The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-09
THE FAIRNESS OF A PARTISAN.

No one who recalls recent campaigns can
doubt the loyalty of the Cincinnati En-
quirer to the Democratic party. Unlike
many organs of that party. it has a broad
minded fairness which has enabled it from
the first to attribute to the President and
his subordnates a sincere purpose to con-
duct the war against Spain with patriotic
intent and with a faithful devotion to their
duties. Time and again. unlike the Chicago
Chronicle and the most of the Democratic
papers in Indiana, the Enquirer has dis
cussed the various phases of the manage
ment of the war with caEdor and fairness.
In a double-leaded editorial yesterday the
Enquirer says:
within three months? The whole world had
waited anXiousy to see whether the mod
ern battle. ship. now on trial for the nrst
time, would be more destructive to the
enemy or to itself. Our gunners at Manila
and Santiago sent their projectiles with as
unerring aim as that of our crack marks
men when shooting the necks from bottles
thrown into the air. Our soldiers, less than
twenty-five thousand in number, attacked
an equal number of the enemy in their in
trenchments and their fortifcations laugh
ing at the deadly fire from ambush which
met them on the way, The gasconadlng
Spaniard, Pando, told New Workers two or
three days ago that the Madrid politicians
would not allow the Spanish soldiers in
Cuba to save that island to the Spanish
crown. Without pretending to any kncWl-
edge Of the possibilities in the case, we can
not help wondering why the Spanish army
in and around Havana looked on so uncon-
cernedly while their brethren in Santiago
were being captured. The fact goes into
history that less than twenty-five thousand
American troops forced Spain to capitulate
and abandon that island with its two hum
dred thousand Spanish troops and to give
up the war which her brutality had forced.
a n
before; why this recital?' The answer is
that these glorious achievements ought to
be constantly kept in view to restrain the
spirit of DesSimism now so rife IN the
country. 1t is true that our soldiers have
suffered and are suffering in hospital
camps; that the vast machinery of trans
deal of friction: that the surgeon general
has been unable to attain perfection
throughout his vast department. and that
sanitary skill has not in any camp reached
the desired state of perfection. But VINO
shall presume to determine how much or
this could have been averted by human
agencies and how much of it is due, as the
legal phrase goes, to the hand of God?
Then. as to human fallibility in camp and
sibility between chiefs and subordlnates:
Does any man believe that the President
or the secretary OF war has been lndliIeren1
at any time to the needs of the soldiers
If a single commissary sergeant neglects
his duty, how can this instantly be known
at Washington? The army is great ma
chine. The commissary general tries to have
it fed: the quartermaster general tries to
have it clothed. and the surgeon general
tries to look after it's health: but through
what numberless agencies do these men
act? What human power can compel faith
fulness and promptness through all these
subordinates? Faithess men should be re-
moved but their misconduct must first be
established The army is governed by arti-
cles of war enacted by Congress. The Presi-
dent, the secretary of war and his chiefs or
bureaus the generals of corps: the generals
of divisions the generals of brigades. the
field officers of regiments and the officers
of companies. all have their duties to per-
form. What housewife gets perfect service
from her handful of servants? What father
secures absolute obedience from his minor
children when they out of his sight?
And how is it possible that a great army
should move like clockwork and always
have at hand just what is needed and at the
exact hour? If there have been any unusual
disasters in our armies and if they have re-
suited from criminal negligence. there will
be a time for the truth to be known, and
lawful and reasonable methods for finding it
out But it must be evident to every ra-
tional man that just judgments cannot be
pronounced upon government ot1cialS by
mere circulation of ex-parte statements,
many of which originate in unreliable
sources and most of which carry with them
no direct information as to where the blame