The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 13, 1900, Page 2

THE SUNDAY CALL. 2 Qur Bolodiers in the Philippines % BY GENERAL JOSEPH WHEELER, U. 5. A. % nce and often the impossibility of cook- nge in the ration neces- the following is provided for vel” rat ments and have taken great pains to equip their armies with very superior fire- arms, and I think the pistol used by the Germans is better than any we pos- es a ¢ T At Pay of American Soldiers. ; ‘ The lowest pay of an American soldler in the Philippines is $15 30 per month, - equal to about $33 in the currency of ths o country. Besides this he receives medical : % attendance in sickness, and when sick and o disabled, unlike most wage-earners, his -y on i e pay and emoluments never cease. 0 rations : - When on the march or in campalgn all ¢ 3.4 of a soldfer's time is fully oc garrison or in camp his dutfes c drilling, target practice, guard ¢ the necessary work keeping mental grounds clean and in g« This gives him ample leis encouraged by his officers to use his time fn healthful amusement and ‘athletic games. In times of peace and while troops are in barracks post scho are main- talned. which enable a soldler to materi- ally improve his education. ery com- pany has a reading-room, ch is sup- plied h newspapers, perlodicals and light reading. Insanity Among Troops. The cases of insanity and suiclde among our soldlers in the Philippines have at- tracted much attention. This Is probabl because there is now a very general | s practicable to purchase 2 ¢ per ration is allowed therefore for each 1000 1 in lieu of coffee eft the United Philippines special provide them with their comfort, of some of the each regime of Articles Furnished. - terest taken in the army also due to the fact that the In brought home on ships, landed rancisco portion of the people ha and are taken across centinent to showing t Washington, where they are cared for in tacks of t the Government Hospital for the Insane no efforts hav at Anacostia, thus giving unusual public- In some of th genera > J ity to this class of unfortunates. There and quite fata aire X € have always been a number of cases of In October I entered the town of Maga~ 3 fnsanity in the army of the United States. 1218, a small street, The following table prepared from the and fo records of the War Department shows the 0 C&r mean strength of the army, the number late th cases. ere rl' ° < . of soldiers adjudged to be insane and the ‘,""“”’ 3 Suad two wemen iyieg gt Lages & number of suicides during each of the ten foor dreadfully sick with smalipox. = Sev- - & vears from 1889 to 1898, Inclusive eral other women and ¢ 3 — - . them in the same r ad —— 4 - 2 TUNITED STATES ARMY, REGULARS. openin between Apa oo . v — - ————— large as not to separate ther t teliige € atior 2 YEAR. Ratic 2 iy B urage o o o were be . e ‘ 1500 their m s eod 6 - 3 . s w 7 ® oy 0 Mean, 10 years] 2.108 | 23.1) 18.4 A 1869 to date 7 7 K - K Insanity Statistics. ; ; The ahove figures are confined to the . ] regular army and do not inclnde the v - unteers;,0f whic re were a great n x = ber in 1898, I have, however, ascertained i the folowing regarding the army in the e ehovels Philippines: ed The average strength of the army from . & - - - ., mpiste the date of landing at Manila in 1893 to 4 e n RN the present time is 35.000. which includes s . both regulars and volunteers. : " owance of Clothing The actual number of officers and sol- 4 : 5 el i i A, diers in the Philippines adjudged insane ) - . A . ’ during that period of nearly two years is ease, g. no_doubt, to humidit - the climate. Our so rs 7 v siderably from fevers: thi W Micer . caused in ‘a great degree by ehs amount of outpost - o the army & ' were sup- wing le shows the ration o =] == soldier v it charge to him. Tt is true ] les of clothing are the lowest cost price. with an amount of to fully balance varying accord- vice and the est amount 69 and the merual number of suicldes 2. Therefore the average sane per year 1s an army averag! 35,000, or one case of insanity to 1000. Tt average number of suicides each year I been 15, or less than one in 2000. fore the cases of | nd the Philippines have been a little le the average in the re army - e the last ten year s, first vear 1077 There is no doubt that Insanit : 4 nn developed in some cases by 1 29 56 tacks of nostalgia or homesickne: = ~J v for absolutely neces as the distance to the Philippir hing. In the Philip- great this trouble would probably be more « s 5 it would be ver e for a soldier marked there than any other place whe rd | ful int of his clothing our army s located. i 2 -#0d ance is finally paid When I went to the Philips C - L bog S diers became insane on tHe same v < L I ,\‘ ! be un‘v that ) -)x.-u': rv wa,\'.in and Dr. Richardson, superintende i - H » my in the Philippines was Government Hospital for the In o 3 e < left them forms me that three of the ins < = : s the Gov- received at the asylum were escs P people of the the Kentu State Asylum at , United al in sending The sugg that a portion of the : . magaz to the gol- cases reported as accidental deaths, a > i diers, very much appreclated drowning, missing, etc., are actually sui- Eo . || by them : cldes, is, I think, very incorrect. The Ce s The gun now furnished to our army 1s Pasig and other rivers are very swift and X .2 1l 8 the Krag-Jorgenson, which I belleve.to-be the danger in crossing or navigating - 1al If not erior to any other fi thi y gre: Change of Rations. g t - thid s TtMe Ak Fagh s s 5 ; r to give the soldier ¢ of soldiers, although —some Fhe Frevelont Dissss of experienced soldiers and well-informed > The dlseases incident to the tropics pre- I e b e officers veguit the Makeet o5 Sorns vall In thé Phillppines. Leprosy has al- Dave clean i - fentt ok AR & some respects. ' Germeny, ; Franos ‘and ways existed there, but is not very gen- whilo' his own of @ portion of the fresh meat, and to ©ther European eountries have entered eral and the people do not seem to regard erally soiled an sull furt benefit the soldler the com. into careful investigations and experi- it as dangerously contagious. Smallpox Iy boiled and laundered by - - 5 Is found in nearly every town and a large nese laundryman, who in turn thoroughly change the ration of ti boiled the pajamas, so that wh by patients there was no glon. 1 became quit watching the gene: similar efforts upon ral health of the command. I visited the hos hear me very frequently, generally onee or_twice a day, and I do not think sick eoldlers of any army are so well cared for as ours. more desirable artcles s dome by company com- t is found to be to the sol- o »0ps on journeys by rallway T steamboats the inconve- nger of con- erested in rese and