Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-09-08
ARMY IS TO BE RE0RGANIzED
CLOSE ATTENTION TO BE PAID TO
SANITARY CONDITIONS.
Regiment and Company Officers to
BE Held Strictly Accountable
-MusterinS Out Orders VIII
Not Be Changed-The
Army Ration.

| tour of inspection of the army camps
| throughout the country. He will leave
Tomorrow evening, going first to Camp
| Meade, Pa, and thence to Detroit. Now
| that the active war operations have closed,
the secretary feels free to express certain
| views entertained by the president and
| himself respecting the treatment of the
soldiers, and touching the persons upon
whom responsibilities should be placed for
| some of the matters of complaint. In this
| connection he says:
1.-THE regiments that have been ordered
| mustered out will be mustered out. The
| regiments that have been designated by
the president to remain in the service will
| have to remain. AS soon as We have must
| cred out 100000, more or less. we shall re-
| organize the army-every brigade, division
| and corps-and put them into comfortable
| camps until such of them as are needed
are withdrawn for service in Cuba, Porto
| Rico and the Philippines. In these camps
with experience of the past 10 guide US,
sanitary conditions will be strictly en-
| forced. The men composing the army will
be treated as soldiers. They will be shown
| every possible consideration, and their
| health will be preserved. The officers COM
| manGing regiments and companies will be
held strictly accountable for the sanitary
| condition of the camps. They are the
ones who should be held responsible.
| During the war. many of these officers
| disregarded the specific instructions that
had been given looking to the proper care
| of their men. Now it is time for them to
| take this work upon themselves, and, with
the knowledge that they are to remain in
service, they will be expected to devote
| their best energies to the work Where
| men are incompetent to discharge these
| duties, they must give way to competent
men, for again 1 wish to make it clear
| that these company and regimental officers
| are to be held to account for the welfare
| of their men.
Now, word to the feeding of the
! troops. The army ration is all that is nee
essary for soldier. / hope that there will
be less food given to the men from outside
sources. The dainties crafty the taste of
| the men, but they are of no real help, and
only tend to breed dissatisfaction where
| they do not actually destroy the health of
the men. The army ration to-day, as it
has been, and it will be in the future, is a
sound, healthful diet.
"The principal difficulty we have had to
contend with is the recklessness of youths
In the vigor of sound health. the young
men who went to make up our army could
not be induced to take proper care of them
selves. They think that nothing can harm
them; that they can violate any and all
Of the laws of health with impunity.
when regiment is designated to be
mustered out, no further appeal will be all
lowed TO influence the department to
change its plans. That order Is going to be
strictly observed until the president de-
cides that he can make a further reduction
in the army. When such reduction Is made,
there will be no discrimination in releas-
ing the troops. 1t is not possible to main
| tain the exact ratio, because to do SO would
be to divide regiments, but the purpose
would treat all states fairly, and as nearly
alike as possible.
1.-The great complaint of the soldiers is
|
has been caused by the inconsiderate pub
lications in the sensational newspapers.
Some of it is also chargeable to the fact
that the men entered the army with the
expectation that their service would be
very short. Every experienced officer knows
| that great many died of homesickness
Following the depression that ensues upon
| tI,er 10
homesck soldiers fall an easy victim, and
it is impossible to check their course.
Now. to my mind, the American people
should try to brace these men up, to en-
courage them and cause them to remem-
ber that they are soldiers and are expect
ed to meet a soldiers duties. The people
of this country should not be given the
impression that they have sent into the
army lot of boys unfit to withstand the
unavoidable vicisstudes of camp life Some
of the complaints that have been publish
ed are calculated to make the American
army appear in a poor light to the eyes of
the American people and also to those OF
the nations of the world"
The secretary gave an earnest assurance
cision he had announced, TO hold field Of
ficers responsible for the condition of their
men in the case of Private Hugh Parrott
who was reported to have perished in his
tent at Montauk lacking medical attend
ance. This was the case to which Rep
resentative Grosvenor had directed the at
tention of the war department. The secre-
tary several days ago called upon the COM
manding officer at Camp Wikoff for a re-
port on the subject, and to-day he sent
Il peremptory order TO General Shafter to
create court of inquiry to investigate
the case, or If the facts warranted II, to
shorten the proceedings by ordering q
court-martial at once for the officer re-
sponsibIe for PARROTS lack of attention.
The president to-day sent for Secretary
Alger and Adjutant General Corbin, and
| also for a list of the volunteer organiZa-
| tions which have not been mustered out.
| The conference lasted an hour.
| Later in the day the following was given
| out at the war department:
I'm response to the request OF the gov
ernors of some of the states for the mus
| ter out of their entire volunteer force, the
| president replied in substance as follows:
Answering your telegraphic request for
the muster out of your regiments, have
directed that 10000 of the volunteers shall
| he mustered out of the service. This be-
cause in my Judgment that numbers can
he spared. About 10000 will remain, as
| the government now requires in Cuba.
Porto Rico and the Philippines a larger
army than the regular military establish
. | ment affords. The muster out Ike the
| muster In will be as nearly as possible ac-
, | cording to the population of the several
| | states The suggestion to muster out all
, | of the volunteers from your state cannot
therefore be entertained. The secretary OF