The evening times., 1898-11-23
WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER %, lsss
Colonel Roosevelt. Testimony.

OF ihe manifold blUnders, defects, de-
priyations. exposures. deaths and other
consequences of incompetency resulting
from the virtual displacement of Gen
eral Miles by a civilian Secretary OF
War and the emascuIation Of the office
of General Breckenridge. Colonel Roose-
veit gave a vivid picture to the Alger
Relief Commission yesterday in New
York With a lively knowledge of his
puenacity. the usually petulant, bull
doing chairman Of that body did not
attempt to check and override the
Rough Rider. but allowed him 10 recite
his experiences in his own way. What
colonel Roosevelt knew, he knew thor
uughly. but as a lieutenant colonel, sec
und in command Of a regiment in the
early part Of the campaign, his observa-
tjsns did not include the confusion and
mistYieS of the entire corps. Yet as
things were within the range of his Wis
iDn. 50 they were throughout the COM
mand ii is announced that Colonel
RooseyelTs testimony merely touched
on a part Of the matters contained in
the famous report which he sent from
Montauk to Secretary Alger and which
has been guarded with such care. His
reason for this is a shrewd one-he
wants that report to be embodied in the
records Of the Alger Relief Commission.
which is the only way in which he can
bring its damning- revelations into the
light Of day The Herald is responsible
for the statement that its facts are of a
surprising nature and that the Com
mission VIII have TO take account of it
in its report.
Colonel Roosevelt described the con-
fusiOn-all of it easily avoidable. he said
which began at Tampa and continued
until the public outcry brought i'm
provement at Montauk. Utter and alb
soiute confusion" he declares. with
nobody in charge Of anything and no
body responsible for anything. The
army, except when the regimental COM
nanders took things in their own hands
WAS a mob in which every man had to
look out for himself An order, a hint
from some unknown source, reached
the regiment that it must be aboard a
transport by a certain hour or be left
behind. No provision had been made
for the care Of the equipments and
there WAS no assignment to transports
Nobody knew anything and there was
simply a mad scramble fer the boats
Shafter was beseiged by bewildered Off
GERS. but he had less information and
was more dazed than they and referred
them To the quartermaster, who could
not be found. II required an hour and
n half OF the limited time for two Off
GERS to run him down. He was even less
acquainted with affairs than they
Finally he assigned the regiment to a
transport and when they reached il. of
course they found that another regi-
ment. and part of still another, had
already been assigned to the same YES
SET. which had only room for one. II
appears that the quarternaster did not
know the names Of the other transports.
80 told everybody to board the Yucatan
and left them TO fight IL out their own
way, The SeYenty-first New York had
1n remain on a crowded train of cars
t"" days waiting for the quartermaster
Il discover what boat il should take.
30 IL MAS everywhere. Who was TO
blame ''Oh, j would not KNOW" said
Colonel Roosevelt; Il can only give you
the facts"
And that is a fearful Indictment Of
the War Department-that nobody is
able to-locate the blame, but only to
give The facts. That's just my luck.
exclaimed DR. Conner. one Of the exam
liners after his questions to an assistant
quartermaster, II thought / had at last
found the man responsible. / have been
going from post TO pillar for months.
and am still no nearer than when
started" Now, here was single corps
Uf less than twenty thousand men, with