Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-08-04
Gen. Skaters Army Must be Withdrawn from Santiago de Cuba
at Once to Save the Men,
Malaria DeadyYeow Fever Light May Come Heavy All
Men on the Sick List-Orders Issued to Transport
the Troops Home

Santiago dc cuba. Aur. .. $3.50 pm
Copyrighted. 1925. BY the Associated
prosal-Dclaycd In trnnsmla.on)-
Summoned by Major General sh1f'er
meeting was held here this morning
at headaulrtors. aud Ia the presence N
every commanding and medical officer
lf The FIfh army corps. Con. shafier
read cable message from Secretary
Alger. ordering him at the rccom-
mendition n Surgeon General Storm
berg. 70 move the army ln;o the inicri-
or TO san Luis. VIII 10 De- healthier
Asa result Of the conference, oct.
shlf,or will insist upon the Immediate
withdrawal OF the army north within
tw1 weeks.
As an explanation ~ the situation.
the following letter from Col. Theodore
Roosevelt. commanding The First vol-
un,ccr cavalry 10 Gen. shaftcr. was
handed by the latter 90 she correspond
ont here OF She Associated Press for
publication.
Major General shlfier. slr:-in a
meeting lf thr general and medical
officers called by you at The palace THIS
morning. we ate lll zee you know.
unanimous aH 90 whu, should be done
with tho army r. Keep us here. IN
the opinion uf every onictr command.
luF division or q brigade, VIII simply
Involve the destruction Of thousands,
There Is Oh possible reason for not
shipping practically Tho entire COM
maud north ht once. yellow fnvrr
cases arr very f,w in the cavalry III
vision, WHORE I command one NJ the
two hriTados, and nos one true caal OF
yellow fever has occurred in this di-
vision. except among The men sent to
the hospital at Siblney whore they
have, I believe. contracted o. iiut Ia
this division there have been .h1Q
cases u malarial fever. Noi a man
has died from %. but the whole COM
mand lH 90 weakened and Nhattered as
% d. ripe Tor dying like rotten sherp
when real yellow FOYER epidemic In
stead ~ fake epidemic like the pres
ont strikes ~. and % ls bound 10 n we
stay hero 40 the height o. the sickness
season. August ana the beginning OF
September.
Quarantine against mliarinl fever
j. much like quarantine against she
tluihache. All % uH are certain. as
soon a. the authorities a. WaAhinr,inn
fully apr clnto tho condition nf tho
army, 90 be sent home n We are
kept here % VIII In an human p1sa.bll-
10y mean an appalling Disaster. Tor che
surgeons here estimate that over half
ihe army, II We are here during the
s.ckly season. VIII die. This IL not
only tgfiihle from the standpoint Of the
individual lives l1si, bur % means ruin
from me standpoint OF the military
efficiency uf The dover 10 the American
army Tor the great bulk af tha regu.
lars are here with you. Tho sick NJ.
largo ihuugh q lH exceeding a.000. af-
fnrda but fIln, Index NJ tho ieblltn-
ZION ~ tht army. Not 10 Dor cont ors
~ Tor active work. sN weeks on the
uorih Maine coast, Tor Instance. or
elsewhere. wh'r' the yellow fever germ
cannot possibly pruplrlte, would make
uH hl uH 90 tH nHhtlnE cocks. able as
We ore eager. 90 take a leading part In
The great campaign against Havana in
the fill, even " We are not allowed 20
ty Porto Rico.
I'VE can be- moved north n moved
10 once with absolute safety To the
country although NJ course u would
have been Infinitely better II we had
been moved north or 10 Porto Rico
two weeks ago. n there were any OBJ
lect In keeping ms here. we would face
fever with nH much Indifference ~ We
faced bullets. but there M No object in
H. Tho four Immune regiments or
dercd here are sufficient 10 gnrria0n the
city and surrounding towns and there
Ia absolutely nothing for us TO do here.