The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-09-17
GIVE US AN INVESTIGATION.

| GIVE Us AN INsBoiiUHi'O"
Those who arc old enough TO remember
the conditions that existed in the early
part Of our civil war will remember that
in many commands there was a great
| deal Of sickness. The North Carolina
soldiers brought 20 Virginia seemed TO
he peculiarly liable TO infection. We re-
member well TO have heard time and
again that this North Carolina Regiment
had half its men down and that the other
one could hardly muster respectable
line FOR duty. Curiously enough, the Con-
federale soldiers were better supplied
then with medicines, tents and food than
~ any other period OF the war, but as
supplies shortened. sickness diminished
and after awhile the ranks came TO be
very slightly diminished by sickness. The
oepleiions were from other causes.
This state Of affairs depended In great
degree upon natural conditions. At the
beginning OF the war the men were I'M
used to its exposures, and they conse-
ouently contracted disease easily. As the
service went on, they became accustomed
10 IT'S e1nosurcs. and were better able 70
meet them and resist them.
Perhaps If we had had yellow Jour
mails" I'm those days TO seize Isolated
facts. and. separating them from their
causes. present them in the most sensa-
tionaI form 10 those who will pay for
lies even 20 get something startling we
might have had great disturbance OF the
public peace as the country has been
treated 10 Of late In what has been said
Of the mismanagement Of the Spanish
war. But there were happily, no ''yel-
low journals" then, and the authorities
were allowed to go on peaceably in deal
ing with the situation. so that they work
Cd through 1t after awhile and gave Gen.
eral Lee the finest lighting machine the
world ever saw. They might have done
far better than they did do If they had
only had more sense but they got over
the troubles that new conditions con-
fronted them with after awhile.
That there has been great deficiency In
eoulpping and supplying our volunteer
army for the Spanish war Is very clear
TO US. But when we come 10 deal with
the case. candor and sincerity compel
us TO admit that the case itself was one
that contained inherent difficulties Of the
most formidable character. a large army
had to be created out Of the raw material
IN the very shortest time. The material
was as raw as materials could be, and
not one man in one thousand that was
called upon to transform himself into a
soldier for immediate operations in the
field, had the faintest conception OF the
duty that was required of him. 1t was
like taking a mob and trying to convert
them at a breath into skilled musicians.
The inherent difficulties Of the case were
Of the most formidable character, and, in
dealing with the situation We are pre-
pared to make a very large allowance Tor
those inherent difficulties.
The trouble we have about It is the
suspicion that the bad results did not all
flow from natural difficulties. We are
frank TO say that we do not trust the
Secretary OF War, Mr.. Alger. We
are perfectly satisfied that he was guilty
of chicanery and double-deaIing in the
Miles-shafter business at Santiago. Mr..
Alger is not a man, therefore. after our
taste. It is asserted far and near that IN
organizing our volunteer army, he has
used the power of the War Department
as political machinery with which he re-
warded his political friends at the expense
Of the Government.
If this be a fact. then 1t may very well
be that o great part of the mismanage-
ment we have seen turned upon a guilty
completely by Secretary Alger. II this is
so we want to know the facts.
We want an investigation then that will
determine how much OF the deficiencies
in our volunteer army proceeded from
natural cause, and how much from po-
ltical thimble-rigging. We are prepared
to make the very largest allowances for
natural causes. but we are not disposed
to the very smallest charity for political
favoritism. If there has been any Of
that, let as know the facts, and let no
man be shielded from the highess to the
lowest. Let us have all the light that is
possible turned on the case.