The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-09-08
WILL Be PUT IN CAMPS
AND THE OFFICERS HELD AC-
EQUITABLE FOR THEIR
CONDITION.
ARMY RATl0NS A SOUND, HEALTHY DIET
In the Reduction 10 be Made all the States will
be Treated as Fairly as Possible
Duty of the People TO
the Soldiers.

Washington, Sept, 1.-Secretary Aigcl
il putting his affairs in shape to admit ol
his absence from Washington on a tour
of inspection Of the army camps through
out the country. He wal leave to-mor-
row evening. going first to Camp Meade,
Mddlctown. IA, and thence to Detroit.
Now that the active war operations have
closed the Secretary feels free 10 eN-
press certain views entertained by the
President and himself respecting the
plans for the treatment of the soldiers
and touching the persons upon whom re-
sponslbilities should be placed for some
of the matters of complaint. In this
connection he says:
'sThe regiments that have been order
ed mustered out will be mustered out.
The regiments that have been designated
by the President to remain in the service
will have TO remain. As soon as we
have mustered out 100000, more or less,
we shall reorganize the army-every
brigade. division and corps. and put
them into comforta bic camps until such
of them as are needed are. withdrawn
for service in Cuba. Porto Rico aud
the Philippines. In these camps, with
experience of the past to guide us, sani-
tary conditions will be strictly enforced.
The men composing the army will be
treated as soldiers. They will be shown
every possible consideration and their
health will be preserved. The officers
commanding regiments and companies
will be held strictly accountable for the
sanitary conditions of the camps They
are the ones who should be held TO-
sponsible. During the war many of these
officers disregarded the specific instruc-
tions that had been given looking 10 the
proper care of their men, Now it il time
for them to take this work upon them
selves and with the knowledge that they
are to remain in service they will be
expected to devote their best energies 10
the work. Where men are incompetent
to discharge these duties they must give
way to competent men. for again wish
to make it clear that these company and
regimental officers are to be held to ac-
count for the welfare of their men.
Now a word as to the feeding of
these troops. The army ration is all
that is necessary for soldier. / hope
that there will lie less food given to the
men from outside sources The damties
gratified the taste of the men, but they
are of no real help, and only tend 70
breed dissatisfaction where they do not
actually destroy the health of the men.
The army ration to-day. as it has been.
and as it will be in the future, is a
sound health diet
THE principal difficulty we have had
to contend with is the recklessness of
youth In the vigor of sound health the
young men who went to make up our
army could not be induced to take prop
er care Of themselves.
when a regiment is designated to be
mustered out. no further appeals will be
allowed to influence the Department to
change its programme. That order is
going to be strictly observed until the
President decides that he can make a
further reduction in the army When
such reduction is made there will be no
discrimination in releasing the troops
1t is not possible to maintain the exact
ratio, because to do so would be to di-
vide regiments, but the purpose will be
to treat States fairly and as nearly alike
as possible.
THE great complaint of the soldiers
is inconsistencies. and great deal OF
this has been caused by the inconsider-
ate publications in the sensational news
papers. Some of it is also chargeable
to the fact that the men entered the
army with the expectation that their
services would be very short Every
experienced officer knows that great
many men died of inconsistencies. Fol
lowing the depression that ensues upon
inconsistencies, come other maladies to
which the homesick soldiers falls an
easy victim, and it is impossible to check
their course. Now. to my mind the
American people should try to brace up
these men; to encourage them and cause
them to remember that they are soldiers
and are expected TO meet II soldiers dn-
ties. The people Of this country should
not be given the impression that they
have sent into the army lot of boys
unfit to withstand the unavoidable
vicissitudes of camp life. Some of the
complaints that have been published are
calculated TO make the American army
appear in ii poor light to the eyes of the
American people, and also to those OF
the nations of the world"
THE REPUBLICANS SPLIT.