Deming graphic., 1918-02-08
MAUPTN'S REPORT A BOOST
FOR DENIING AND THE CAMP
Hut he Lamhasts the Camp LOCatOrs
UnmercIfuIIy for Picking Sandy
Site In the Worst Desert In
His knowledge"
Dust Stories by Soldiers Seem TO
Have Gotten on His Nerves, but
Lauds City and Camp. Finds
Soldiers Happy and Well

win NJ. Maupin, who investigated
Camp Cody last week for Governor
Neville of Nebraska, sends us
printed form Of his report 10 that
official ON his return home. The
report 50 nearly corresponds TO what
he told the Graphic before he left
that We could have almost written 1t
for him--we certainly could have
forecast to a dot his treatment OF
each SEPARATE phase Of his investiga-
ton, Mr.. Maupin is one chap, al
least, who says the same thing 10
your face that he says behind your
back.
Altogether Mr.. Maupin's Findings
were more favorable TO us than were
those Of Governor Bumquist, noted
elsewhere in this paper. He found
everything shipshape at the camp.
the fighting equipment 100 per cent
efficient, the men happy and con
tented and in fine health. with q
notable absence Of all the disease
that used to be taken as necessary
corollary Of army life. He is more
than complimentary to the city OF
Deming and its people ia his sum
ming mp Of conditions affecting The
camp. On no point did he have
any criticism worthy Of the name 20
make eXcept--the dust. On that one
subject, however. he was SO fierce
,hat We give here verbatim the entire
paragraph dealing with it. It will
be noted that his evidence is mostly
learsav and that he has been impos-
ed upon in the usual manner by hi
informants, who represented condi-
lions hundred per cent worse thaa
thew really are, but rs VIC don't re-
gard the dust as likely to lose rs the
camp we can afford to he charita-
bic and read it for what il is worth
to us. Here it is;
"The enlisted men have two griev
ances First, keeping them there
So long when they feel that they are
fitted for service abroad. Second.
he sand. cannot find words strong
enough to condemn the location of
any army camp in the country where
the sand is so deep and wide. and
sand storms so frequent and severe.
No matter how exaggerated a story
about sand storms al Camp Cody
may sound, You are warranted n
believing them. When one Of these
storm, strike the camp, and they are
very frequent, practically all work
must be suspended. Regimental drills
ere impossible because companies get
lost, captains become separated from
their companies. and mounted men
have To trust to the instinct of their
mounts to get them back TO co
The sand is a foot deep at all times,
and from six feet to a mile deep whcr
the wind blows strong. You can
imagine that the presence Of $4,000
men at a given spot of such a des-
ert does not have q tendency TO al,
| lay the plague Of sand. BY almost
superhmman effort hard roads have
been built in camp The suggo-
tEat the plague Of sand might be al
layed by oiling the camp site wouli
be very good were it not for the fact
that it would exhaust the oil suppl,
# the republic to accomplish that
end. Throat troubles are all too
common, and while not medical man
I cannot help believing that the con
slant irritation Of throat and LUNGS
hy reason of this fine sand has
tendency 10 produce pneumonia, and
further tendency TO lessen the phy
sicul resistance Of ihe men to this
dread disease. unhesiiatingly give
/ It as my individual opinion that Il
was a grave Injustice 10 the brave
Young men who enlisted or who will
inely accepted army service, to SUBJ
/ iect them to such terrible conditions.
as | have outlined, especially when
equally convenient camp sites along
the border might have been found
where the sand plague might have
been avoided