The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-30
SECRETARY STANDS PAT
ALGER WILL NOT DEMAND A
GENERAL INVESTIGATION
says he Is willing to Give u, III,
Fofuoiio to ANY One More Com,
petent to Discharge the Du,i.s
at he VIII Not Retire I'm
der Ffre-court Martial for Gen.
Miles.

Miles.
WASH HlNGTON, Aug. 29-Secretarv
Aiser VIII not demand an investigation
ana ne intends to discipline Miles when
tile crnmander-in-chief returns from
Cupa. such is the present status of tho
war department scandal.
secretary Alger has authorized tbo
following interview, which he read and
approved: = '''-0
l 90 not intend to order an invest,-
gatlon OF the wholesale charges of mis-
management of the war, but pronosa
to stand on my record.
Ii the president or congress desires
these charges investigated I would he
oeilghted to have the administration
OF the war department made the sub-
Ject Of the most searching ino,1irv
IF any one can be found who can
perform the duties better than 7 have
an wiling to give way to them, but
not until the unjust, brutal, and untrue
criticisms have ceased.
VIII not retire under fire. The war
found the country totally unprepared.
with an army of only $1,000 men. In
TOUR months an army of 275. 900 men
was called in the field. equipped.
rought campaign on two continents
Whlch was succession Of victories.
and brought about peace.
IL was a stuDendous undertaking
ana do not believe any other country
on the face Of the globe could have
successfully managed such a herculean
TASK We had nothing to start with
put arms. There were no tents, cloth
ing, canteens, haversacks. cartridge
pelts, SHOES, underwear clothing of any
Kind or ammunition.
All the executive work for this e-i-
eantic project passed over my desk.
and If I have not done nv dutv as
well as any one else could have done
am sorry that I filled the office of Sec
retary Of war
OFFICERS BLAMED.
IF any one is TO blame for not supply
ing the soldiers with rations and TAX
ing proper sanitary precautions, it IL
the commanding officers in the field.
supplies were always on hand, and, If
they were not distributed, the fault
does not lie with the bureau chiefs.
Regular army officers were in charge
OF all the camps, except in the case of
Gen. Lee, and he is a graduate of West
Point
The first notice the department had
Of the lack of food and poor sanitary
conditions came through the press.
Only one complaint has come direct to
the department, and this was received
in letter from q man at Tampa, who
claimed his brother was a private, and
was starving to death. Immediately
ordered the case investigated, and
three officers were appointed for the
purpose. Upon investigation the SOL
dier in question asserted that he was
comfortable and had proper food. He
was Immediately discharged.
sinks at the camps are responsible
for much of the sickness among the
troops, but, when it was found that
any Of these camps were unhealthy,
they were ordered changed. The camps
at Miami, Tampa, Camp Alger and
ChiclNamauga were found unhealthy,
and orders were Immediately given to
remove the troops to better and more
healthy camps.
Il deeply regret the Concho and Sem
eca affairs, as great suffering was en-
dured by the men on board these
transports. There was a lack of med
icine and surgeons and some over
crowding, but this was partly caused
by the anxiety Of the men to get away
from Cuba.
Gen. Shafter is not responsible for
the miserable conditions existing on
these two transports, because he or
dered an inspection to be made, and
they were Undoubtedly reported to be
suitable for the purpose for which they
were used.
"Montauk Point Is an ideal place,
with plenty of good water and fine
rolling ground. 1t is surrounded on two
sides by water, and the troops improve
fast after reaching there. The hospi-
tails are somewhat crowded; in some
instances tents intended to accommo-
date five patients had an extra man
in them. Eight transports arrived in
one day, and some crowding necessar-
lily followed, but this is being rectified
as speedily as possible. In such gil
gantic undertaking some delay must
occur
FRIENDS DESERVING.
where he has hitherto been free from
censure, the secretary of war, as the
man responsible for the miSmanage-
ment of the department that is starving
the soldiers at home quite as badly as
they were at Santiago. is being con-
demned for the miserable conditions
reported to exist at Montauk Point.
At all times there have been persons
about the war department, but not con-
nected with the army, who have en-
couraged the idea that newspaper crit
icism of the secretary and of the
bureaus of the war department was
ignorant and impertinent. Private and
uninstructed persons could not, it was
suggested, be expected TO understand
the difficulties attending the clothing,
feeding, moving, and doctoring of great
masses of men. These people have
sneered at newspaper criticisms, have
suggested that the trouble would be
cured by letting the press run the
army" and have assumed a great
ner reported to have prevailed in the
army where quartermasters were gath
cred together.
But some of these apologists for AL
ger and his bureau chiefs have turned
and are admitting that there must be
something wrong about the manage
nent of a department that cannot pro-
vide one instance to show that 1t Is
capable of assembling or dispensing an