The Globe-republican., 1898-10-20
only with this Department. but the entire
War Office.
SUBSISTENCE DEPARTMENT.

SUBSISTENCE DEPARTMENT.
Plenty Of Supplies in Bulk Always On
Hand for the Troops.
At the beginning Of the war the Subsist-
ence Department. being compelled by Law
to keep provisions for the army on 4 peace
basis only. had thirty days supplies on
hand for the regular army, with no reserve
stock. it not being in the interest OF the SOL
diers or the government to keep large sup
plies of food on hand for fear Of deteriora-
1 ton. and the appropriation for the hscai
year had been almost entirely expended.
At no time has it been claimed that the
subsistence supplies in bulk were not pres
eHt with the troops at all times and in am
pie quantities wherever they were found.
and weekly reports of quantities on hand
| were rendered. to prevent a shortage. even
il acquisitions failed to arrive.
Good Cooks Needed.
The food needed only proper cooking.
| Gen. Coppinger in his report says: THE
regulars lived well. The volunteers in too
| many cases messed baaiy, but this was
\ owing to the ignorance and inexperience
| Of the officers, who did not know how to
procure and care for the rations, and the
| ignorance Of the cooks. who did not know
how to cook them. I have been especially
| impressed by the comfortable messing Of
the regular soldiers close to my headquar-
tiers, while volunteer troops in the adjoin-
| ing field were subsisting on chunks Of ILL.,
cooked beef and vile biscuit-an excellent
field oven lying neglected and unused close
by"
The War Department can furnish the
articles, but it cannot cook the food and
put it in the soldiers mouths. The cOmpo-
nents Of the ration are fixed by Congress,
and its suitability or unsuitability rests
with that body, and not with the Subsist-
ence Department.
The rations are ample in quantity and
made up of staples which. by careful and
skillful use. enables the regular army al
ways to make a considerable saving, which
is sold for cash. and the money derived from
such sales expended in the purchase of such
varieties of food and delicacies as cannot
be kept on hand. as the company commander
may deem necessary to the health and con-
tentment of his men. The volunteers might
have done the same with proper experience
and economy.
Small Number Of OAcers.
At the outbreak of hostilities the Subsisi-
ence Department had but twenty-five Off
GERS. barely sufficient for the $1,000 men of
the regular army, and an increase in the
personnel was necessary to supply army
corps divisions. brigades, depots and trans
ports with commissary officers.
Of the thirty-six appointed, sixteen were
from the regular army. and to have made a
greater number would have stripped some
ccmDaIies nf their officers and rendered
them inefficient; the new appointees, acting
under trained chiefs. it was thought would
soon gain experience in the special work
that was to be done, and the President took
the wise course of leaving the line of the
regular army with enough officers to render
it effective.
Complaints Investigated.
Complaints received at the Department
were nearly all of trivial character. but
nevertheless were subjected to investiga-
ton. and in each case shown 20 be untrue
and devoid of merit. Frequently it oc-
CURED that the men reported to have made
complaints denied them when confronted
with the evidence. and it was not infrequent
that men who made complaint of insult
ticient food. when placed on the scales,
showed thar they mad gained in weight
since their enlistment. Investigation shows
had less sickness than the men who ate
indiscriminat ely of various articles for sale
by the hucksters. Or of other food found in
the country.
The men cannot be blamed for this in. |
discretion; they did not know the danger |
they ran, nor the necessities for precaution. |
Six months would have made a regular of |
the volunteer. |
Transport Discomforts.
Complaints have been made of the dis |
comforts and lack of food provision on |
transports Undoubtedly there is some basis |
for this; but as stated before, it must be re- |
membered that such transports as were |
wanted could not be obtained and many of |
the sick returning from Santiago knew in |
advance the hardships they would have to
endure on some of the vessels: il was a |
choice between remaining in fever-riddeh
Cuba or returning TO the United States. |
Both alternatives presented great hardships. |
and both the Government and the men |
chose the lesser 10 overcome the difficulty, |
and reduce the danger of DEATH
The surgeons receired GO cents per day
per man to buy articles of diet for the sick,
and in Santiago the amount allowed was IS
cents per day.
Fault with the Law.
By law the Subsistence Department pur
chases the food. 1t is transported from the
place of purchase to the place of issue by
the Quartermasters Department. cooked on
stoves provided by the Quartermaster's De-
partment. carried on the soldiers persons
ard conveyed to their mouths by equip
ments provided by the Ordnance Depart
ment: and these three departments must un-
der the law make connection at the soldiers
mouths. The fault. if any, exists with the
law. and Tot the departments.
THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT.