Evening star., 1898-10-08
A ROmancer on the RamnaSe.

Julian Hawthorne, the novelist, who as
special commissioner of the New York
journal is trying to break down the wall
which shuts him out from the war investi-
cation meetings, made an attack yesterday
on General BOynton which demonstrates
how unreliable a reporter and how unin-
formed and ineffective an investigator the
romancer would make If his wish were
gratfied and he We're placed in charge
either of the conduct or of the reporting
OF the investigation. There is general SYM
pathy with the contention that the fullest
publicity should be given to the proceedings
OF the commission and that in accordance
with wise custom the doors should be OPEN
ed wide to reporters, but the doubt will
certainly arise in the particular case of Mr.
hawthorne whether the facilities required
by the ordinary reporter for the perform
ance or his work. such, for instance, as
personal presence at the hearings are at
all necessary or even desirable in the news
paper operations of the romancer's vivid
imagination. Mr.. Hawthorne disposes of
General Boynton in this fashion:
The brigade and regimentaI command
ers were responsible if the camp conditions
were defective said General Boynton. OF
course But who was responsible for the
commanders in question? What is the
good of superior officer who takes no
measures to insure the efficiency of the
commanders under him?
Wv hat did General Boynton do in this
war, besides draw his pay and sit in his
tent? Does he consider that he was worth
the money which the fathers of the young
men VINO died from shameful negligence
paid him to direct and take care of them?
General Boynton was not asked these ques-
uons by the awful General Beaver. who
conducts the lnterrogative function of the
commission
He seemed to think that if common
soldier We're killed in his camp by rotten
lare or criminal neglect the brigade COM
mander who was guilty of that neglect
ought 10 and would at once have run to
MIN ana complained of 1t; but as this was
not done, General Boynton had no reason
10 suppose that the dead soldier in uues-
ton died from any other negligence than
MS oWn-which, of course, his brigade and
regimental commanders would wish ont of
compassion for the body of the dead SOL
der, to conceal
But General Boynton. according to the
Ofnclai StenographerS, never heard of more
than two complaints of supplies of meat.
and there was never a time when such beef
as had spoiled could not have been ex-
changed for good beef, if the officers had
known how to exchange itr
ell, II the officers did not know how to
exchange 1t, and General Boynton did Why
did not General Boynton instruct them in
that mystery? Probably the etiquette of
the service would not admit of such a
thing One would like to know what would
nave become of the armies and the cam
pa1gns and the victories of such men as
Hannibal. Caesar, Napoleon, Wellington
Washington Gordon, Grant, Sherman
Frederick the Great. Kitchener, or any
other general who had sense and cared to
do his duty if he had sat in his tent in
such august dignity as General Boynton
would seem to have done and seen Moth
ing and heard nothing, and known nothing,
except sucn Things as those who had been
guilty OF them came to him to confess?
But no: General BOynton knew the rules
OF the service and his dignity not to speak
OF his comfort. would not allow of any
democratic familiarities such as might have
resulted in saving lives and insuring decent
treatment of his men"
The reason that General Boynton showed
50 Httle Consciousness of his responsibility
for the commanders under him was per-
maps because General Boynton had no
commanders under him. The reason that
the awful General Beaver" failed to ask
General Boynton whether he thought he
was worth the money paid to him for TAX
ing care of the young men who died from
his shameful negligence was perhaps be-
cause General BOynton had no such men.
young or old, entrusted to his care MIR
Hawthorne is clearly mistaken in his i'm
think that the guilty brigade commander
or soldier who died from neglect should
Immediately report his guilt to him (Boyn-
toni Nothing doubtless would have more
surprised the latter than to have had q
brigade commander approach him in order
to make, as to superior in command the
suggested confession. General Boynton did
not put aside his dignity in order to save
the lives of his men, because there were
no such men. He had no soldiers in his
command. Chickamauga Park was his
charge, and not a brigade, a regiment or
even company. The army of young men
who died from General Boynton's shameful
negligence, whose fathers vainly paid Cen
eraI Boynton to care for them, and whose
lives were disdainfully viewed as of no ac-
count by their commander General Bovn-
ton, as he sat like d brooding Buddha self
absorbed IN august dignity in his tent-this
army Is non-existent, never had existence
and is simply the creation of Mr.. Haw-
thornes S Overheated imagination.
The romancing special commissioner" is
perhaps not expected to know things But
clearly he could have figured more credit
ably as a volunteer suggester of questions
to the awful General Beaver, and could
nave been more just and less ridiculous in
his criticism Of witness Boynton if he had
acquired u few pertinent facts and had re-
lied less exclusively upon his imagination
and his rhetorical resources