Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-09-10
TO BE NON-PARTISAN
The Commission to Investigate Con-
duct of the War.
NINE MEN now UNDER CONSIDERATION
Two Understood to Have Accepted
Places.
ATM OF TNnTTTPV
AIM OF THE INQUIRY

President Mckinley has under considera-
ton nine men from whom the members of
the commission to Investigate the conduct
of the war will be selected. The commits
sion will probably be composed of five men,
bers, and both civil and military life will
be represented on it. Ii will be entirely
non-partisan. The purpose is not to antici-
pate any investigation by Congress, but to
gather the facts regarding the handling of
the troops in the Cuban campaign from the
time the volunteers of the regular army
were mobiiized at Chickamauga and other
points until the return of the soldiers to
their homes.
While the formal annQuncement has not
yet been made that the President has de-
cided to grant Secretary Ayers request for
investigation, it is known tnat the COM
mission is already partly made up Out of
the nine men whom the President has un-
der consideration two are understood to
have accepted The high character of the
men who will compose the commission it is
believed, will secure the fullest measure of
confidence in it's investigation ana in what
ever recommendations it may make 1t is
probable that President Daniel G. Gilman
OF Johns Hopkins University of baltimore
will be one of the civilian members. The
President is understood to be anxious for
him to accept, and if Mr.. Gilman can ar
range his duties satisfactorily it is believed
he will not decline.
Col. James A. Sexton of Chicago is an
other member whose acceptance is thought
to be assured. Col. Sexton has lust zen
elected communicating of the Grand
Army of the Republic al the encampment
held in Cincinnati. He has the confidence
OF the is 70 na
unusual executive ability. Col. Sexton was
formerly postmaster at Chicago.
II eX-Secretary Daniel S. Lamont can be
persuaded to take Il place on the commits
sion, he will undoubtedly be appointed. 1t
Is considered desirable to have former
mead OF the War Department serve Should
Gen. Schoheld not be able to serve it is
possible that Maj. Gen. Ruger, retired will
De chosen; but there is thought to be little
uouRt OF SchoheIdS 5 acceptance. There is
sdid 70 De an assurance that Gen. John B.
1ordoh OF Georgia will accept. The medi-
cal member OF the commission it is stated
WIZ "iso De southern man, and physi-
clan OF eminencc is under considera-
ton.
biShihed and Scientific Inuuiry
IL IS the intention of the President thar
the lnN eSdgatiOn shall be dignifed dis
passionate and scientific inquiry into tine
eHlciency of the service. 1t is not intended
thal II snail be entered into in a controyer-
sal SDlIlt, nor with the idea that there is
some mysterious evil to be disposed and
tnat a sCaUegOat must be found unon
Whon 10 put the responsibility for a great
wrong.
The President does not think that tho
war was badly managed. In an incredibly
prleI tllne an army was organized almost
ehelreIy out OF raw material, and a war
conducted TO conclusion with complete
ana untdrnished victory. 1t is felt that
mad the results which have been attained
been the work OF a well organized and well
equipped army, thoroughly trained to mill
lafy service, lhey would have been emf
nehIIy cf6ultdbie, that they were accom-
p!ished by an army composed more than
nlne-tenths of raw recruits it is felt should
be regarded some thing far out of the
ordinary calculation in military operations
1t Is fet that the grand result is the first
thlnS to be looked at.
The second consideration is how much
sacrifice 1t cost to accomplish this? Here
1t is that the difference between having a
large veteran army and expansive mill
tdiS eStaDliSArnent, and having army
brought together, as it were, by trumpet
call out OF CIVIL walks of life, appears
Were the Sacrifices Excessive.
The third question then is whether these
sacrifices were excessive in view of the sur
rounding circumstances. The death roll, it
Is claimed, gives no Indicate of excessive
sacrifice but the complaint is not so much
OF lives sacrificed in battle as of the uni
Versal suffering among the troops, and with
respect to this, the question to be decided
is how far this suffering was due to the
character of the army itself, the lack of
training on the part of volunteer officers,
the deficiency in experienced non-commis-
stoned officers and the lack pf of
endurance on the part of men not injured
to the hardships of war, and how far it is
due to lack of system or individual incom-
potency in the War Department s service.
All this will be carefully inquired into
Fist 1t must be determined where there is
any just caI5e of complaint of the detailed
management of the war. and, second, If
there is just cause, whether the fault lay
with the system or with the result Of in
dlVidual incompetency, and, if the latter is
the case, what irdiviGual is responsible.
To Correct Evils.
But the primary object is not so much to
punish somebody for an imagined wrong as
to correct any evil that may exist. That
the system, bound up as it is by legislation,
is defective is universally acknowledged
and on this score no ceLsure can rest upon
the administration. 1t is said, however
that out of This defective system deyeloped
q situStion where there was a crowding of
resulting in "a congestion which made a de-
gree OF ineftictency in certain branches of
the service unavoidable. This may have
been added TO by the ambition of individ-
uals TO undertake more than was physical
ly possible for them to do. But this Ii Ia
claimed, is generous fault, and not neces-
sarily at all discreditable to men who have
worked themselves pretty nearly to death
trying to do more than they possibly could
ard more Than they should have under
taken. 1t Is not believed that the investlga-
tion will develop any facts calculated to ex-
cite passion, nor that the administl alton
will suffer from perfectly impartial in
Quiry.
Departments to Be Investigated.
The inquiry is to be directed into the
management of the qrartermaster commits
sary and medica! departments; and, while
1t is anticipated that this will take In the
whole question of the conduct of the war,
it will probably be found to be impossible
to get all the records of the war for the
purpose S of this investigation. The state
ment comes with authority that it will