The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1898-09-02
YIcToRY Vie pIseRACE.


with great glory to American arms.
In no former war in which this country
has been engaged, since the very be
ginning Of its history, has the nation
come out at the close with its cOlOrs so
proudly flying. The valOr Of the army
has been an establishment to Europe.
The marvellous achievements Of the
American navy have set the whole Of
the civilized world agOg.
Now to have all this glory dimm ed
and the whole nation disgraced, not
By treatment Of the enemy, but by the
treatment Of our own brave sOldiery,
causes the head of every patriotic
American citizen to hang in shame.
Our treatment of the enemy, either as
eOmbatants upon the field of battle or
as prisoners of war. has been chival-
rous and magnanimOUs. It Is chaTac-
teristic OF Americans-fght them to a
standstill, but when wounded and pTis-
Oners in our hands treat them with all
the tenderness of of a brother.
This Is admirable, this is honorable.
But the treatment Of our own soldiers,
by this mighty and wealthy nation has
been both despicable and damnsble-
Think of it once, that it should ever be
possible to appear in print, and still
stand unchaIlenged and uncOntradict-
ed, that = single one of our own heroes
within our own lines, and inreaeh Of
our care, should die of starvation and
neglect.
But these charges are made, in one
instance Of an officer Of the Rough
Riders, who had returned sick from
Santiago, and died in Boston; and the
attending physician in the latter city
on the death certificate wrote, as one
Of the causes, starvation If this is
the case Of an officer, what OF en-
listed men2
From Camp Merritt, near San Fran
cisco, from Honolulu, Of troops on
transports en- route to the Philippines,
from Tampa and other camps in Flor
ida, from ChIckamaUga, from Camp
Alger, from camp WikOf at Mantauk
Point, come reports Of bad sanitation
and bad food causing sickness to many
thousands Of our brave men and death
TO many hundreds. The details are
narrowing and sickening in the ex-
treme
Monday morning. Ben BrOssO, who
formerly lived here and whose father,
Engineer BrOssO, Is a resident of our
city, came home on sick furlOugh from
Chicksmauga- He not only confirms
the reports of that camp but says that
the half has not been told. He is a
member Of 'C'' Ist- Ark. Vols He said
100 men had died of fever in that reg
iment alone, and 10 in the company ne
belonged to-
He reports that troops were drilled
on bread and water. at times, and that
the soldiers were nearly starved, that
the sick in hospital were fed on
the army ration. He ventured the
prediction, that a. a consequence Of
the bad treatment of the troops at the
hands Of the government, the nation
would not be able to raise another
army by volunteering, during the life
time of the present generation, and
would have to resort to CONSUMPTION
IN the near future to fill its army.
That there should be a thorough in
vestigatiOn, and that no whitewashing
should be tolerated, that the respon-
sibility should be fixed and punish
ment inflicted on the guilty parties, no
matter where it hits, is the general
concensus of opinion, and there is no
partizanship or politics in it. National
integrity, national honor and even de-
oency demands this. High official Do
sition, gold lace, red tape and shutting
Of responsibility, should not be allow
ed TO shield or hide the parties who
are responsible for these crimes.
1t is not 50 difficult a matter as 1t
might seem To locate the blame fort
many failures to properly provide for
the army in the field and the troops
in the great military encampments.
The war brought tremendous respon-
sibilities. The arming, equipping and
supplying of an army of near 10000
men is an Herculean task. Sscere-
tsry of War Alger was not the man fer
the task His appointment was con
sidered a poor one by many repubi-
cans.
Then there were the sfaEorite sons
that had to be provided with generals
commissions or important staff posi-
tons May the custom fall into speedy
and permanent disuse! As a rule they
we're a lot Of useless fgureheads. Then
there was the usual hord Of political
benehmen that had to be provided for
with fat jobs or contracts IN the supply
department. As it was at the begin
ming Of the Civil war, everybody was
on the make.
Then the governors Of the different
states appointed then personal and
political friends IS officers II the vol
un.ssrs. Ia ths inss staE. ana asld. 81