New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-06-15

out upon the Cuban beach with the object o, md
ing and routing the hundred thousand men under
up to de- the troops have had no experience IN
Fighting as parts Of hrigades divisions OF corps.
dress the necessity OF SAVING up an supcIhhons
energy for The most necessary camp work, the
reason enough Tor having neglected tho higher
education OF the Army. The dominating reason,
the whole machinery OF Army administration from
regmental commander upward and slCIways is out
OF working condition Al time when the great
est military energy IS necessary for the purpose OF
trnnrovisine an army out OF HETEROGENEOUS fighting
once urgently required. We find The party wire
canciss by men whose value Is measured only by
the vulgar OF political standards Let US
not disguise this matter Every respectable Amer
lean bushes for the state of things that forces
Itself upon any one in a position TO hold indie
pendent opinion.
SUPPRESSION OF THE sEAMY SIDE.
The American press with very rare exceptions,
bushes up the seamy side Of this war partly from
ignorance partly from deliberate purpose The
class Of sent to the front 10 report military
operations are tho same as would ordinarily DO
cent 10 investigate divorce scandal or "A negro
have picked up BY intercourse with their local vol
untesrs. They are writing for a constituency edu-
Gated 10 think the American volunteer Is nvincibe
and they are therefore inclined to chronicle what
they SEQ from that point Of view II they note any
hardsh'ps endured BY the men they are not IN Il
position 10 know whether this is tho necessary re-
military incapacity. on the other hand. the rail-
ways control large section OF the press and this
interest finds the war not ~ any means bad
thing for they do the transporting Along with
the transportation companies are tho teegrapl
companies and contractors for army material. who
readily unite 10 make the people believe that this
IS making money circulate freely about tho
country. and is therefore bad thing for trade
So far there have been few killed and wounded
and the sick list IL not pOr,entous. The papers u
sensational character carefully suppress every news
tom calculated to damDen tho amateur military
ardor. because they have large stakes dependent
the continuance Of the war Never did papers
spend 80 much per diem rs the screaming sheets
who nave equipped steamers to follow tho feet
about and scour the Antilles for warlike material.
All this that am rejecting from the actual state
OF things here is never mentioned the officers Of
the Regular Army. Those men are trained in a
school 10 do their duty and keep their mouths
shut. The United States Regular goes y though
all were In order. But what will happen when IL
comes 10 handling brigades and divisions In the
provide for the next days march route 70 keep the
Army provided even with ammunition? To-day the
commissariat OF the Army IS scandalous to any one
with elementary knowledge OF such things What
where the men going TO the with disease must
equal the trains pushing to the 'front.' A member
OF the Cabinet conided to me this morning that he
personally was opposed 10 sending any troops TO
Cuba until the Army was In thoroughly III condi-
ton. but that the clamor OF the press and poll
tcians was such that he dared not attempt to stem
the popular current.
That is exactly tho position OF the President. He
dares not take the position he knows to be sound
He would II he were free. say TO the people: Eel
low-citizens: We not vet In shape TO fight
Our generals need drilling even more than the men,
We want a few weeks practice where the Their
mometer is not always IS degrees In the shade. We
want our amateur colonies and commissary majors
10 learn the difference between army blanket
and a mint julep We want our transport depart
ment to learn how mules should be packed. We
want 70 learn the things we do not know. and that
II President Mckinley would talk straight to tho