The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-02-13

chiefs of bureaus cordial and full support
and promptly responded to every proper
demand made upon him by commanding
of3cers.
The charges made that the secretary of
war was pecuniarlly interested in contracts
purchases and other transactions have
been thoroughly examined and 70 und TO
be baseless.
In the judgment Of the commission,
there was lacking In the general admin
istration OF the war department curing
the continuation Of the war with spain
that complete grasp OF the situation
which was essen tial to the highest effi-
cheney and discipline of tho army.
1.-THE commission has refrained from
criticising certain of the heads Of
bureaus for not having acted with fore
sight in preparing their various depart
msnts for active war before war was ac-
tually declared, because 10 has appeared
that the national defense fund provided
by the act of March ., 1893, was not made
available for use except for the navy and
for coast defenses and the expenditures
incident thereto until after the dsclara-
ton Of war.
ADJUTANTi GENERALS DEPART
MENT.
There are about $50 regiments, batter
les and separate organizations in the
army from only IS Of which came com
plants, aside from those affecting the
medical department. Investigation has
| shown that the most Of these com plants
were because OF lack of supplies not
obtainable at first or we're due to the in
exprisnce OF officers in command. not. SO
far as we can discover, from q ny inten-
tional negleo6 1t was found necessary
to go outside and appoint officers from
civil life. The testimony shows that
they were honest and manifested a desire
TO become efficient In their duties. There
have been very few complaints against
this department The records and testi.
mony show that 1t has been prompt In Its
work and has added greatly to the sffi.
cheney Of the army.
INSPECTOR GENERALS DEPART
The commission and that the inspector
generals department was not as etf4oient
as it ought to have been. There seems to
have been question AS to the authority
by which inspections were to be ordered.
On at least one occasion, May IL, the
secretary Of war instructed the major
general commanding the army to inspect
certain camps. The major general did
not act upon such Instructions, stating IL
to be his place to order inspection.
The organization In the field was am
pie and the inspectors made reports to the
commanding officers to whom they had
been assigned. Those reports were often
not acted upon and were not forwarded to
the war department
THE Qua ARTERMAsTER'S DEPART
MENT.
The declaration of war threw upon
the quartermaster's department an
amount OF labor and responsibility for
which 1t was neither physically nor
financially prepared.
The quar- termaster general threw the
energy OF his department into this work
when funds were available, seems evident.
In spite OF every effort there were oc-
cssions where troops suffered from poor
tentage and lack Of clothing.
At Santiago, the deficiency at the front
appears to have been caused rather from
lack OF transportation from the coast than
from the lack of clothing and tentage, a
supply of which was ON the transports.
Great complaint was made Of the railroad
congestion at Tampa. showing an almost
inexousable lack OF executive ability on
the part use charged with the load :
ing, uni, ad ng and handling of the
trains.
Congestion also occurred at Chicka-
mauga park and at Camp Wikotf.
WATER TRANSPOR rATION.
The testimony shows that the first call
upon the quartermaster's departine mt
was for ships to transport 5000 men to
Cuba, and that soon after the call WAS
increased, the demand made for steamers
TO transport IS. 600.
Many of these vessels were poorly
equipped with sleeping accommodations,
were badly ventilated and filled with
disagreeable odors. The quartermaster' $
department ought to have been able to
more thoroughly equip these vessels and
surely 1t should have been more certain
Of their carrying capacity. Testimony
also shows that the vessels were not
| loaded Systematically
CONTRACTS.
Contracts covering millions of dollars
were made by the quartermaster's de-
partment during the period between April
l9 and October /. and alt hough indefinite
charges have from time TO time been
made of fraud and oollusion, no evil
dence has been produced before the com
mission to substsntiate these charges,
although the parties making them have
been invited to appear.
The delay in some instances in receiv-
at