The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-27

New York, Nov. 26-When the war
investigating commission met today Dr.
Al r. Terry, surgeon general of the
National Guard Of the state Of New
York, was asked to tell what he knew
about the various camps he visited. DR..
Terry began with Camp Alger. The
site WAS q good one, he said and every
thing appeared to be in good condi-
ton. The water was clear in appear
ance. but had a bad oder. 1t was an
alyzed, but With what result he did not
know.
lie found the camp of the Eighth
New York regiment at Chickamauga in
very nnsauitGry condition. The
camps of the Ninth and Twelfth New
York We're in good condition. In the
course of his remarks he stated that
: the water there appeared to be clear,
but he was not certain as to its salu-
brity, because he did not taste it.
why did you not taste the water,
doctor?' asked DR.. Conner.
L don't see why / should take any
risks" retorted the witness.
Mrs. L. w. Quintard, who was at
Camp Wikoff from Aug. II TO Sept. 10,
in charge Of the paid trained nurses at
the general and division hospitals, said:
lllEIG were very lew supplies Oh dIlS
sort at first There We're no hypoder-
mic syringes, no hot water bags and
not enough sheets. Later we had
everything that was necessary. Colo
mel Forwood and DR.. Brown did all
they could to make the work on the
nursing force as efficient as possible.
Miss Alice B. Babcoc1 of New York
who went to Cuba with the Red Cross,
and returned to the United States with
in rl..a f1Nnr l.-fAs4 rst al,an
and was assigned to duty at Camp
Wikoff, told Of the voyage of the Con-
chO from Santiago to Hampton Roads.
There We're six deaths aboard, and the
sick wanted for food and clothing.
There were no delicacies. aboard, eX-
cept those Mrs. Lesser had.
w. II. Baldwin, jr, president of the
Long Island railroad, said there was no
real scarcity of water. Mr.. Baldwin
said that from the beginning to the end
there was no delay in the carriage of
troops or eommissary supplies. Every
thing wah handled as express matter
although at freight rates.
ROASTED BY ROOSEVELT.
Captain Howell read letter ad-
dressed to the commission by Robert
J. Roosevelt. secretary of the commit
tee for the protection of soldiers.
General Dodge suggested that the let
ter be received and filed, and by gen
eral consent General Dodge's sugges-
5don was adopted.
D The letter written to the commission
J by MIR. Roosevelt read, in part. as fol-
lows:
ITO the Presidential Commission of In
quiry:
Gentlemen have noticed in the
morning papers that one of your mem
bers criticse the witnesses who have
testified at the request Of the commit
tee formed in this city to protect the
soldiers, for the reason that, while es-
tablishing the fact that much ground
less and ineXcusable suffering was in
fiicted on the army, they do not fix the
responsibility nor show who is to
blame. If the views of your commits
sion are correctly reported, there seems
to be a misunderstanding between US.
We supposed that all the witnesses had
TO do was to prove the facts. and that
the commission would fix the RESPONSE
bility, indeed, was appointed for the
express purpose Of fixing the response
bility.
The heroic boys may forget their
Sufferings: may even refuse to testify
to them, but their mothers viii not and
their fathers will not. Nor viii ii do
TO take refuge behind the errors of the
civil war
llleEe Was no AuleHAlOldl q QCitN,
such as seems to have so often pre-
vailed in This war The sick were not
starved. Sick men were treated with
all possible attention and kindness.
Water was not sold to fever-racked
sufferers at 10 cents glass; food was
not sold to starving men at % cents
for a sandwich, and daintieS for the
dying men were not eaten by the Of
fcers. But suppose matters had been
a thousand times worse in the civil
war. would that be any reason now
fiat our men should be sent with arms
OFT Of date? That there should be no
anbulances. nc pack trains or trans
pOrtation TO carry food to the front;
not half sufficient medicines nor doc
tors: nor proper hospitals, and that
men with freshly-treated wounds
should be left to die in the mud on a
blanket if they had one-without it,
if they had none-nor even why mid
winter Undertaking should be sent to
Cuba. and midsummer gauze UNDER
shirts to Montauk?
HERoIsAI OF VOLUNTEERS.
..The uncomDlaining endurance of
our men has simply been heroic. They
bore wounds, sickness, privations, to
death. even, without a word 1t was
only neglect, starvation, IN fact, and
abuse in the hospitals which, called
forth letters, and then only home to
their families; letters which We're sent
to me by heartbreahing mothers. in pit
iful appeals to try and help their loved
ones.
I wish your commissions could have
read them, but as many Of them Were
transmitted to me conhdenually,
cannot even quote from them.
The witnesses have established mon
strous incapacity. That they have not
full confidence in the power of your
commission, no matter how good it's
will. to meet all the requirements the
public demands of it, is only echoing
your own doubts, but, in spite of that,
thew seem to have done their share,
ii would seem that it only remains for
you TO do your best, even if that best
is not quite satisfactory TO yourselves.
If done in good faith, it will teach the
soldiers that at least there is power
(which was honestly endeayoring to do
Them justice
AFYou can direct your inquiries, in the
MS place to the food supply. Find
ott who gets the difference between
the double rations allowed by the gov
eminent and the meager. hard tack,
bacon and green coffee served to the
soldiers. The witnesses are the books
and the rolls in the public depart
ments, to which you have full access.
I'VE have furnished you the facts,
shown you the brutality, cruelty. neg
lect, indifference: how men whom the
government was under every obligation
to protect, and especially because they
had right to rely upon such Drotee-
ton, were starved, even in the land of
silently: were uncared for when sick,