The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-24

Instance Showing How Criticism of
the War Department Is Generated.

Kansas City Journal.
The latest San Francisco papers recite an
incident that will serve faithfully to illus
trate the manner in which false stories of
camp life may travel and gain credence.
On Sept. the commanding general at San
Francisco received telegram from the
War Department as follows:
commanding General, Department of CAL
ifornia:
This department has received the follow
Ing telegram from the Governor of Oregon:
l earnestly request that the $50 recruits to
MI the Second Oregon Regiment to it's
maximum be either mustered out and sent
to their homes in Oregon or that they be
promptly forwarded to their regiment IN
Manila. These men were recruited three
months ago, and in the latter part of June
the mastering officer, under orders of the
war Department, sent them in attachments
various stations, as fast as mustered, in
charge of one of the number to San Fran
cisco, where they now are, as reported to
me, in disorganized and demoralized condi-
ton, many of them suffering from physical
and moral illness for want of proper care,
discipline, sanitation and camp regulations.
l beseech your active Interference
Not content with this appeal to the War
Department, Governor Lord betook him.
self in person to San Francisco to examine
the condition of the Oregon troops In pre-
senting himself to the commanding officer
the Governor declared that he had not been
deceived by the exaggerations of yellow
newspapers, but that he had received let
tiers from a number of the soldiers, who
described in detail their deplorable condi-
ton. He affirmed also that other people in
Oregon had received similar letters and
that the Oregon newspapers had printed
communications from the Oregon soldiers
which left no manner of doubt in the Ore
gon mind that they had suffered much from
want and negligence. The commanding Of
ficer opened the avenues for the fullest in
vestigation, and this is what the Governor
found:
On their arrival in San Francisco the
Oregon soldiers had been attached to bat
talon of the Twenty-third regular infantry,
and from that day to this they virtually
have been a part of the regular army. Their
commander is Maj. Goodale, regular army
officer, and for drill purposes a full COM
plement of officers had been assigned to
them from the other regiments. The Gov
ernor found further that his troops were
and that they had become a very soldierly
body of men. Cared for by regular army
officers who knew how. they had suffered
less from sickness than the other volun-
teers, and 1t was made very plain that there
had been no privations. no inhumanities no
lack of hospital attention nor of wholesome
and abundant food In short, the Governor
found that he and the people of Oregon
had been deceived and that his complaint
to the War Department had no foot on
which to stand.
Naturally this investigation led to an
other, and then it was discovered that the
whole trouble had been caused by hand
full of malcontent privates who manufac-
tured the stories out of their imaginationS
or distorted facts in a shameless manner.
No doubt every regiment in the volunteer
army has a few soldiers of the same char
acter. No doubt the yellow correspondents
from Kansas City were able to find at
Chickamauga and Alger a few who were
ready to play the baby. But this does not
alter the fact that as a whole the soldiers
give testimony to good treatment by the
government and their superior officers,
and that there is little or no ground for
the crusade inaugurated by the sensational
press.