n
nderstood. He had been in favor OF Il
lem from the start and did not know b,
would be possible to get along with Y
IT them. As TO the hospitals, he was y
ghly pleased. and found the sick be- le
g well cared for. In contrast to other SIS
mps, the purity of the water supply II
as unquestionable. He had made in W