Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-11-15
BRECKENRIDGE TALKS.
woulDaAvt sttS DIFFERENT wTHNlt.
lie believed that oen. shutters Conduct
Of ~. War Was Sol A'nsc
tritffI



rIu.. ,saliuasl H.s ,.a.i.i zee.
the war investigator commission to-
day. Ills tsnimcay today dcah with
the campaign IN cuba and the trans
poriation OF troops to ihat Island. lie
had. he said. gone 10 cuba ne inspector
general. Arriving at Tampa on the Oh
of June he had observed casually the
preplrasion for the Decentralization "
troops before the expedition icfi and
had concluded thas they were quite In
adequate.
u made ~ report, however" n aid.
'as e n Miles was on the ground and
could observe Tor himself"
Continuing. he said ghat thFte was no
preparation FOR landing IN the face ~
an enemy other si-n that which the
navy might furnish. So FAR 90 h. had
observed. there were only tNo lighters
uui two sciwH secured On behalf ~
the army before che departure nom
Tampa. II was his understanding.
however shat the army ana she navy
were cooperating In this expedition.
Speaking of the oaniilU of authority
"a the granspotts, he said the masters
Of the vessels ala uut respond us
promptly ~ might have been desired.
True" he said, There was a lstle
navy cadet on board zach OF the ves.
sells, but he had no authority An ac.
tual navy on 'er Of the auifiernisiers
department. on each vessel would have
BEEN better WhaF was needed was
needed was prompt communication be-
tween the commanding officer aud the
vessels ana the masters ~ the trans
p9tya ala n's respond very promptly"
ne was quefsi1nfd az some lruEth con-
corning the conduci Of the campaign In
front - Santiago, ana feplisd thai the
result was what h. had expected 4
would BE- Everything there. he raid.
was strained % Ect mon on Datfd and
consequently there was very nrie IN.
Tort 70 secure cqulpmrns While he
knew rHhinE definitely % the niana Of
the campaign, h. was sure there was
some plan. lie was quite certain from
a conNeisath'n he had Wiih Gen. Miles
WAT he had a plan though he an not
Aay mat this was the plan carried lns9
"of course" suggested ooverrer
Beaver, Santiago was the goal N "a
campa Enf''
Certainly. The fact was published
- extensively In the ncWapapefs thaf
many OF the men on board Inc vraseis
Would not accept this Information ~
- me destination a. correct"
Asked az % his opinion of the result
on the campaign, h. aild he thought h
was conslsioni win the chararteT 81
the men who conducted it--wsiat WIS
TO be expected from the limitations Of
teen, ShafiVr, 1 think ~ Would hav,.
been different u Gen. Miles had been In
command that n would have been
more satisfactorily conducted. think
he has more of the spark aud genius on
cuinmnnd than any man In the army.
,hd ! an SURF mat n he had had
charEe he would have been In the front
rank"
EN.Gov Woodbury. suggested that
the battle In front u San Juan mad
been fought and the victory won within
eight days Of landing Gen. Hfeckln.
ridge, IN reply, said the victory had
hscn won when Gen. Torars nerve
rave out" This, he continued. had
been the war Of all oihefn when sue.
ctss had been won In M earliest staTe.
he believed that the war waa the
Lords war and tha, thls wonderful
nlsccas was due 20 His supervision
The time FOR the battle Naa. however.
ahurt enough Yet Il must b. remem-
hrret that The distance between the
battlefield and 6iboney was lcsa than
hair a days march but while he con.
sltered the result az marvellously
cnmmendahle he ala not feel that Gen.
shaftef was above criticism In the con.
duct - the campaign, iie could not
relieve The rrSult was miracle. but
he ascfibrd the outcome 10 the fact that
the Amy was one which Was capable
Of meeting all calls.
NO matter how u WIS tangled up"
h. sad. 1T went 20 victory"
lie had at the time quoted Lord Be.
certain occasions u have led You
into a deyil Of a M and Il 10 now your
dliy TO nght like hell to get me out o.
lie was sure AZ least that All engaged
In the war had acted with zeal and
every man had done the best ~ which
he was capnhie.and he had never known
war In which there was not criticism
at the close OF ID.
General breckenridge spoke OF the
Inspector generals ONCE ~ having been
emnHculated by the order requiring the
reports Of Hubordinatcr In that ONCE |
10 be made 10 the adiutant general and |
SAID Inst when he discovered that this |
was 10 he went into the field ~ Offering |
the only arena In which he could be- Of |
real service. lie had Intended O. say
In effect There IL the desk In my Of |
nee. do a. you plcaee with H. Gen.
sanger was there. lie too In from Mich |
lthn, l thought he could take control |
q the ofiioe n Il was desired. but he |
did not remain"
Continuing his testimony bearing up-
on the Inspector generals duties he said
MS criticism of the change was based
upon the fact that Il deprived the cen-
tral authority securing information and
az q consequence the office was practi-
eally useless.
THE order had the effect OF cutting
the umblllcai chord" he said. "nnd the
oll' ulhtlon was not good"
~ result OF the change. when he
asked Tor facts In the once 10 include
w MS report he had failed 10 ind any
tesumlng his remarks ~ a general
.hAfhrter Gen. Breckenridge expressed
we opinion that there had not been
.hnukh lighting 20 obscure other results
suinmun TO war. lie thought that the
sNls which had been experienced were
inevitable under our American system
a. most reprehensble and said the vol |
s an,e.r soldiers must always suffer the
""iHt OF the consequences.
END ~ N sI0uT.
'f-"'ah Commission Il Ready 10 Give u.