The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-07-25
No TRUTH IN TALK Of
POOR FOOD At BORDER
But Folks Back Home Are Bombard-
ing Men With Pleas to
Come Back.
HEALTH CONDITIONS AT
BORDER CAMPS EXCELLENT
General Tasker III. Bliss Has But One
Criticism, Saying Commands Should
Not Have Been Sent South Until
Equipped.

Washington, July 24,-settIement
seemed as far off today as at any
time since the Columbus raid. The
principal stumbling block continues
to be the insistence Of Carranza that
the withdrawal OF the American troops
should he discussed BY the commits
sion proposed for the settlement OF
the border trouples. Some officials
hold that the disposal OF the troops
does not fall within the purvtew Of
the commission. They say that. be-
cause the troops were sent into Mexico
by the President, his orders are not
subject to change by any other author
ity.
Army officers predict that the Sec
ond protocol or commission plan
will fail just as the first did, by re-
pudiation by Carranza after 1t was
agreed TO be the State Departm ent.
General Bliss Reports.
The War Department today made
public O. report from General Tasker
H Bliss, assistant chief of staff for
the army in which he. for the first
time, criticizes the manner In which
the national guard was rushed TO
the border without adequate equip
ment. His report has TO do with the
militia in the Brownsville sesssa,- 1t
! follows, in part
II have now personally visited all
the camps approximately thirty thou
sand men and have interviewed COM
pany. regimental brigade and division
commanders without exception they
have denounced every story that has
appeared IN the newspa pers as to in
sufficiency or poor quality of the ra-
tions as deliberate falsehood. Many
enlisted men have told me that the
food is better than they We're &C
customed to at their homes.
Every one that l have seen who
was e In the call for troops in 1898
speaks of the smoothness with which
this mobilization has been carried out
as compared with the confusion at the
former time
II think that the movement would
have been absolutely perfect in every
respect could all of the organizations
have remained AT their mobilization
camps until completely equipped.
Many organizations were rushed to
the border with practically only TWEEN
ty-four hours notice.
Bombartied With Letters From Home.
II find in many ORGANIZATIONS that
the enlSteu pfISnl4Acl arc btllS
bonn barded with letters from home
begging them 10 return and to take
advantage OF any opportunity offered
to get out OF the service. Thus far
the men themselves seem to pay little
attention 10 this | think that what
may prove 70 be a principal cause Of
unrest among certain classes of the
enlisted personnel is the information
which commanding officers tell me Is
coming from their homes to the effect
that employers who promised to con-
tinue pay or part pay and also hold
their positions for employees in the
ranks are now saying that as there
is 10 be no war their promise as to
those matters are no longer good.
There is one thing that Is par
ticularly noticeable and pleasing
among the troops that l have thus
far seen Immediately along the border,
and that Is the practical absence of
Intoxicating liquors in the camps.
This is noticeably true in the New
York division. The officers set the
best example IN this respect and the
men seem TO follow IT. The local COM
munites are so small and scattered
that there is com paratively little
tempta ton from that sources Even
in these early days OF the movement
their tentage is ample and excellent,
their food is ample and excellent,
their clothing Is excellent and ample
for every organization that was not
hastily rushed to the border-and
even for them all deficiencies are
rapidly being supplied-their camps
are the very best that can be obtain
ed in this country and appear to be
perfectly satisfactory 10 the COM
mands. their sanitation is excellent
and there is almost no sickness and
that largely confined 70 the small
troubles incident to change of diet
from home to camp life.
Send Reading Matter to Men.
The American Red Cross today
made public from its special agent in
Ell Paso. Texas, DR.. Eugene A.
(Con11nuAA an Skxth RARal