Someone Blundered

Wbile the war was on the patriotio presa of the country bad little to say in criticisiD. Now tbat it is endec ranch oan be said - in fact mach mnsi be said. The plans for the war were well laid; the navy was well handled; the arruy did all that oould be asked ; the soldiers and sailors oovered theruselves with glory. But in the cornmissary and the medical departmonts great defioiencies and many oases of inoompetency have been fonnd. ,Our soldiers starved while food was plenty; our brave boys died for lack of food, medicine and nnrsing. The mortality of the war was frightfnl; not from the enemy's bnllets, bnt from the criminal inefficienoy of certain officials and the rapacity of oontractors. The governueut paid bat the soldiers did nat receive. As the New York Journal well says: "The president owes it'to the arrny, o the conntry, to bis conscienoe as a man and to hiraself as chief magistrate of the republio to oompel an investigaron that shall lay bare the whole iruth, no matter who may be hort by t. The people of tbe United States, lorrifled and indignant, will acoept nothing short of this. "No investigation oau give life again 10 the brave men who have died useessly, nor can the broken hearts of 'atbera and mothers and wives be lealed hy exposnre and punisbruent of the guilty, bnt stem instice demands hat crime sball not esoape penalty. "The Senaca, the Concha, tbe Molile and the Mohawk - these hospital sbips were floating helle, the sick béng treated au ailing animáis wonld not be by humane men. Bad food, bad water, au insnfficient medicine supply for the woundad and fever stricken, and hardships that prostrated soldiere who began the voyage in good health. "Who is responsible for this? "Large qnantities of medioal stores ent to the arrny at Santiago were never landed, bnt taken back whenoe they came, while the field hospital went without. "Who is responsible for this? "Dr. James S. Kennedy, First Assistanfc Surgeon of tbe Second División ïospital, Fifth Army Corps, wrote on Ang. 12, f rom Santiago, respeoting the ondition of things in the 32 crowded loepital teuts of the división : " 'There is an utter laok of suitable medicines to combafc dieease. Tbere ias been so much diarrhea and dysenery and fever, and no medicine at all ;o counteract them, that the men died or_want of it. Foor days after my rejorting bere there was not a single ïnedcine in the entire hospital for tbe first ;wo diseases and nothing bnt quinine or ever. The same lack of medicine xisted at the time of writing the leter.' "Who is respousible for this? "öoldiers have died by the soore for want of the oare that nurses could ave given them, and the offer of nursb by the Red Cross in repeated intances have been refused. "Who is responsible for this? "Death has played havoc among oldiers who were not snbjected to the rying oonditions of tropical Cuba. In ;he United States, with every modern acility in oomrnunioation and transiortation.thecarups have becomeletbal. Camp Alger, within sight of Washingon, and Camp Wikoff, within a few ours of New York, have presented cenes of neglect and snffering that wonld have disgraoed the war department had they been located in thn heart of Cuba. "Who is responsible for this? "Camps have been pitched on onfit sites, apparentJy in the interest of transportation corupanies - notably at Tampa and Miauii, San Francisco - and orowed graveyards are the oonsequence. "Who is responsible for this? "Witb limitless money at instant coiaruand to procure the best of medical and surgical skill, ampie food, ampie acoommodations, ampie attendanoe and everybing required by the siok, here have been the foulest neglect, the worst in capaoity, the most deadly oruelty - a treatment of our soldiers, il] and well. that poverty-cursed and backward Spain herself could soarceiy match. "Who is responsible for this? "These questions must be answered. Eaon is an aoousation of orirue fur which there oan be no adequate defense in this civilized age. "And it is for President McKinley to bring out the answers tn the questions - to discover and arraign the crimináis. "No more negleot of the siok ! No more starving of our soldiers! And tben : "Investigation of tfae bideous mismanagement of the commissary, transportation and medical departineots of the army, investigation thorougbgoíng and reraorsaless. ''Exposé and pnnish the inurderers of the soldiers of the republic! "Chickainauga Park was a healthy camp during the civil war beeunse competent offioers did their work well. The tale of tbe late war is sbown by the offioial report of Maj. Parker, sanitaiy inspector on Gen. Brecüenridge's 8taff. "Since Joly 25 the sick report bere has increased from week toweek as follows: Jnly 25th, 2,226; Aog. lst, 2,975; Aug. 8th, 3,631; Aug. 15tb, 4,426; Aog. 18th, 4,894. Tbis laet fignre does not inolude over 1,300 man tnrlongbed for siokness since Jnly 25, and 291 discbaiged." Of the 32d Miohigau, wbioh baa not been in actiou, 477 men were in the hospitals at Fernandina dnring this month. As a sample of ineffioienoy the siok soldiers at Moctank were without bread for three days because a contract to hnild ovens for the governinent was not finished on a speoified date and the bread whiob had been supplied from other suarces was uot taken because the oveus were to have been Snisbed. It is stated that many millions have been made out of the governinent. The wants of our brave soldiers shonld have been attended to. Far better had fewer sons of U. S. senators and high adïninistration officials been appointed to offices which they were incorupetent to fill, and uien taken who eould have seen to it tbat trainloads of provisions ■were not allowed to spoil wbile the soldiers went without.