Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-09-06
HARDSH|PS Of CAMP l|EE.
Pitiful Story of Iowa Soldiers Who
Have Returned Home from
Chickamauga Park.
LAY THE BLAME ON THE COMMANDERS.
Regiment. to Ne Mustered out-rhe
Anti-Saloon League at Work-Good
Crop Prospect in the State-Home
from Alaska with Wealth-The
Geological SurYeY.
Ispeclal correspondence.l

light the true lnwardneSS," as be-
lieved, of the outrageous state of af-
fairs that is said to have existed for
two long months in that pest hole"
where many brave Iowa boy received
his death warrant as truly as though
sent by the gun of Spaniard. Itseems
that only four miles from where the
Fifty-second was in camp springs of
good water existed that would supply
the whole city of Chicago with drink.
ing water, as one of the boys put it.
But the owners of the springs saw
chance to make some money, and so
charged cent barrel, and here is
the strange part of it: Hundreds of
wagons and horses were in camp do
ing nothing, but the officers in charge
would neither give an order for Uncle
Sam to buy 1t or allow the soldiers to
buy 1t themselves. Instead, the pri-
vate soldiers were compelled to use the
river water, and the whole of the sew
age and surface drainage of the camp
OF, say, 10000 men went into the river
above the pumping works. This into
river not as large as the Iowa at Mar
shalltown.
Where They Lay the Blame.
1t was made clear by the soldiers
that the regimental surgeons and Off
GERS had nothing to do with the mat
ter. They laid the whole blame on the
shoulders of the commanding gen.
erals. The chief trouble at Chicka-
manga, the returned men say, comes
from the "big Leads" of the regular
army officers. They feel their impor-
lance to such an extent that the COM
mon soldier was nothing more to them
than machine This refers to those
in charge at.Chickamauga.
Hold Mnss Meeting.
Sunday evening George Boyle, Of
Whittemore, addressed the people Of
Algona on what he had seen of camp
life at Chickamauga. He told of the
condition of the boys of the Fifty-sec-
ond regiment, which includes the AL
gona company. The people were con-
siderably aroused and mass meeting
was held Monday evening and a doctor
and another citizen sent to the camp
to take care of the men from Algona
who might be sick on their arrival
there. Several members of the COM
pany had returned home, and all
agreed with the speaker that nothing
too bad could be said concerning the
camp.
A New Location.
Gov. Shaw has been notified that the
two Iowa regiments have been located
on new ground and that they are now
in healthful location, and the sick
are rapidly recovering. The telegram
to the governor was from Hospital
Surgeon Clark, an old friend of the
governors, and was as follows:
Jacksonville. Aug. 24.-Gov. Shaw, Des
Moines: Iowa regiments are on new, clean
camp grounds. and are we'll satisfied with
their location. Nurses here. The sick are
now well cared for. and the conditions Of
health of the Iowa troops are now becom-
ing such that 1t is not necessary for their
return to Iowa.
To BE Mustered Out.
Capt. Olmstead, in charge of Camp
Mckinley, and who will receive the
Fifty-second whenever it arrives in the
city, has been instructed to muster the
regiment out as soon as he can do so
after its arrival. He estimates that
the work can be accomplished in two
or three weeks after arrival, and says
he will push it along as rapidly as pos
sible. The men can then return to
their homes, of course. The two light
batteries will also be mustered out of
the service at unce, instructions to
that effect having been received some
time ago by Capt. Olmstead. The work
on the hospitals, which are being put
in shape by the local Red Cross So
ciety and the Iowa sanitary commits
sion, is nearly completed, and both in
stitutions will be ready for occupancy
by the time the men arrive. 1t has
been announced on information re-
ceived, however, that the hospital
train, carrying the men sick in the
camp at Chickamauga, will convey
them to their homes, and they will not
be brought to the state camp here at
all, as was at first expected, so there
will probably be less need of hospital
accommodations than was antici-
pated.
AEitating the Saloon Question.
Rev. 81. 81. Abrams, who, in the name
of the Iowa Anti-Saloon league is con-
Quoting statewide agitation of the
saloon question, has been spending
some time in Marshall county. He
says it cost that county $63,s1s for the
operation of the mulct saloon during
the years 1S04-95-96, while in the years
of prohibition, 1ssS-s9-90, the cost was
but $2S,600.4s. difference of $35,2l7.52
for the three years or $11, 739.17 for
each year. The county receives from
the saloons $4,000 each year, making
difference of Ss,439.17 that the Mar
shalltown saloons cost the county. In
1897 there were 39s arrests, while In.
1887 there were 1874. Under the new
law, however, mayors of cities are al
lowed to collect fee from the coun-
ty for acting as justices of the peace,
and it is claimed that this change is
partially responsible for the increase
tp the number of arrests, at least in
some places.
Good Outlook for Crops.
Crops In the northwestern part Of
the state are reported to be iii unusual.
~ good condition. A gentleman who
has just returned from trip through
that section says that wheat, oats,
corn, potatoes, timothy and clover are
especially fine. This years corn crop
will be the best ever grown in that
part of the state and a conservative
estimate places the average yield at
so bushels per acre. The gentleman
quoted saYs that he has observed with