The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-05-13

MEN MUCR interested
In 1898 Disease Killed Five to Bullets
One-Repetition Impossible Now
Every Recruit Must Undergo Anti
Typhoid Treatment-Orders Sent
to State Militias.
A Washington dispatch says our
citizen soldiers are vastly improved
since the war with Spain. In 1898
all was confusion and turmoil during
the mobilizations. Men were march
ed back and forth aimlessly. Many
wany went hungry when food was
nearby. There was crowding and
friction, bad feeling, unsanitary con-
ditions. Disease killed five to bull
lets one.
The experience of Cuba, Porto Rico
and Montauk Point have not been
forgotten. In the sixteen years since
our last international conflict thou
sand reforms have been inaugurated,
thousand improvements put in
force. The militiamen, or national
guardsmen, are to-day an alert, bus
iness-like formidable organization,
with little Of the amateur apparent.
In the last few weeks there have
been few such good customers OF
Even lately one step forward
newsdealers as the guardsmen. Eag-
erly they scan every edition. OF
course they are not bloodthirsty, but
it would be such a satisfaction to try
their mettle in good cause.
Even in the last year one distinct
has been made. Every recruit now
must promise to submit to anti-ty-
phoid innoculation. This is applied
at intervals of seven days for three
weeks.
1--WE can not compel guardsmen
who enlisted prior to last November
to undergo the treatment" said a
surgeon general of the State militia
organizations recently. "But any one
who does not want to be inoculated
may not expect to be enlisted now.
I would like to make it plain that
only one-tenth of one per cent. of the
men who were treated were incon-
venienced for a few days by pain.
There has never been death as
the result of this treatment. And it
has been shown in the regular army
that incubation is absolutely neces-
sary to insure men against such
disease as incapacitated our troops
in the Spanish War"
When the trouble with Huerta be-
came acute preliminary orders went
out first to the adjutant generals Of
the militia in the Department Of the
East, which comprises twenty-one
states east of the Ohio and Missis-
sippi Rivers and the District Of Co.
lumbia. These states reported TO-
513 enlisted men and officers as ready
to take the field to the general staff
at Governors Island, in New York
harbor. They comprised six divi-
sions.
Most formidable of all was the New
York contingent, which amounts to a
division and a few regiments over
and which ranks highest in the re-
ports of recent inspections Of State
militias delivered to Washington. AS
an evidence of high efficiency the New
York guard division has been incor-
porated as a part OF the First Field
Army. the other divisions OF which
are regular troops. The New York
adjutant general reported l6,52S
men.
When the guard is called upon to
mobilize in time of war the first move
IS to rush the engineers to the camp
site, where water pipes are laid, tent
streets are marked out and arrange
ments are made for the disposal OF
refuse. Right after the engineers
come the medical corps. which looks
out for sanitation. and the signal
corps, fully prepared to equip the
camp with telephone, telegraph and
temporary wireless outfits. The COM
department is meanwhile
busy buying horses and mules and
for feed supplies.
The arranging OF trains and trans
ports is partly in charge Of the COM
manders and partly under the direc-
ton of the engineers-the old Wsap-
pers and miners.
Not all the National Guard goes to
Mexico on the first call. In New
York State. for instance. . force OF
1000 10 10000 men will be left be-
hind ct the armories. which will be
transformed into barracks. Even
with these discarded. the enlistments
have not been so rapid that the diVi-
sion would be up to requirements.
Eavt TO the supply corps. the BUS
lest officers in the early hours OF the
mobilization period are those Of the
medical staff. There are many men.
who, although physically fit in civil
life, a~e not capable of withstanding
the riGnrs OF a campaign under condi-
tions which might he expected to pre-
vail in a country where comforts can
be moasuraG ONLY tv the degree of ef-
fl :ency with which the commissary
ARRANGEMENTS are managed from the
field base.
The hostility OF the inhabitants.
which cou:;l be expected in Mexican
campaign. will render tho mainten>
ancs Of lines OF communication
matter Of considerable hazard ard