Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1898-08-19


Plutocratic Republican and friend OF
the administration. there to camp
and march and drill in sand and to
drink rotten water. The consequences
are that typhoid fever has broken out
among these troops, hundreds Of them
are sick, some OF them seriously iii and
many have ed."-New Orleans
States (Dem.)
The administration has been guilty
OF an act OF cruelty and injustice lit
tie short Of damnable. To deliberately
subject several thousand patriotic
young citizens OF Alabama aud other
Southern states TO almost inevitable
disease, and many OF them tp death
merely for political reasons, is hor-
rible supposltiOn, aud one which no
man likes 10 entertain OF the admin
istration or Of the officials responsible
for such condition OF aiTalrs.-Ad-
yertiser.
The only reason offered is that a
certain railroad wants the business
which will be brought to it by the
presence of troops there. and has the
necessary "pull" with the war de-
partment to secure their location
there. This is scandalous charge,
and IL true involves grievous wrong.
But it is thoroughly consistent with
the war departments course in this
and other matters, and with Secre
tary Alger's career as a whole.-Or.
egonian.
The war has proved again that the
American soldier can fight and win
victories, but IL has shown that his
bureaus Of equipment and supply are
most helplessly defective. The harsh |
Civil War experience with poor food |
and shoddy uniforms has been
repeated over and over again in the |
short affair with Spain. When
things begin to settle down the
government should do the country
the service OF reorganizing the army
equipment system from the ground
up and incidentally sending few
official spectators to jail.-S. +.
Chronicle. (stalwart Rep.
Why, with money flowing like
water, did the government half-starye
regulars 'or volunteers? Is it not a
rhine that any soldier was left 48
hours without food, that there was
nothing like adequate provision for
he care of the wounded, that ine1i-
iency, neglect and callousness have
marked every step of the operations
m land except in Porto Rico?- c
Tacoma News. (Dem,)
There is, 10 be sure, an answer To
hese and other charges of error on
he part OF the war department. In /
oregon, as elsewhere, men are con-
ent to protest they have the utmost
Dnfidence in President Mckinley. L
lie alone is In possession Of all the ;,
lcts. His wisdom, .sagacity and h
ltrlotism know no bounds. Being a
resident, and especially Republl q
IN president, no treatment of the :,
no view OF The Maine "
saster, no choice Of the camps or W
al officers, emanating from him can d,
: questioned. The king can do no -
rong. WhateYer IS, is right. What II
yer Mckinley does is best. The SC
regonian speaks not now of the as
eneral course of the administration, ~
even OF It's conduct of the war. IL ar
Is no general principle either of
aises or cOmmendation. Every
T must be judged by itself. Choices 9,
III demonstrate their folly or wisdom
their ultimate results. So far as
e war department is concerned,
neither In appointment of officers,
Ovision for needs of men at the Ia
ont or selection of camp sites, re
lJs have come along and their IL
relations are uniformly scandalous
d shocking, The trail OF the Alger
pent Is over them all. -Oregonian -.