The Indianapolis journal., 1898-09-26
Brief Speech by the Secretary on
Department in a Short Time.
HAS NO APOLOGY TO OFFER
WILLING To LET THE RECORD
STAND AND sPEAK FOR ITSELF.
Interview with Surgeon General
Sternberg-OiI Stoves in Demand by
Officers at Camp Meade.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Sept. 25.-Secre-
tary Alger and party. consisting of Surgeon
General Sternberg, General Ludington,
quartermaster general, and others, spent the
day in Jacksonville visiting the camp of the
Seventh Army Corps. The distinguished
party was met at the station 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
ward. He shook hands and spoke encour-
aging words to the sick men. In one in
stance a discharge was asked for by a sick
man. His name was taken, and the Secre-
tary said that it would be attended to. The
regiments Of the three divisions were re-
viewed, that of the Third Division being
after dark with the light of the moon hid
behind hazy sky.
At the conclusion of his labors, Secretary
Alger said in response to a question: II am
highly delighted with all I have seen, and
am very agreeably surprised at the condi-
tions that 1 find existing in Camp Cuba
Lbre." AS Jacksonville has been consid-
in the country, his statement means much.
A luncheon was rendered to the secretary
and party at noon. and in response to a
toast drank standing, he said: Il have
visited Jacksonville once or twice before,
but never with the same interests as to-day.
1 have listened with pleasure, but with no
surprise, to the resolutions that have been
read as to how the citizens of Jacksonville
0I0 xr-f4I
can get along with him that will let him
have his own way. 1 know him pretty well,
and you have been sagacious in letting him
run things here. j am glad the soldiers
have been orderly. and, of course. that has
been due to General Lee. Laughter.) 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 70 per cent has
been due to General Lee, for, of course, the
subordinate officers don't count. (Applause
and continued laughter.) Sickness is largely
the fault Of the commanders, division, regi-
mental and company commanders. General
Lee is not looking very well, and have
granted him a short leave of absence.
''The organizing and equipping of an army
of $4,000 men, carrying on war in two
been a tremendous undertaking. The sec
retary of war has been ably assisted in this
undertaking by the surgeon generals and the
quartermasters department. They have
been criticised, but not to the extent the
secretary of war has been. yet 1 know the
work they have accomplished has been lit
tie short of miraculous. When this war be-
gan the clothing the men have worn was
h. oo1- xyoc M
munition, no transportation; there was
nothing beyond the War Department but
the great, rich nation, burning with patriot
ism. Almost in night an army was organ
ized and equipped that paralyzed the nation
with which we had to deal, and has awak-
ened 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.
United States 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 it 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
accomplished, and the record will stand for
ever as monument to the greatness of this
Nation and of it's boundless resources. We
are great nation. We don't have to depend
on any other on earth and our resources are
such that we can be Independent of all. We
should have standing army enough for our
needs We should have a great navy that
we may take our place among the leading
nations of the world.
when this war began issued an order
that the North and South should be brigaded
together. They have been united and it is
proven that the sectional lines Of the North
and the South no longer exist. and I thank
God that have lived to see the day when
we have a united country. 1 thank you,
General Lee, for the welcome and the hos
pitality Of to-day, and 1 hope for the con-
tinued prosperity of this city and this Ma
ton" Great and continued applause)
Surgeon General Sternberg in an inter-
view said that he did not think he should
be held responsible for the mistakes of all
the officers under him. and yet he had been
criticised for all that had happened He
said that every requisition that had come
to his office for supplies had been prompt
ly filled and that he did not know of but
one item that had been cut from a requisi-
ton and that was for chewing gum His
department had been ready to meet every
demand. and If the supplies wanted had not
been asked for it was not his fault Re
garding female nurses he said that his posi-
tion had been misunderstood. He had been
in favor of them from the start and did
not know it would be possible TO get along
without them. AS TO the hospitals here, he
was highly pleased and found the sick be-
ing we'll cared for. In contrast to other
camps the purity of the water supply was
unQuestionable. He had made inquiries at