Evening star., 1896-11-14
THE WAR PORTFOLIO
Gen. Alger Said TO Be Reaching Out for II
Under President Mckinley.
heas"ns Given VII, His Selection for
Cabinet Position fs sot
NJ All Likely.
Coresi,,..desaoe u rhs E,cniay s,s,

CpfrFsi,ssds1s,s .! ths E,fnilx Star
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich, November IL
Gen. Russell A. Alger II reaching OUT for
the war portfolio in Presiden, Mckinley +.
cabiTet, but VIII probably have consider
able difficulty in landing the priz.. Even
II nothing else stood IN his way, he Will
have opposition in Michigan. which is
liable TO kill him off. Ex-senator Thomas
w. Palmer has not forgotten that Alger
stood with the late Senator F. b. Stock
bridge in opposing his appointment as Sec
retary of Agriculture by President Harri-
son eight years ago, and Palmer and Gov
elect Pin9ree are together now against
Alger, PiLgree the active opponent and
Palmer backing him up as a silent partner
in the political deal. But local opposition
is not the only factor which stands in
Gen. Alger's way. John Sherman will
nave considerable to say in the make up
OF the cabinet, and If any one supposes
that Sherman has forgotten and forgiven
the incidents in the natioral convention OF
lsSS he should read that passage in Sher-
mans book touching upon that conven-
ton. Sherman will oppose Alger's appoint
ment and that opposition alone will go a
long ways toward laying Alger on the
shelf. In addition to TIE home opposition
and Shermans objections, there are still
other reasons why Alser's chances are
slim.
Other RcHsOns Stated,
l. Four years ago he was a RAMPANT Nc
kinley man, next TO keeping an eye out
for his own little BOOM and when he sar,
that his own chances had gone glimmer-
ing he endes vored to swing the Michigan
delegation for the Chic man. He was 2
Mckinley man, one of the original, long
after the Minneapolis convention, and the
disastrous election which followed but AS
the time approached for the national con-
ventton of 1886 his ardor for Nc inley be-
gan to ware. He began casting sheep eyes
toward the other promising bcoms which
loomed up Ca tie political horizon. He
mad a little Irritation with the Reed boom
he cavorted with the Platt-Morton boom
and was friendly with the Allison boom
He wanted to be friendly with them all
and he dallied first with one and then an
other, waiting to see which particular
boom he should coddle up to for keeps
he wanted to be with the winner no mat
ter which one, and he delayed his decision
as to which one would win long that
when he did finally come out for Nc kinley
il was too late to do the Mckinley boom
any partic ular good. Mr.. Hanna came to
Michigan as early as February last and
his special mission was to urge that the
Michigan convention to elect delegates to
the national convention be held as early
as possible for the moral effect it would
have. But instead of calling an early con-
vention 1t was delayed Until May almost
as long as it could be and still come un-
der the wire. and long after other states
had elected Mckinley delegates enough 10
make the convention action a foregone con-
cluSion. For these various reasons Gen.
Alger canrot be counted among the cabi-
net possibilities TO any very great extent.
If cabinet appointment should come 10
Michigan At all ii is more liable to strike
Senator Mcmillan or Gov. Rich than Alger.