The Mena star. (Mena, Ark.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-16
BR[CK|NR|DGE'S VIEWS.
Tnsnector General Tells the Investi-
eating Commission About the
Campaign at Santiago.
TIE WAR BELIEVED 70 Be THE LORDS.


Carable OF Meeting All Calls-American
system Condemned-Capt Dowdy Tes-
t!fes About transportation.
Washington, Nov 10. Gen. Breck-
;nridge continued his testimony be.
fore the war investigating commission
to-day. 1t dealt with the campaign
in Cuba and the transportation of
troops to that island. He had, he said,
gone to Cuba as inspector general, ar
riving at Tampa on the 9th of June.
He had observed casually the prepara-
ton for the disembarking of the
troops before the expedition left and
had concluded that they were quite
inadequate. There was no prepara-
tion for landing in the face of an
enemy other than that which the navy
might furnish.
He was questioned at some length
concerning the conduct of the cam
paign in frontof Santiago, and replied
that the result was what he expected
it would be. Everything there, he
said, was strained to get men on board,
and consequently there was little ef-
fort to secure equipment. Asked as to
his opinion of the result of the cam
paign, he said he thought it would
have been different if Gen. Miles had
been in command-that it would have
been more satisfactorily conducted.
Ex-Gov. Woodbury. suggested that the
battle in front of San Juan had been
fought and the victory won within
eight days of landing. Gen. Breckin-
ridge in reply said the victory had
been won when Gen. Toral's nerve
gave out" This, he continued had
been the war of all others when sue
cess has been won in the earliest
stages. He believed that the war was
the Lords war and that this wonder
full success was due to His supervision.
While he considered the result as mar
velously commendablc, he did not feel
that Gen. Shafter was above criticism
in the conduct of the campaign. He
could not believe the result was mir
acle, but he ascribed the outcome to
the fact that the army was one which
was capable of meeting all calls.
Resuming his remarks of general
character, Gen. Breckenridge expressed
the opinion that there had not been
enough fighting to obscure other re-
suits common to war. He thought the
evils which had been experienced were
inevitable under our American system.
He condemned this system as most
repre- hensible and said the volunteer
soldier must always suffer the worst
of the consequences. IF the regular
stands up under it better than the vol
unteer it is only because he has had
time to adjust himself to the unfavor-
able conditions" He traced all the
trou BILE to the want of preparation
and mobilization in time of peace, and
that, in turn, to the failure of con-
gress to appropriate the necessary
money for reforms. Replying to a
question from Mr.. Wood bury. he said
that considering the system he
thought the government had done far
better in its conduct of the war than
anybody had expected and just about
one-fourth as well as it should have
done"
Gen. McCook asked Gen. Breckin-
ridge if he had visited Gen. Shafter in
his tent when the latter was i'll at
Santiago, and Gen. Breckinridge re-
piled that he had done So did he
then offer the command of the army
to you, as has been reported in the
press?' Gen. Breckenridge replied: II
very much prefer not to answer that
question. You should ask Gen. Shat
ter"
Capt. Robert w. Dowdy, who was
master of transportation at MontaulS
point, stated that at the beginning of
the history of the camp the supply OF
transportation facilities was made
quate, though they were afterwards
improved. While there had been much
criticism of the railroad running to
the camp he thought it had answered
the demands upon it very satisfactory
ly. He said there was not sutficiency
of ambulances, but that there were
enough of them to carry all sick SOL
diers who were not able to walk. 1t
was not true that these vehicles had
been used for purposes other than those
for which they were intended and the
newspaper stories to the contrary
were made out of whole cloth. lie
described the strike of the carpenters
at the camp and said that many OF the
men at first employed were tramps
and utterly worthless.