Evening star., 1916-08-07

Of the army play an endless tune. a va
riety Of menus following which would
do the unscientifc houskeeper much good.
For the manner in which they substitute
mutton for beef at the specified pro rata,
and the way in which they shift the
beans for rice and hominy. etc. is Won
drous to behold, and Is the outcome of
wears OF hard practical experience and
scientific study. For the army ration as
shown here can 5e Sc twisted that Christ
da; there will be turkey on the
n,ess table and it will be actually part
ct The ration.
Charge Is Laughed At.
SO it will be seen and suspected that
the American army officer knows what a
ration is and that the War Department
knows the Importance OF getting these
rations into the hands Of the men who
are to eat them. in fact. the army has
u highly trained corps Of officers who
know the ration game so much better
than most people know anything ct all
that the charge OF bad food is laughed
at
There has been Gnin?portant complaint
Of the railway accommodations said
Representative SIaytcn, in discussing the
situation. "Oue state executive. If cor
rcctly reported was vociferous in his de-
the troops from his state. ] wish it could
have been done. bat if Pullman berths are
to be supplied to all the men OF the ever
increasing armies in all their movements
we must open new mires of gold and
silver to meet the bills 1t is a new
IDEA in campaigning. To pass two or
three nights In al ordinary day coach
once or twice in lifetime is an endur-
majority Of our people undergo in their
travels.
Movement a Success.
=; is an evidence ot their fore
long ago sought TO provide for just
scch an emergency as the transfer of
our army to the Mexican border. They
worked out tho movement to Mexico
year ago with railroad officials. The
cooperation of these railway officials
made the movement to Mexico com
for long distances, in some instances
thousands of miles. over sinsle-track
roads. Yet it was quickly and safely
done. 1t took 300 trains of more than
1000 ordinary passenger, tourist and
standard Pullman coaches. 400 baggage
cars, 1900 box cars, 1000 stock cars
and 500 fiat cars. 1t is an accomplish
ment. More than 1900 coaches and
freight cars were suddenly withdrawn
from ordinary commercial work, much
to the inconvenience of business men.
but no word of complaint was ever
heard from them or from the railway
people
Dismisses Complaints.
Representative Slayden dismisses with
a wave of the hand and a copy of cor
the complaints that there
were improper hospital facilities for
the troops moving south and arriving
there.
Col. H. P. Birmingham of the Medi-
cal Corps, acting surgeon general. re-
ceived from w. G. Malone of Rich
mond a letter and an appeal for funds
issued by the American committee for
the maintenance of the border hospital
at Brownsville, Tex. The appeal was
signed by Mrs. Florence J. Hartman
The sensational report said Col.
Birmingham, in an official note to the
Secretary of War, upon which is based
an appeal for money contribution for
hospitals for troops on the border was
evidently made by some one who had
no information concerning the actual
conditions, as it is in effect wholly
without foundatio
Plenty of Hospitals.
saying that every possible hospital
need has been provided for all along
the border, and that nearly 1000 beds
are available now. and that over 5000
will be available shortly. The sick
rate as officially reported, is away be-
low this quota of beds. 1t would seem,
then, that the howl about lack of hos
pital facilities is without much founda-
ton.
The truth is" said Representative
SIayden, that these men were probably
never in as healthful a climate they
are today.
Reverting to the discussion of the
food in camp, Representative Slayden
said:
THE fact that the regular army man
doesn't consume all of his rations in
one day attests the adequacy of the
army ration, for the regular has cele-
brated appetite. The National Guards
man has the same ration.
Story of Hunger Absurd"
The story of starving soldiers en-
route to Texas is absurd. II has never
been my fortune to see anything of
war except in the late civil war days.
but when | realized the quantity and
quality of the food supplied to the
soldiers today, and recall the parched
corn and raw turnip which on oc-
ca sion was the fare of the Confederate,
wonder what Lees men would have
accomplished had they been as well fed
and armed.
How they would have laughed at
the complaint of the militiaman that
the government had not given his
company a professional cook. 1t is a
way governments have, I'm afraid. The
soldiers battling at Verdun, perhaps,
have not been supplied with Partisan
g..