The times., 1899-02-15

hurriedly and inadequately indicated, that
! the report of the Alger Relief Commission
should be read.
1t should be borne in mind, too, that it
was not until many weeks after typhoid
fever became epidemic in the American
camps-one of which was only few miles
! from the Office of the War Department
that the heads of the different offices and
the head of the department seemed to have
/ any idea of the frightful conditions. There
/ had been boards appointed by the COM
mander at Camp Thomas to report on the
situation, and one of these, composed of
/ experienced officers Of high rank. urged
instant removal, but the reports were with
out effect.
As TO the awful treatment or neglect of
the sick in hospitals there, the testimony
Of regimental and company officers and
nurses was specific and so dreadful as to
be unfit for print. The brutality in that
hospital is not exceeded by anything in
history-not even by the record of Spanish
atrocity in the case of the vilest prisoners
1t should be recalled that general officers
and surgeons agreed that acquisitions for
medicines and other things necessary to
save the lives of the soldiers were ignored
not only by the department quartermasters,
but also by the office at Washington.
a minor matter, yet important as show
ing how complete and unvarying was the
incompetency and neglect, was the keeping
OF regiments waiting for a day in the hot
sun at Montauk because the quarter
masters office at New York had failed 70
make arrangements for trains that the
commands were ordered to take and re-
FUSED to reply to questions from the Off
GERS of the prostrated troops.
Remembering these facts. the reader of
the report of the Alger Relief Commission
must be astounded, not merely at its
efforts to acquit the responsible officials,
but at the manner in which the vital in
cldents are ignored. The report is not an
outline history of the conduct of the war.
as 1t pretends TO be. The one excuse that
serves for all except two men who seem
10 the public to have acquitted themselves
with credit-we mean General Miles end
Inspector General Breckipridge-is that
we were unprepared for war. The answer
we have right TO make to this is that
in the hands of competent men of expe-
rience. OF whom the country has many, no
such defects and blunders would have
been possible. From the first confusion
at Tampa to the hideous conditions at
Montauk, all that was fatal TO our soldiers
might have been avoided. Why, it is ad-
mltted that the quartermaster in charge
n Tar, ,Ii
OF the transports and that this was the
chief source of woe. No man who knew
MS business could be ignorant until the
last moment of the vessels he had selected
TO carry the army.
Since another and a properly qualified
court is to make enquiry into the beef
scandal. the report of the Commission on
this subject is of importance only as show
ng the state of its feelings toward General
Miles and toward DIR. DAILY. whose charac-
Ter 1t attempted in vain to assail
A further indication of the spirit OF
The Commission is in the criticism of
General Miles and the neglect to credit |
aim with saving the army at Santiago. |
mat the expedition was successful in the |
'apture of the city and the bringing of |
he war 10 an end after the navy had done |
is work and the army had fought It's wav |
o the inner works, was due TO the timely |
Intervention of General Miles There has |
'een no attempt to refute the statement |
hat General shafter contemplated a re-
reat that would have been fatal.
The Commission was appointed in the
interest of Secretary Alger; it has been
dominated by General Dodge and Colonel
lenby; it has performed the work which
he Secretary of War expected. and has
one further in rejecting on the two par
icular officers toward whom he is un-
riendly. That the American people will
ccept the report as a confection COM
osed of Algerian apology, mendacity. and
pite goes without saying.