The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-07-28
WAR DEPARTMENT FAIL INGS.
Instances in Conn ctlon With the Philip
pine Expedition.

Oscar King Davis in Harper's Weekly
The troops for the Philippine are sent
out to climate terribly hot and distress
singly humid with an absolutely made
quate supply of proper clothing. Under
clothing was issued today. 1t is made of
Canton flannel, of weight that would
prove extremely acceptable at the summit
of White or Chilkoot pass, and, even such
as it is, there is not enough to go around.
Shoes will not go around-to one com
pany which turned in a requsiiton for
"a pairs 81 pairs were issued. There is
large supply Of brown duck suits to be
issued sometime, by-and-by, but not a
helmet or suitable sun hat to go with
them. Yet one of the great dangers OF
life in the Philippines is su nstroke.
= These things will be overcome, OF
course, in time, and "when we have
taken Manila We can get all we want
and just what we want in Manila when
we have taken it. But the expectation
is that in order to take Manila we shall
want some guns-rifies for the soldiers.
The guns of the 1st Oregon are quite in
keeping with the clothing outfit. They
are the old-fashioned Springfield rifles.
Originally they were hard-shooting guns,
but that was long ago. Now the rifling
has been worn out of great many of
them, and something else is the matter
with some of them. There are 2OU new
rifles, which ought to be in good con-
dition for service; they are of the old
model, but they are efficient. The LIST
California boys carry the Same guns.
They are going to meet Mauser rifles,
and apparently some one is relying on
the pluck and dash of our fellows, and on
the cowardice of the Spaniards. Our
boys have got the pluck, and they will
show the dash. There need be no ques-
ton on that score. But II the Spaniards
happen to stay and fight, there Is likley
to be sorry tale to tell when these old
Springtields take the field against the
Mausers.
Now all this adds new emphasis to the
great lesson this little war with sixth
rate bankrupt, "efeta monarchy" is
teaching the United States-the lesson
of tine folly of being unprepared. But it
points another moral. We need guns,
..
tanning to the make up OF an efficient
army. But, more than all, we need a
different system of administration. Con-
slider this: Uncle Sam has been training
a reasonably large number of his young
men for a good many years i'll the art and
science of warfare. Most of them have
developed remarkable fitness for their
occupation. Nearly every one of those
who have had experience extending over
years enough to put captains bars on
their shoulder straps are incompetent to
equip and outfit an expedition of this size
Time is one of the great considerations.
There must be no delay All sorts of con-
veniences and comforts for the men are
sacrificed in order to gain time. Even
essentials Of equipment are let go. And
yet, with all this imperative haste, the
management, instead of being put into
the hands of the competent, thoroughly
trained men who have made such things
their life work and have developed 1t
into science, is kept in the bureaus at
Washington. Every detail must be re-
ported ito the department. 1.-The de-
partment" wheels around on it's revolv-
ing chair and considers the thing while,
and then telegraphs its consent. But a
day has been lost and the expedition
might have been 300 miles near Manila
and Admiral Dewey.
Some army men will say that this
ought not to be said now, because it is
furnishing information to the enemy. But
it is better to furnish what small infor
nation the enemy can get out of this If
it's publication will do anything toward
preventing more of such work. And
every man in the service knows it is all
true. The trained men are set aside for
somebody else at the time of all times