The evening times., 1898-12-09
FRIDAY, DECEMBER g, lsgS.
General sternbcrG'> Testimony.

FRIDAY. DECEMBER g, 1895.
General SternbcrG'> Testimony.
The examination Of surgeon C n-ral
Sternberg by the Alger Relief Commis-
sion was not calculated tu bring out the
facts that are ~ most Importance in
relation To The medical service i'm TN
war The questions put 10 ,he witness
were Of q kind 10 exclude information
about matters that have been promi-
nent IN the army scandals. Even with
he pointers tu toe found in the tcsti-
InuuE II General Breckiuridge-s as
The Interference of the Adiutant Gen
oral which destroyed the inspection ser
vice-the examiners were bold enough
N their protection of the Wan Office 10
Keep the testimony limited to cumplra-
lively trivial subjects There was no
effort Jo discover why the Surgeon GEN
erals office WAS allowed t. remain x
noIant II The epidemic conditions in
The camps Tor 80 many U-- ~. during
which time ali the ordinary methods
81 lighting an Epidemic w,ra neglected
Ia dealing with the matter IF the ap-
peiEuuont IF civilian doctors over reg
ular army surgeons. no questions were
asked that would bring ou; au explain
alton OF tha influence which cured the
appointment Of horse doctor To the
highest medical position at ChiCka-
mauga and in Porto Rico. Nothing
was sad Of The utter Lack of a medical
SYST m in tEe army that invaded cuba
IA, absence of an except on, diVis on
hospital and the failure 10 provide for
Il ittel corps 90 care foI tha wounded
There was nothing said IN jh- apology
lvr the spread Of typhoid fever in the
camps # tn neglect of all ordinary
precautions. such as The covering and
disiHfection IF Ihe Infected matter in
The shallow trenches and tn, soclusion
OF tha first cases II tEe disease. There
Is not a doctor in the country who
would expect. as thu Surgeon General
suggested, an improvement, in the CON
dIti"ns when every facility Was Offered
for the spread of the disease.
In sp L. # the obvious purpgs. 10 plo-
tect the War Office. the examination
brought out the fact thai Secretary
Alger refused to allow th. Surgeon
General to make provisions fol. an eff
cient medical service Alger told tie
Surgeon General that The policy is t.
UaiL" That with the other violations
q military ConVentionality. continued
~ be the policy until the Roosevelt
round robin aroused the nation 10 the
wholesale murder of its soldiers. II
also brought out the fact that although
some II The regimental surgeons were
known To be bad he recollected no in
stance Of dismissal for inc0mpetency''-
thanks Ia the same political influence
that secured their appointment and the
same political influence that is 10 -be
considered in the Hull bill for the re-
organization Of the army. Colonel
DENLY also learned, what he has refus-
ed To admit. that there was deficiency
Of supplies at Santiago. Deficiency is a
mild term for the entire absence Of sup
plies reported by every medical man in
that expedition. Another interesting
revelation was made Of the effects Of
the Adjutant Generals virtual aboli-
rral Sternberg says that prior to the in
spection tour made by Secretary Alger.
General Ludington and himself
long after typhoid fever ragged and raw
aged the camp at Chickamauga and
some Of the most horrible scenes of the
war were witnessed-"the information
in his hands of the unsanitary condi-
uons was unofficial" For weeks the
newspapers had contained shocking de-
scriptions Of the appalling state of
things there, and General Breckinridee
had twice appointed boards of inquiry
because Of the privations Of the sick
and the increasing high death rate. Ap-
peals had been made by the surgeons
and the commanding officers for sup
plies. Yet the departments at Wash
ington were ignorant of il alI-the re-
ports being too numerous and other
business being too pressing for any at
tention to the matter.
That the fault for the suffering al
Santiago was at Washington is estab-
lished by the direct statement of Cen
eral Sternberg as TO the failure to send
the hospital ship John Ingls with sup
plies. For three weeks the vessel was
idle and might have gone at any time:
but she was not sent until the day If
the battle at Santiago IF she had
sailed five days sooner the medical sup
plies at the battle ground would have
been ample" He refused to say who
was responsible for the delay, although
he implied IT was unnecessary. Yet he
deliberately affirmed-after a long hesi-
tation during which he probably re-
membered the treatment of General
Breckenridge for criticising the Secre- |