The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-07-23
OUR TRANSPORT SERVICE.
FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS NOW GET
TING POINTS FROM Us.

Twenty-Five and Some of the ships
Are the Most Complete of Their
Class in the WorId-Why Perry
Heath Succeeded Gen. Dick.
Washington, July $50 efficient has
become the transport service of the United
States government that England, Ger
many, Russia, France and Japan have CT
ticially applied 10 the war department for
the plans upon which our transport sys-
TEN is based. 1t will be recalled that
during the early stages of the Spanish
War, the army transport system was Sc
verely criticised for its inefficiency and
general lack OF system. The experience
obtained by the war department during
that war proved a great benefit 10 our
army and navy and to-day all the great
nations of Europe recognize that the
United States has the best and strongest
transport system in existence, and the
European Powers above mentioned con-
template adopting our system as far as
practicable.
Gen. Ludington, quartermaster general
of the army, who is directly in charge of
this system, discusses the subject with
great pride and points to the fact that
within the past two years, astonishing
progress has been made in organizing and
bringing the transport service up to it's
present high standard. He admits that
at the outbreak of the Spanish War, the
present generation of United States army
officers had but little, if any, practical
experience in connection with a large and
well-equipped transport service. There
had been previously no occasion for the
establishment of such service and nat
urally under heavy pressure and excite
ment. coupled with lack OF experience
on the subject. some mistakes were I'M
avoidable. Now the government has I'M
der its control feet of from
twenty TO twenty-five modern trans
ports fitted up with all modern
conveniences for the transporta ton Of
troops including ample quarters for the
men. the best facilities for taking care
of the sick and wounded. and every rea-
sonable provision for food and other sup
plies required In a long journey at sea
Those transports are all named for gen.
erals in the army who have won dis
tinction. The four largest transports,
with a carrying capacity each of from
seventeen hundred TO two thousand men
are named for Grant Sherman Sheridan
and Meade The other ships have a ca
pacty of from seven hundred to eleven or
twelve hundred men and they are named
in the same manner.
The trasport system is under the direct
supervision of the War Department. and
its work has been so thorough and so sat
isfactory as to command the admiration
of the civilized world all of which is in
ox of ba
nature of American institutions.
Hanna Has Them Guessing.
That part of Washington which is in
terested in Republican politics has not
yet been able to discover what is the sig
niticance of Chairman Hanna's switch
from Gen. Charles Dick to First Assis-
tant Postmaster General Heath for the
Secretaryship of the National Committee.
Before the change was made ii was sug-
gested that the relations between the two
Ohians were of the closest and most cor
dial character, but the intimation is very
strong that the Congressman from the
Garfield. Wade and Giddings District has
lost favor with the Chairman of the Ma
tioal Committee and that hereafter he will
be going and not a coming man in Ohio
as we'll as National politics. Dick and
Heath have been great rivals for
the favor of President Mckinley ana
Chairman Hanna and apparently the first
assistant postmaster general has won a
complete victory over the imperturba bl e
Dick The friends OF the former Secre-
tary of the National Committee are at
tributing his loss of the secretaryship to
his selection to run the campign in Ohio,
but it is notorious here that but for his
hope of restoration to favor, Dick would
absolutely refuse TO have anything to do
to assist the President in his campaign
for reelection. Dicks downfall is said
by some to be due to the fact that ever
since he has been Secretary of the Com
mittee, the law firm of which he is "a
member has been doing a thriving bust
ness here in Washington, making a
speciality of contests for the House of
Representa- tives or before the National
Committee. Prior to the Philadelphia
Convention there was a great scramble
among contestants and contestees to have
the members of General Dicks firm ar
que their casese before the National Com
mittee. Protests. it is said, were made
to President Mckinley and upon his per-
sonal insistence the change in the secre-
taryship was decided upon.