The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-05
Col. RooseveIt's Letter.

ug The troops now at santiago out OF
Cuba to some place in the Northern part
of This country VIII produce profound
impression. He is At Santiago, knows the
condition Of affairs there, and is
capable of forming an intelligent
opinion as to what the conse-
quences will be if our army in Cuba
is kept there throughout the summer and
fan. He has no doubt talked with the
physicians of Santiago and his opinion is
probably based upon the views obtained
from them.
re says that if our soldiers at Santiago
are kept there throughout the sickly sea-
son thousands Of them viii remain there
foreyer-in their graves-and this opinion
is entertained by the other officers.
He says that if there was any good rea-
son for these soldiers remaining there
they would stay without murmuring. but
he declares there is no reason. The enemy
has disappeared from Eastern Cuba, and
there is no probability of his reappear-
ing there.
Santaso will, Of course have to be gar
risoned. but order can. be preserved at
Santiago, and in all mat part of Cuba
which mas been surrendered, by the i'm
mune regiments which have been ordered
TO Santiago.
1t may be said that the immunes are
not fever proof and that they will have
about the same experience that the sol
diers now there are having. While it is
true that the immune regiments are not
composed wholly of immunes the soldiers
of these regiments are better able to
stand the hot and malarious climate of
Eastern Cuba than are the soldiers who
are now there. They are from the South
ern states and were enlisted with the I'M
Outstanding that they were TO serve where
there was danger from fever.
The better course would be to garri-
son Santiago with colored troops. There
are some colored troops there now, and
there are colored volunteers that could
quickly he sent there. We make this sug
gestion because Of the statement which
has appeared an print that the colored
troops are not attacked by the fever at
Santiago. They stand the climate remark
ably well. IL that is true, and it seems to
us that the war department should find
out at once whether it is or not, The part
of the army which should be sent TO San
tiago is that which is composed of the
colored troops, and not the immune regi-
ments.
From Col Roosevelts account the con-
dition of the soldiers at Santiago is pitia-
bic. They are not suffering from yellow
fever, but from malarial fever, which is
so weakening them that if there should
be an epidemic of yellow fever later in
the season-and there are apprehensions
that there will be-they would die off like
sheep afflicted with the rot They would
not have the strength to resist it.
The worst of the fever season has rot
yet come. If there Is going to be an cpl
demic of yellow fever at Santiago this
year, the death rate from that disease
will begin to rise rapidly about the latter
part of this month and the first part of
next. If the physical condition of the
soldiers is what Col. Roosevelt represents
it TO be, he is not exaggeratng when he
intimates that the number of the fever's
victims win be appalling.
Ii is not at all strange that the soldiers
are suffering severely from malarial fe-
YER The regular soldiers are from the
highlands of the Northwest, where they
were in barracks just prior TO being sent
to Tampa TO await transportation to Gu
ba and the volunteers are from New
York, Michigan and Massachusetts. None
of them had ever had any experience in
climate al all like that of Cuba. 1t is
true that the men of Col Roosevelrs regi-
ment are from about every state in the
Union, but it Is doubtful If many of them
are from malarious districts
But it is probable that there would not
be so much malarial fever among the sol
diers at Santiago If they had not been
subjected 10 such hardshlps during the
first few days of their arrival in Cuba.
They We're without tents, and were ex-
posed to the heavy rains and the hot sun
in the day time and to the heavy dews
of the cool nights. Their wet clothes dried
upon them. They had no extra clothing,
and If they had had they could not have
made use of it during the first two or
three days Of July. When il is under
stood to what extraordinary exposure the
soldiers were subjected in a malarious
country, to which they were strangers,
it is not TO be wondered at that thous-
ands of them are III with malaral fever
Col. Roosevelt thinks that the Santiago
army ought to be sent TO some place in
the northern part of New England, lie
expresses the opinion that if that is done
the soldiers win soon regain their health
and via be wen prepared for service of
any sort in Cuba in the latter part of the
fan. Whether or not that opinion is es-
senually correct the physicians ought to
know but one thing appears to be Ger
tain, and that is that large percentage
of the men who compose the Santiago
army viii be in their graves if the army
remains where it is, and the most OF the
others VIII be so wrecked in health that
they Will not be fit for duty.
There is a shortage in the mustard sup