The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-09-03
srArEMENr BY GEN. WHEE1ER.
Defends Administration for Selecting
 Montauk Point for Camp.

MOntauk Point for n Camp.
 Camp Wikoff Montauk Point, l.. l.,
 Sept. 2.-Major General Joseph Wheeler
 gave out the following to-day:
 Headquarters United States Forces,
 Camp Wikoff, L. l.. Sept. l. 1898.
 The following is a sample of the let
 ters we are constantly receiving re-
 garding the soldiers in the camp:
 "'In regard to my stepson, we feel
 very uneasy about him on account of
 the newspaper reports of the privation
 and suffering inflicted on the private
 soldiers. Although he has never ut
 tered a complaint since he has been in
 the army we hear from other sources
 of the cruel and horrible treatment in-
 ficted on our soldiers under the pre- tense of humanity from our neighbors
 and the whole country is in a state of terrible excitement. I should not be
 surprised if the feeling should lead to
 revolution of some kind, for I assure
 you hear on all sides the most violent
 and bitter denunciations of the war de-
 partment and the administration. It is
 indeed great pity that the glory of
 our triumph should be dimmed by
 such a shameful thing as the ill-treat-
 ment and starvation of our own brave
 soldiers, while the Spanish prisoners have the best treatment the country can afford
 "It will be seen that this letter says that not a word of complaint has been received from this soldier and so far as
 my investigation goes, no complaint has
 been made by any of the brave soldiers that have added glory to our arms in
 the Cuban campaign. A great many
 anxious fathers mothers, brothers or
 sisters arrive here from all parts of the United States to look after their rela- tives whom they say the papers tell them are suffering, and many of them have heard that their relatives are in condition of starvation. Most of these people are little able to expend the
 money for such a journey, and they are
 surprised when they come here to find their relatives surrounded with every thing to eat which can be procured by
 money; and if sick in the hospital they
 are gratified and surprised to find that they are given every possible care
 "In reply to a direct request, I will give the exact facts: Every officer and soldier who went to Cuba regarded that he was given great and special privilege in being permitted to engage in that campaign. They knew they were to encounter yellow fever and other disease as well as the torrid heat of the country and they were proud and glad to do so. They knew that 1t was impossible for them to have the advantage of wagon transportation, which usually accompanies armies, and vet officers and men were glad to go, to carry their blankets and their ra- tions on their back, and to be subjected, without any shelter, to the sun and rains by day and the heavy dews by night They certainly know that the Spaniards had spent years in erecting
 defenses, and it was their pleasure to assault and their duty to capture the Spanish works They were more than glad to incur the hardships and these dangers. They went there and did their duty: each man seeming to feel that American honor and prestige was to be measured by his conduct. The brave men who won the victories did not complain of the neglect of the gov ernment, but on the contrary they | seemed grateful to the president and
 secretary of war for giving them the opportunity to incur these dangers and hardships. They realized that, in the
 hurried organization of an expedition
 by a government which had no one
 with any experience in such matters. it was impossible to have everything ar ranged to perfection and they will tes- tify that under the circumstances the conditions were much more perfect than any one would have reason to ex- | pect and that the president and secre- | tary of war and others who planned and dispatched these expeditions de- serve high commendation.