The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-17
THE WAR INVESTIGATION.
B%rigadier General Weston u Troubled
with Deafness.

Washington, Dec. 16-Brigadier Gen
eral Weston. chief commissary OF the
Shafter expedition. testified to-day be-
fore the war investigating committee
that there was IN absence Of red tape
methods In feeding the volunteers at
S~iboney. He said he never heard a
complaint of the condition OF the COM
missary supplies at the front. Special
efforts had been made i'm behalf of the
volunteers. whose officers ne recognized
sometimes did not quite understand
how to get what was due 20 the men.
Surgeons were given articles from hos
pitfalls on memorandum. and they were
paid for out OF funds al Washington.
Colonel Roosevelt once came to San
tiago and wanted 10 buy tomatoes and
certain extra supplies for his men and
he refused to let me pay for them. as
there was no need for IL. witness sail
he took s 1000 with him when ne went
to Florida and stlll has IA lot of IL left"
Referring To difficulties caused by the
subsistence department depending on
the quartermaster's department for
transportation. he said Il was n ridicul-
Gus idea. and the transportation was "A
matter he would not like To speak OF
without thinking IL over. and he had
thought a heap about II, too
So far as the food was concerned,
General Weston characterized the San
tiago campaign as a mere bagatelle,
the hardships being trivial compared
To his own experiences In frontier In
dian campaigns, when he and his men
were forced to use the wagon mules for
food.
Rev. II. &. McCook Of Philadelphia
said the president commissioned him
to find and permanently mark the
graves OF the soldiers. and he did so.
He pictured the desolated conditions OF
graves. but said the names were nearly
N .AAA Hal
wandered of and died and their raves
remained unmarked.
In Santiago. when he landed. July %.
there was n dearth of everything need
ed. The medical department opposed
the work Of his association, but
changed their views later. The medi-
cal department. he thought. charged It's
chief with buTdensome detail
clerical duties that prevented satisfac-
tory attention to outside work. He
denounced the red tape methods and
offered numerous suggestions for inn
-provements.
Quartermaster General Ludington
testified as To the operations OF his de-
partment prior 10 and during the war.
The chief difficulty in preparing the
army equipment. he said. was in secur-
ing tent duck and kersey. both of which
were manufactured expressly for the
army. acquisitions for tents were
Nv IN'AftHAAN ~ " III anu ~ A''hi
lected very few delays In furnishing
hospital tents.
General Ludington did not agree with
the suggestion OF Commissary General
Egan that the commissary department
ought to furnish cooking and eating
utensils and their transportation az well
as provide for food.
Concerning the shipment Of medical
supplies. General Ludington said they
were rushed forward as promptly or
more so than any other supplies and ne
knew OF no instance where there had
been delays of weeks in shipping medi-
cines from New York to Camp Alger or
from 81. Louis TO Camp Thomas. This
had been the testimony Of numerous
other witnesses. DIR. conner cited one
instance where a POO bed hospital had
been lost between New York and Fer.
nandina.
General Ludington said that his de-
partment at present was quite fairly
supplied with efficient officers, although
he did not have quite so many as he
wanted.
Chief Engineer John NJ. Wilson. a
mi OF the commission. then swore
himself In as a witness and testified
In detail as to the preparations for
coast defense. including torpedoes. for
which he had been allotted from the
national defense fund something less
than So. 900. 900.
General Breckenridge. Inspector zen
eral OF the army. was heard at the af-
ternoon session. He spoke OF the need
of a thorough inspection service with
adequate rank to make this inspection
effective. Mr.. Cox asked IL the inspec-
tors Inspected the heads of other bu-
reaus. General Breckenridge said Il
went that far. II UGH were the orders.
although no such orders had in sact
been issued. General Breckenridge
spoke of the change in the inspection
service when the recent war broke out.
he officers no longer reporting to the
inspector general Mr.. Cox remarked
that the inspection had ceased to have
a head. and Mr.. Hay added that the in
spector generals duties had practically
ceased.
1t was very much more limited. at
any rate" he answered.
The inspectors a reported to him
during the war. he euid. in reply to
questions. These reports were still COM
ing In and the secretary Of war had
sent for them To submit TO the Dodge
commission.
1t would seem" said Mr.. Hay. that
for the time you office was In "A con-
d.tion of innocuous desuetude."
1t was somewhat so. 1 am afraid"
answered General Breckenridge.
He did not know who brought about
the change of inspection system during
the war. The orders came I'm the usual
way.
In reply to Mr.. LentZ as To the wis
dom OF the change. General BreCkin-
ridge said IL tended To the disintegra-
tiun of the inspection system. As to
the permanent consolidation OF the ad-
jutant generals and Inspector generals
Office, he expressed his disapproVsl. as
the place of one officer was at his desk.
while the other was outside conducting
his inspections. He strongly favored
having inspectors report % the inspec-
tor general. He had had "a converse
tion with Adjutant General Corbin. in
which the latter expressed the view
that the two offices hould be managed
alike. But General Breckenridge said
he knew General Corbin did not care
to receive the inspectors reports n
would probably send them down ~ they
came. He emphasized the need Of hav-
ing inspectors under the general IN
SDeFfOr Tbs nanding hill nrnNIdaa m