New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-01
The WAR DEPIRTMENT.

II ,s nre,naiurr 10 say the least. for anybody
10 declare that there will he no lnvestlea'ioh
Of the conduct Of affairs in the war Depart
ment Such a statement can hardly nave Decn
made by high officials to whom il Is attrlbu'en'
because they know that one Kind OF invesusa-
ton is going OH all the time. and the real 1"cS-
ton Is whether the public shall he left 10 nc
cept Its results in the absence or an Official IN
ouiry. The investigation in progress Is con-
ducted without responsibility To the Govern
mont or tie country. in part for the purpose
of making political capital and in part TO meet
tho ,rront need of some Journals for exciting
scnsat..rs: II is performed almost wholly ny
mon who huvc had no knowledge or practical
expericnce Of tho difficulties and necessities AZ
tending the conduct of a war in its early stages
and it is based in s,e mxh upon reports which
are distinctly one-sidel. without the authority
ne1Eary to warr.xt Siccrs of the service in
al losing facts that lay seem to reflect upon
H&,r supcrlors 1t Is not to be expected that
Isuch, an investigation would bring out tho
wh%s<,ruth and nothing but the truth. Yet IT
isiZfvitablc that II there IS no investigation
wR full authority 10 bring out the whole
,HS,,b and ordered for the express purpose or
disclosing the truth and nothing bnt the truth.
popular opinion Will be impressed by such ac-
counts as are made public.
Tho oucstIon is whether il Is better 70 leave
one-sded and no, always honestly conducted
Inquiries to hold public attention. anu all Inc
more closely inasmuch as It Is common for men
10 infer that official investigation Is not ordered
because its results would not be credltable.
The success OF the Government In raising
eaulpping. transporting and directing large
army so iutellgcnty that not single sRirihlsh
resulted In rcpulse, and force was surrend"rpu
actually larger than the American force TO when
a surrendered. and so effectively everywhere
that Manila, Porto Rico and the largest PROV
,nce of Cuba were conquered and Spain was
brought to ask peace within about threo
months. commands admiration everywhere,
and proves that a great part Of the work was
performed with rare zeal and remarkable abl-
ity. Yet vague discredit will rest upon all con-
nected with the Army. from the highest TO the
lowest officials. II such accounts as are current
shall he accepted without the light which an
impartial inquiry would give
II would he Idle to attempt 10 Ignore the
widely expressed discomfort and, indeed the
occurrence of many regrcttablc things Errors
nave been committed which seem TO go beyond
the effects Of mingled ncxperience and rcd
,apc. The public, OF course. demands that
one snail ne HeH icSpouSiuic anu sIiiii
ne punlshed. and striking at the mark tina;
comes first 10 hand. concentrates d!spieasurc
mon the Secretary OF War and two or three
~ his heads Of bureaus. Full and fair invest!-
cation will. and it alone can. in due time clear
the air and revafl the real facts In The case
Nero c,amor and random charges will do more
harm than good.
But whatever else comes out. the real root
l,o 11.cI
in the rage for immediate victims. The sys
tematic stinting of the Army. the persistent
refusal to put It. not on war basis. put on an
adequate peace basis for Nation or the size
Of this and the nnal refusal to prepare for war
even while doing everything possible TO pro-
woke it-these and other lamentable features