The Irish standard., 1898-08-13
SOMEBODY HAS BLUNDERED,

SOMEBODY HAS BLUNDERED,
1t is the general impression that the
Cuban campaign has been badly mis-
managed SO far as the army is concerned,
and that if Ccrvera had remained longer
in Santiago harbor and escaped the de-
st1uction OF his fleet, the soldiers under
Shafter would have Jared worse. The
New York Herald charges Shafter with
lncompetency, and declares that on the
night OF July 2, when Cervera was pre-
pairing TO escape, he determined to re-
J treat from his position in the enviruns
OF Santiago, which had been won at the
cost of hundreds of American lives. It
describes council of war in which
Generals Wheeler, Lawton and Bates
vehemently opposed retreat, but were
overruled by Shafter, who, from his
hammock in which he lay, with men
rubbing him on either SIDE" declared
his determination to retreat, and only
asked suggestions as to who should lead
the flight. 1t will be remembered that
on the evening Of July the news came
that Shafter had asked for reinforcements
and for surgeons to attend to the wound
ed, and on the morning Of July it was
an agreeable surprise to every patriotic
American to learn that the Spanish fleet
was destroyed and could no longer COM
NIT havoc with it's shells on the Ameri-
can troops in the field. Good fortune.
not good generalship," says the Herald,
| saved for the United States the ground
won by good fighting and Spain may
never learn how easily her forces might
nave driven the sick and timorous SHAFT
ter back had the attack been made with
courage and dash"
| Alter the surrender of Santiago the
shocking Encouragement continued in
the army. Climatic fevers and lack of
medical care have rendered two-thirds
OF our brave young soldiers unfit for
service, and nothing was being done
until COL Roosevelt stirred up the war
department to remove the troops from
to the United States to recuperate. Sec
rotary Alger got mad at Roosevelt and
published his private letter to place him
IN @ false light before the public, but he
complied with his request and got the
lnvalids taken from Cuba. In trans
porting the invalids the same misman-
agement that has characterized the Of
nclat bureaucracy at Washington from
the beginning was noticeable to a pain
| 1ul degree. Who is responsible for all
phls? 1t is the Michigan politician that
now acts as secretary of war-Russell A.
Alger. lie tries to Shift the responsible
lty and place the blame on the shoulders
OF the surgeons general for the sufferings
endured by the sick troops while in
CUBA and on their way home, but that
official in self-defense says:
The medical department of the armv
is criticised for this shortage in the
equipments / wish to saw that This
| department is not responsible that the
ambulance train which should have ac-
companied the expedition was left be-
mind. 1t was at Tampa ready to he
loaded along with the troops, am NOT
crltlclsing anybody; am simply stating
1acts. Neither is this department re-
! sponslble for the fact that the reserve
/ hospital supplies which had been assem-
bled at Tampa to accompany the exnedi-
tlon were left there, together with the
officer who had them in charge"
Dr. Lesser, Of the Red Cross society. an
| organization which merits the highest
praise, says the troops lacked everv
thing in Cuba even to the cots for tho
PATIENTS and food and ice while I was
at Siboney and Santiago" he SAYS IT
| saw nothing but disease and devastation.
NO words can describe the horrible con-
| ditions resulting from the battles so
numerous We're the wounded that thew
lay on the ground for hours, not only
on the field and in the trenches, but in
the field hospitals, before any attention
could be given to them"
The Boston Republic voices the senti-
ment OF every right-t thinking and hu-
name American when it says:
! Gen. Shafter is responsible through
MS failure to take with him a. fullv-
equipped hospital train. Gen. A]ger ia
responsible through his hurrying Gen
Snafter to the front, and President Mr.
klnley is responsible through keeninp
at the head of the war department ono
whose utter unfitness has been repeatea-
~ demonstrated. To permit h,ndrede
and perhaps thousands of brave mon r.
ole OF disease and neglect when the ono
could have been prevented and the otber
stopped, is simply criminal Failure IN
provide all the essentials for nursing tbe
sick and wounded on the battlefield and
on the troop ships is simply an exhibi-
ton of barbarism. The war department
needs a complete overhauling. # is
! corrupt, inefficient honeycombed with
| fraud and favoritism. The best wav r.