The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1898-08-05
GENERALS JOIN IN.
No Difference of Opinion In Regard to
the Necessity For Getting Out
Of santiago.

SANTIAGO DE CUBA. Aug. 2.-(De-
layed III transmission Summoned by
Major General Shaf,er, a meeting was
held here At headquarters and in the
presence OF every commanding and
medical officer OF the Fifth army corps,
General Snafter read cable message
from Secretary Alger, ordering him, a,
the solicitation OF Surgeon General
Stern nberg, TO move the army into the
interior, at San Luis, where it Is
healthier.
As a result, Of the conference, Gen.
eral Shafter will insist upon the imme.
diate withdrawal Of the army north
within two weeks.
AS an explanation OF the situation,
the following letter from Colonel Theo.
dore Roosevelt. commanding the First
volunteer cavalry. to General Shafter.
was handed by the latter to the CORE.
spondent here Of the Associated Press,
1o1 publications:
Major General Shafter
SlR-ln u meeting Of the general and
medical officers called by you at the
palace this morning. We were all. as
you know, unanimous III view Of what
should be done with the army. To
keep Us here. III the opinion Of every
officer commanding division or brig.
ade. will simply involve the destruction
OF thousands. There is no possible
reason for not shipping practically the
entire command north. Yet fever
cases are very few in the cavalry divis-
ion where command one Of the two
brigades. and not one true case Of vel.
low fever has occurred in this division,
except among the men sent to the hos.
pital ut Siboney, where they have. !
believe. contracted it. But in this
division there have been 1900 cases Of
malarial fever. Not q man has died
from it. but the whole command is SO
weakened and shattered as to be ripe
for dying like rotten sheep, when
Real Yellow fever Epidemic,
instead Of q fake epidemic like the
present strikes as. as it is bound to do
il we stay here at the height Of the
sickness season, August and the be.
ginning Of September. Quarantine
against malarial fever is much like
quarantine against toothache. All Of
us are certain that as soon rs the
authorities fully appreciate the condi.
ton Of tho army. we shall be sent
home. II we are kept here. it will. in
all human possibility, mean an appall.
ing disaster, for the surgeons here %.
innate that over half the army, il kept
here during the sickly season, will die.
This is not only terrible from the
standpoint Of the individual lives lost.
but il means ruin from the standpoint
of the military efficiency Of the flower
Of the American army. for the great
bulk Of the regulars are here with you.
The sick list, large though it is, ex.
ceedina 1000, affords but faint index
Of the debilitation Of the army. Not 10
per cent are lit for active work. Siz
weeks on the North Maine coast, fo1
instance. or elsewhere where the yel.
low fever germ cannot possibly propa.
cate. would make us all as fit as fight.
ing cocks, able as We are eager, to take
n leading part in the great campaign
against Havana in the fall. even il We
are not allowed to try Porto Rico.
We can be moved north. il moved a,
once. with absolute safety to the
country. although. Of course. it would
have been infinitely better II we had
been moved north or to Porto Rice