Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1898-08-04
SITUATION SANTIAGO
Army Must Be Moved North TO
Escape Fever COntagiOn,
Plain Talk From Col. Roosevelt on
the Danger to the Army.
Criminal Negligence to Keep the Army in
Cuba During the Siekly Season.
STATEMENT FROM sHAFrER's OFFICERS.

Copyright Associated Press)
Santiago de Cuba, Aug. Summoned
by Major Gen. Shafter. a meeting was
held here this morning at headquarters,
aud In the presence OF every command.
ing and medical officer OF the Fifth
army corps, Shafter read cable message
from Secretary Alger ordering him, on
the recommendation OF SurgeOn-General
Sternberg, TO move the army into the In
terror, 10 San Luis, where IL Ia healthi, r.
As a result OF the conference, Shafter
will insist upon the immediate with
drawal OF the army TO the north
within two weeks. As an explanation
OF the situation, the following letter
from Col Theodore Roosevelt. command
ing the First volunteer cavalry, TO Shat
ter, was handed by the latter 10 n CORE
spOndent of the Associated Press: "In
the meeting OF the general and medical
officers called by you at the palace this
morning, we are all, as you know, unan.
imOus In the view OF what should be done
with the army. To keep us here, In the
opinion OF every officer commanding a
division or brigade, will simply involve
the destruction OF thousands. There Ia
no possible reason for not shipping prac
tically the entire command north at
once. Yellow fever cases are very few In
the cavalry division. where | command
one Of the two brigades, and not
one true case OF yellow fever has Oc-
Cured In this division, except among the
men sent TO the hospital at SibOney, where
tney have, | believe, contracted IL. But
In this division there have been 1900
cases Of malArial fever. Not a man has
died from 1t, but the whole command Ia
no weakened and shattered az TO be ripe
for dying like rotten sheep when the
real yellow fever epidemic, instead Of
fake epidemic like the present One
strikes us, as II is bound TO do II we
stay here at the height Of the sickness
SEASON, August and beginning OF Septem
Der. A quarantine against malarial
fever IL much like quarantining against
tOJthache. All Ot ~ arc certain that ~
40 n as the authorities bt Washington
appreciate the CONDITION Of the army 1t
wilt be sent hons, II we arc kept here "
Will In all human y sslbiity mean an
appalling disaster, Tor thu surgeons here
estimate that over half the army, N kept
here during the sickly season, will die
This is not only terrible from the stand
point OF individual lives lost, hut II
means ruin from military tandpOint
OF the efficiency Of the flower OF the
American army, for the great hulk Of tn
regulars are here with you. The sick list,
large though II Is, exceeding 4 900, affords
but a slight idea OF the debilitation OF the
army. Not ten per cent are III for active
work. Six weeks on the north Maine
coast, for instance. or elsewhere, where
the yellow fever germ cannot possibly
propagate, would make us all fit as fight
ing cock able AS we are eager, TO take a
leading part in the great campaign
against Havana In the fall, even II we
are not allowed TO try Porto Rico. We
can he moved north. II moved at once,
with absolute safety t. the country
although Ot course II would have
been infinitely better IL we had
been sent north, or to Porto Rico, two
weeks ago. II there wa auy OBJECT
in Keeping US here, Wa wOul face
the yellow fever with az much iuditler-
ehce M We faced Spanish bullets but
there IL no object In il. The four immune
regiments ordered here are sufficient 10
garrison the city aud surrounding towns,
aud there Is absolutely nothing for us 10
do here, aud there has not been since the
city surrendered. IL IL impossible 10
move into the Interior. Every shift.
ing Of camp doubles the sick rate
in our present weakened eOndl'
tiOn, and anyhow the interior is rather
worse than the coast, as | found by
actual reconnaissance. Our present
camps sTe healthy as any camps at this
end OF the island can be. | write only
because | cannot see our men who fought
50 bravery aud endured extreme hard
ships and danger so uncOmplainiDgly 20
To destruction without striving so far az
lies in me 10 avert doom, fearful as II
is unnecessary and undeseTyed. Yours
respectfully, THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Col. Commanding First Brigade.
After Colonel ROOs, welt had taken the
initiative all the American general
officers united In a statement addressed
u 3hafter; II reads: We the undersigned,
officers commanding the various bTigades,
divisions, etc of the army of occupation
OF Cuba. are OF the unanimous
opinion that this army should be
at once taken out OF the Island
OF Cuba, and sent TO some point on
the northern seacOast OF the United States
that ii can be done without danger 10
the people OF the United States; that the
yellow fever in the army at present IL not
epidemic and that there are only few
sp Tadic cases, but that the army Is dis
ahled by malarial fever TO the extent
that its efficiency Ia destroyed, and that
1t il in a condition 10 be practically de
stroyed by an epidemic OF yellow fever
which Ia sure TO come In the near future
we know from reports OF competent
officers and from personal observations
that the army is unable TO move into the
interior and that there are no facilities
for such move If II Ia attempted and
that II could not be attempted until too
late, Moreover, the best medical author.
ities OF the island say that with our
present equipment we could not live in
the interior during the rainy season
without losses from malarial fever
which is almost as deadly as yellow
fever.
This army must be moved at once OF
perish. as the army can safely be moved
now. Persons responsible for preventing
such move will be responsible for the un-
necessary loss OF many thousand lives.
"Our opinions are the result of careful
personal observation, and they are also
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