Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1898-09-01

20c. at all Drug stores.
disease, yet that fact does not ex-
plain away the blunders made In
selecting camp sites, 1t is the testi-
mony of Gen. Bancroft, Of Cambridge,
that these camps have been singu:
larly: ill-chosen. camp Alger has
been notorious for its poor water and
the lack OF It. Young men may be
prodigal of their strength, but that
does not cause the blunders of Alger,
Everything chat human ingenuity
could devise has been done to succor
that army" writes the secretary to
Mr.. Depew, referring to the 5th army
crops. Then why has the govern
ment insisted upon feeding sick men
with salt pork in a tropical climate?
Suppose the surf was high at Baiquiri
where the army landed; George Ken
nan testifes that supplies might
have been put ashore by the use of a
cable, operated as trolly, from trans
port to shore. But affairs were little
better after The surrender. And why
was it that after thes Long Island
railroad company had notifiedl the
war department over two months ago
that IL would need two weeks official
notice to get in readiness for mill
tary carlp at Montauk, IL received no
word from the government until sew
eral days after men and mules began
to arrive there? The Worcester Ga
zette's editor has been at the camp at
Montauk, and what he says is OF in
terest in view of the secretary's state
ment to Mr.. Depew. Says the Ga
zette:-
While Mr.. Alger was preparing his
defense and packing his grip for the
New York trip, kilograms were piling
upon his desk. An appeal came
from the chief commissary officer at
Montauk, .askineto be relieved, be-
cause the inability to feed starving
soldiers would break him down. He
also begged for few wagons or au-
thority tn use other than The
prescribed means OF transportation in
order to move the Tations from the
congested cars. Eight thousand
loaves of bread rotted one night in
dirty hay cars because tn is commits
sary could not, with the two mule
teams he had, get them to the sol
diers who would have pledged
months pay for a loaf. The dis
patches were ignored, for Alger was
probably too busy preparing to enjoy
the naval pageant. But the officer
did get one answer. He told AIger
that many men were coming In on the
transports so feeble that they reYolted
at salt pork and army beans, and yet
were unwilling to go TO the hospital.
Could he not for them serve oatmeal
as a special ration, for he had it in
abundance? To this appeal OF a
humane officer the war department
replied that the food rules were in
exorable, but he might put oatmeal
on the list of purchase ratiOns."
Now n purchase ration" is food or
dellcacy not on the regular list for
prlvates, but may be sold To officers
or others who have money TO pay for
IL.
81 have bought provisions enough"
says Alger in substance, aud Then
gives the number OF pounds he has
bought. Any one can huy PROVISIONS,
but the United States war depart
ment has been unable to distribute |
them properly, The country In which
Alger lives is bursting with plenty |
and shipping food supplies TO the rest
OF the world. But owing to the red |
tape of the antlquated bureau system,
the stupid adherence TO precedents OF
the professional army officers and the
incompetence OF the civilians ap-
pointed to responsible positions for
political reasons, the food bought by
Alger for our soldiers Is wasted aud |
the men have suffered as the poor
heather suffer in an India famine.
To Cleanse the System.
Effectually vet gently, when cOStiYe |