Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-02-16
The Report tfthe War Commission

The Report cfthe War Commission
our columns bear witness that this pa
per has never called the war investigating
commission a withdrawing committee"
or tried, as some journals have done, to
discredt its report in advance of the pub
LEGATION thereof The commission was not
constituted of professional fault-hndcrs.
Its members were and are friendly to tho
administration and though not lacking
men of somewhat critical turn of
mind, the commission as whole
has undoubtedly been disposed to
avoid finding needless fault, willing
to allow due weight to reasonable
explanations and excuses, and DESTROYS OF
making the best rather than the worst of
the conduct of the war on the part of
the men most responsible for the man
agement. With such a dlsp sltion we do
rot quarrel. On the other hand, it is
plain that it was the DUTY of the COM
mission to do something more than at
tempt to allay the popula: disquietude
and quiet the prevailing apprehension thai
the efficiency of the army was being seri-
4
and possible corruption. If there was
serious trouble of this kind lurking in tho
war department. the commission was eX-
pected to find and disclose it. 1t was not
appointed to tell the people that the war
found the country unprepared for war;
that the sudden equipment of an army Of
a quarter Of "A million of men was no small
task; and that some friction and suffering
was unavoidable in the attempt to turn
two hundred thousand civilians into sol
diers in a day. and to properly supply
them without more men trained to the
business. We all knew that. What was
wanted was a report which should tell
MS whether or no after making all due
! allowance for unavoidable conditions,
there was not avoidable incompetcncy
/ ineXcusable neglect, and other faults in
the management which must be pointed
out in order that they may be corrected in
the future.
The commission appears to have attend
ed to this duty to some extent 1t finds
that there was inefticiency in the inspec-
tor generals department. 1t finds inefii-
cheney in the quartermaster generals mis-
! sion to ascertain the carrying capacity of
the transports provided to carry the
army to Cuba and consequent insufciency
of vessels, and failure to provide lighters
for the landing of supplies at Santiago.
1t finds the medical department at fault
in failure to supply nurses enough for the
hospitals. 1t found no corruption in any
department, and acquits Secretary Alger
of intentional neglect of duty or
attempt to serve his personal inter-
csts. This let's the secretary down
easily; but the commission does find in the
general conduct of the war a lack of the
grasp of the situation tina: was essential
to the best efficiency and discipline of the
army.
on some points in the report it is diff
cut to comment, until the full text of the
report is received. Thus considerable
space is given to setting forth the conges-
ton of railroad trains al Tampa; but the
abstract Of the report does not attempt 10
explain why Tampa. with a single railroad
line leading to 1t, was selected for the
point of debarkation for the army, rather
than jacksonville, for instancc,--a point
nearer the Atlantic ports, where the
transports We're obtained; about as near
Santiago as Tampa, and having three or
four lines of railroad, with large car
yards, much more extensive docks, and
apparently much better facilities Tor the
handling and debarkation of an army
Perhaps this is explained in the full re.
port, though not in the abstract
On the beef question the commission viii
. inevitably be charged with whitewa shine
and it will probably occur to most read.
ers that to show that some of the canned
; beef was good does not prove that none
, of it was bad. But the matter OF the beef
has been referred to a competent military
court of inquiry; and We prefer to await
its verdict before assuming that a case
has beer made out either for or agains
! the canned roast beef" or the refriger
S ated article
on the whole the report so far as can BE-
t judged from the portions of it now sub
= mitted to the public is about what nigh
= have been fairly expected from the com
Y mission.