The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-07
A REAL WAR INVESTIGATION.


After presenting congress with a
synoptic review of the departmental re-
ports. President Mckinley. recommends
a reading of the various reports in full.
The first one to attract congressional
attention, probably, will be that of Sec
rotary Alger, which emphasizes the in
vestigation of the war department by
emitting any reference to it whatever.
Representative Sulzer of New York
has already perused this report, ap-
parently, for, simultaneously with the
presidents narration, comes the an
nouncement that Mr.. Sulzer has intro
duced a resolution authorizing and di-
recting the committee on military af-
fairs to investigate the war depart
ment and the conduct of the Spanish
war;
The resolution has been referred to
the committee on military affairs, of
which Mr.. Sulzer is the ranking Demo
cratic member, and it is safe to say
that every effort to pigeonhole the pro-
posal viii fail The work of the spe-
cial commission has been unsatisfac-
tory, owing to the fact that the mem
bers refused to decide, but merely
agreed to listen. They hold that it is
the business of the witnesses to fix the
responsibility which is so manifestly
absurd that the whole investigation
has come to ge regarded as a farce
| There will be an attempt to head off
a congressional investigation. owing to
the unavoidable publicity which must
attend, and which is obviated to GER
tain extent in the deliberations Of the
/ special commission. The resolutions in
troduced are as follows:
Resolved. That the committee on
/ military affairs be- and the same hereby
/ is. authorized and directed to investi-
gate the war department and the con-
/ duct of the recent war between Spain
and the United States, and report all
of said proceedings, with their findings,
| conclusions and recommendations, to
the house of representatives, with all
! convenient speed.
That said committee is hereby au-
! thorized and empowered to send for
documents, books and papers, and ex-
anime persons under oath in any part
/ of the United States, and employ a
stenOgrapher, and that the sergeant-at-
I SalQ
committee and carry out its directions
THAT the necessary expense of the
! investigation be paid out of the contin-
gent fund of the house.
The president and the secretary of
war viii have themselves to blame if
the proposed investigation reveals a
motive for the remarkable silence, both
of the report and the message. on a
matter of such vital Importance and
humane interest.
About the only reference made to the
matters complained of by the army.
which was certainly mismanaged. and
by the people, who foot the bills, is in
( Secretary Ayers report, where he bur
( riedly passes over abuses of the gravest
character. And, while he SAYS that
! everything was we'll done, and that the
necessary supplies were furnished bv
the prompt, patriotic and intelligent
assistance of the people," the follow
ing paragraph from his report is
enough to convict the administration
of incompetence and Indifference to the
welfare of the troops:
The great difficulty was the want Of
transports; the loading facilities at
( Port Tampa We're imperfect, and there
was great confusion caused by the large
/ concentration of supplies there. The
railroad facilities were INADEQUATE.
there was a failure to label the cars
and the postoffice was congested SO
that bills Of lading were delayed. Few
of the thirty-siX transports finally
gathered there were fit for such serv-
ice, but they were the best that could
be had, and while they were rated AT
$4,000 passengers in capacity, even the
l5'VVo persons transported was q larger
number than should have beer. carried
Which seems to cover the ground, al
though with suspicious celebrity.